Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1899-03-17

The frightful condition of the public
highways at this time ought to set our
people to thinking to devise some scheme
whereby they eau be made permanently
good. The complaints about their bad
conditi N is not confined to any particu
lar locality bu. are heird from all over
the State Hence supreme effort should
be made by the people of the whole State
concerning the matter looking to some
substantial advancement in this line OF
internal improvement We can afford
to spend millions of dollars Oh the i'm
provemeut of water ways-as large au
amount on public buildings, and fritter
away in numberless other ways largc
sums Of money why then cannot some
thing be done IN aid of better highways!
Such an internal improvement as we
vieS it. is certainly paramount to all
others, and if the people would but see
it in the proper light, they would tax
up the question and deal with it as it
deserves. National aid should be
sought The National government uses
'he public highways and Why should th4
Nation cot contribute something to keep
them in repair. Everything needed for
the government from the food for the
employees to the transportation of the
President to the white house goes over
the public highways; our mails are car
ried over them, our troops use them; iu
fact, the National government uses them
more than any single individual, and as
we take it, the National government
should help keep them in repair. But
leave the National government out oil
the question; why should the State moi
take hold of the important question
Annually large sums Of money are ap-
propriated to various institutions under
the psuedo pretention of charity; large
sums of money are appropriated in ad
Of public education And all so we'll
and SO good We think the latter well
spent. Every child in the State ought
to be educ sted. If not from private,
public means, because education is Il e
foundation stone of good citizenship.
But while we are doing this we should
not forget other needed improvements
which are largely the foundation stone
Of wealth. The Improvement of the
public highways will be money spent for
the use or benefit of no individual or
class, but for all, its benefit will reach
every citizen in the State. Seeing the
question then from our standpoint we
think the State should take up the sub
jeet and deal with it in a practical way
The counties have done all they could
and their efforts have proved futile
The citizens Of the counties have
taxed themselves beyond human
endurance, and all the money they
have spent seems so much thrown
away. The reason is they cannot raise
mHre than enough to temporarily repair
the pnblic roads, and the Indictment
weather of one season sweeps away all
the work done in another, and so the
money expended instead of doing praeti-
cal good, is bat ruthless waste The
argument against the step for State as
sistance is the Constitutional inhibition
We are well aware of that objection
1t is an objection so long as it stands,
but how losg will it take to sweep away
that provision in our organic law OF
amend i, so as to except appropriations
for public roads We are amending the
Constitution every year, and why not
amend it in that particular? 1t is in
portant that the puolic roads should be
repaired by the State, and the public had
as well begin now to realize this fact.
Here it is, Tor months all travel in the
counties has been blocked, and trade in
the country thereby brought to a stand
still because the public roads are impai :
sable, when our State is virtually out Of
debt, and can so well afford a remedy
The business Of the whole State is suffer
ing, and all on the account of a little
false sense of economy Such state Of
things should not exist, and let some eff
fort be made for change.