Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-04
The Public Aroused to the Import
anee Of the Movement.
AUTOMOBILISTS ARE new ALLIES
Evolution of the American High
way.
WORK DONE BY THE STATE

The long agitation in favor of better roads
has borne good fruit, and the public is now
more thoroughly aroused to the Importance
of the movement than ever before More
roads and better roads were built last year
in the United States than in any year in its
history
The agitation will, in the opinion Of the
officials who have made study of the sub
ject, surely result in a well-defned public
sentiment that will overcome all obstacles.
With the new century, the good roads
movement is likely to receive, valuable aid
from the owners of horseless vehicles, al
ready becoming a common sight. The aid
of these new allies added to that OF the
farmer. with his great pecuniary interest in
the question. to say nothing of the army of
wheelmen already enlisted in the cause,
promises well for a rapid spread of the
movement throughout the country.
The Old York Road.
The first great American road which the
historian tells anything about was laid out
in I'LL, and ran from New York to Phila-
delphia. Its antiquity, and the fact that it
terminated at the former city, gave to 1t
the name of 1.-The Old York road" In the
history of the Old York road is seen the
potency of the adage that the history of
roads is the history of civilization The
Indian trail, the blazed trees and the foot
path, followed by the bride road for pack
trains, and then the rough roads for carts
and wagons which were subsequently
graded and paved. making a more easy
means of transportation, are all stepping
stones to higher degrees of civilization.
The making of turnpike roads by char
tered companies was inaugurated in the
last quarter Of the eighteenth century with
the advance of population to the west.
State and national charters were given to
the turnpike companies, which at first Yield
ed large profits. The establishment of turn
pixies and the maintenance of them by toll
however. effected but little improvement in
the general system. and the tax imposed
upon those who were compelled to use
many of these roads was not paid without
protest.
The Wilderness Turnpike.
The Wilderness turnpike was the name Of
one of the earliest of these roads From
the Shenandoah valley, in Virginia, 1t fol-
lowed for some distance the Holston river.
thence it crossed the Allegheny mountains
at Cumberland Gap to central Kentucky.
This route was opened at first for pack
trains. but afterwards was so improved that
1t became the main road for wagon trains
from Virginia to the valley of the Ohio. A
large commerce was carried on between
Virginia and the west over. this highway,
and 1t proved very advantageous to Ken
lucky and adjacent states in their early set
Element and development. During the first
decade of this century the Wilderness turn
pike was the best highway south of the Po-
tomac river. but soon the traffic began to
decrease, and the revenues became linn
tied that 1t was neglected. For years. how
ever, the toll gates were maintained and
travellers were required to pay toll of 81
on passing the gates. which We're seventy
miles apart, although tools frequently had
to be carried in the vehicle with which to
repair the portions of the road that were
otherwise impossible
Speculation in Turnpike Stock.
The desire to speculate in those days was
great as it is now. and such were the
profits of some of these roads that they
were often the subject of speculation. A
notable example of this is shown by the or
ganizaton of a company In 1892 to build a
turnpike from Philadelphia to Lancaster.
Pa, distance of sixty miles. The charter
was obtained and in ten days 227J sub
scribers made application for stock. AS
this was more than the law allowed, the
names were placed in lottery wheel and
GOO drawn. With these subscriptions the
work began The road builders Of that dav
knew little nothing regarding the con-
struction of highways.
In 1906 the sale of public lands in Ohio
had amounted to over SGOO,OOO and after
some discussion in both houses of Congress
a bill appropriating 10000 was passed for
the construction of the so-called National
road. From Cumberland, Md, it was to
extend through southwestern PENNSYLVANIA
and over the Allegheny mountains to the
OHIO to wheeling. w. Va. and then on to
St. Louis, Mo. 1t was constructed on the
principles advocated by Telford and Mac
adam, and was so well built that it is yet
a good road. although it has since passed
into the hands of the state in which it is
located and has not been systematically
repaired for years.
Favored National Roads.
In 1917 John c. Calhoun, Henry Clay and
nj ber "a he Of
for internal improvements. A bill was in
troduced in the House of Representatives
by Mr.. Calhoun to set aside for roads and
the United States from its newly chartered
national banks. In supporting this measure
Mr.. Calhoun, although a stanch believer in
the doctrine of state rights delivered a
speech In its favor. Henry Clay also spoke
in favor of the bill, particularly in refer
ence to Its constitutional merits but the
House amended and passed it in such
manner as to enable the states to prose-
cute the work under the supervision of the
national government and in this form it
passed the Senate. March H. 1877 Presi-
dent Monroe vetoed this bill on the ground
that 1t was unconstitutional, even though
Its provisions were agreed to by the states
An attempt was made to pass it over the
Presidents head, but failed of the neces-
sary two-thirds majority
The monetary crisis of 1897 put a damper
expenditures, and from that time to 1854
only a few small appropria tons were made.
Another period of activity then began and
lasted until the civil war during which
time over S1,G1OOO was laid out chiefly on
roads In the territories. From that time to
this onl yafew military roads have been
made, and of late years nothing has been
done in the way of national aid, save the
building of roads in the District of Column
bia. in national cemeteries and on reserva-
tons.
Birth of the RaiIrOad.
The railroad had Its birth in the United
States on the 4th of July. 1923. On that
day the ceremony of breaking ground for
the Baltimore and Ohio was performed by
Charles Carroll who was at that time the
only surviving signer of the Declaration of
Independence. From the small section that
was operated at first by horse power has
grown a system which places this country
in the front rank in the character and ex-
tent of its railroads.
The mania for building railroads soon
began to spread. Spectators again came to
the front, as they had done when turnpike
building was so popular. Railway lines were
projected, which. had they all been built
would have surpassed the number now in
actual operation. Seven years after the
commencement of the construction of the
Baltimore and Ohio over $50 miles of rail-