Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-17
The Old National Road.

From the Baltimore Sun.
The good roads convention held at Cum
berland recently and the suggestion there
made by the chief Of the United States road
bureau that the old national road should
again be taken in hand by the federal gov
eminent recalls the history Of the most in
teresting highway IN the United States. It's
glory has long since departed. and the ser
vice for which It was constructed is now
performed by a number of railways. That
service was to provide an avenue for travel
and traffic between the eastern seaboard
and the valley of the Mississippi. The or!gi-
nal design was to build the road from Cum
berland to Wheeling. At Wheeling the
traf1c was transferred to boats on the Ohio
river. East from Cumberland the road was
building by a series of corporations char
tered by the state Of Maryland. with money
subscribed mainly by the state banks. Each
bank as it received Its charter was obliged
as condition to invest certain per cent
Of its capital In the stock Of the turnpike
companies, and for this reason the road was
sometimes called the bank road"
For many years a great stream Of travel
and traffic passed over the road from
Wheeling to Baltimore. AS many as six
teen coaches, carrying from eight to sixteen
passengers, passed each way daily. There
were rival lines and relays Of horses at
short intervals, and the speed was as great
as ten or twelve miles an hour, day and
night. Many private carriages and many
persons on horseback were in the ever
changing procession. Some of the great fig
ures In our history passed to and fro on
this celebrated highway. Henry Clay, the
father of the road, and Andrew Jackson.
who cut short it's career, went over it to
and from their homes to Washington, and
were always received wherever they stop
ped by throngs of admirers. Those were
the days of hero worship. Over this road
came the famous Indian chieftain, Black
Hawk. on his visit to the great father"
Don Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana rode all
the way from Wheeling to Baltimore in
coach named Texas" His eonquerer. Sam
Houston. was also at times passenger. as
was Zachary Taylor. William Henry Harri-
son and Davy Crockett. All these states
men had to be prepared to receive delega-
lions and to make speeches whenever they
put up for the night at a tavern. The
freight over the road consisted mainly OF
bacon and flour brought east to baltimore
In Zine wagons" ponderous vehicles with
hind wheels ten feet high. and drawn by
four or six horses. They returned with
loads of dry goods, groceries and other
commodities for the stores Of the western
states. All these vehicles and the focks Of
oxen and sheep which followed each other
In quick succession over the road caused
great demand for accommodations for man
and beast, for provisions and forage. The
farmers along the route never lacked
market for what they raised, and every few
miles there was a tavern where meal
might be had for quarter and aa ;, drink %, OF
pure corn or rye whisky for Zip" AS the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad was pushed
westward the terminus Of this traffic shift
ed from town to town until the railroad
reached Wheeling in January, 1853. and the
national road ceased to be anything more
than local highway
In his address at Cumberland Mr.. Martin
Dodge spoke approvingly Of the Idea Of
transcontinental wagon road AS the build
ing Of the national road progressed there
was design to extend 1t to St. Louis, and
1t probably would have reached that city
before the advent Of the railroad but for
turnpike bill in May, 1880 That veto car
r1ed CONSERVATION throughout the land and
blasted many hopes. The bill provided that
the United States should subscribe to the
turnpike road from Maysville to Lexington,
KY. and Its veto was the announcement
that the policy Of internal improvements
y, was ended; at least a. long as Jackson was
steadily pursued during the administrations
OF Monroe and John Quincy Adams 1t was
Ike the American or protective system.
the aeo conception Of Henry Clay, and began in
was the policy OF the whig party. and was
one OF the causes OF the division of parties
which took place IL Adams administration.
jected to the bittarest denunciation by the
wing papers, and nowhere did the blow
strike more heavily than In Maryland.
Iresioent Adams had broken ground for the
Chesapeake and Ohio, canal July 4, 1928.
He was vastly interested in the work.
which he said would exceed any Of the
seven wonders Of the world. The United
STATES subscribed "a smtlion dollars to the
capital stock upon condition that 1t should
be made wider and deeper than had been
purposed. and no one doubted that this was
only beslnnipg. and that the United States
would furnish money to continue the water
way to the Ohio river But Jackson de-
stroyed all theseffhopes. The canal COM
pany elected as It's president member Of
erai Eaton. Secretary Of War. But Old
Hickory could not be cajoied into approx
ing what he considered an unconstitutional
measure
These days the Constitution seldom stands
In the way Of anything Congress really
wishes to do, and 10. II It should be deter
mined to make @ transcontinental road
from Washington to San Francisco. 1t II
not likely that the plan would encounter q
veto or cause any party divisions.