The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-10-02
THE OLD NATIONAL ROAD,
How it Figured in National Poll
tics for Many Years.
Baltimore Sun.

The good roads convention hold a
Cumberland recently and the sugges
ton thero made by the chief of The
United. States road bureau that The ole
national road should again be taken in
hand by the Federal government recalls
the history Of one Of tho most interest
ing highways in the United States. Ite
glory has long since departed and the
service for which it was constructed is
now performed by number of rail.
ways. That service was to provide an
avenue for travel and traffic between
the eastern seaboard and the valley of
the Mississippi. The original design
was TO build the road from Cumberland
to Wheeling. At Wheeling the traffic
was transferred to boats on tho Ohio
river. East from Cumberland the road
was built by series of corporations
chartered by the State of Maryland,
with money subscribed mainly by tho
State banks. Each bank as it received
it's charter was obliged 90 condition
to invest certain per cent. of it's capi-
tai in the stock of the turnpike COM
panies, and for this reason the road
was sometimes called the "bank road {"
For many years great stream of
travel and traffic passed over the road
from Wheeling to Baltimore. AS many
as l6 coaches, carrying from eight to
sixteen passengers, passed each way
daily. There were rival limos and re-
lays Of horses at short intervals, and
the speed was as great as 10 or IL
miles an hour, day and night. Many
private carriages and many persons on
horseback were in the cver-changing
procession. Some Of the great figures
in our history passed to and fro on this
celebrated highway. Henry Clay, the
father of the road, and Andrew Jack
son, who cut short it's career, went
over it to and from their homes to
Washington, and were always received
wherever they stopped by throngs of
admirers. Those were the days of hero
worship.
Over this road came the famous In
dian chleftain, Black Hawk, Oh his
visit TO the "great father" Don An
tonic Lopez dc Santa Ana rode all the
way from Wheeling to Baltimore in
coach named " Texas" His conquer
or, Sam Houston, was also at times
passenger, as was Zachary Tay lor, Will
liam Henry Harrison and Davy Crock
cit. All these statesmen had TO be
prepared to receive delegations and to
make speeches whenever they put up
for the night at tavern. The freight
ovor the road consisted mainly of bacon
and flour brought east to Baltimore in
" line 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 tlocks of oxen
and sheep which followed each otter
in quick succession over tho road caused
a great demand for accommodations for
man and beast, for provisions and for
age. The farmers along the route
never lacked a market for what they
raised, and every few miles there was
for quarter and drink of pure corn
or rye whiskey for "lip." AS the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad was push
ed Westward the terminus of this traffic
shifted from town to town until the
railroad reached Wheeling in January,
1858, and the national road ceased to
be anything more than local high
way.
In his address at Cumberland Mr..
Martin Dodge spoke approvingly of the
idea of q transcontinental wagon road.
AS the building Of the national road
progressed there was a design TO ex-
tend 1T to St. Louis, and it probably
would have reached that city before
the advent OF the railroad but for Pres
ident Jackson's veto of the Mayesvillc
turnpike bill in May, 1880. That veto
carried CONSERVATION throughout the
land and blasted many hopes. The
bill provided that the United States
should subscribe TO the stock of tho
company chartered to build a turnpike
road from Mayesville to Lexington,
Ky, and it's veto was the announce
ment that the policy of internal i'm
prOvements was ended, at least as long
as Jackson was in the White House.
That policy had been steadily pur-
sued during the administrations of
Monroe and John Quincy Adams. 1t
was like the " American " or protec.
tive system, the conception of Henry
Clay, and began in 1906, whom Clay
went into tho Senate. 1t was the policy
of the Wing party, and was one of tho
causes Of the division of parties which
took place in Adams administration
For his Mayosville veto Jackson was
subjected to the bitterest denunciation
by the Whig papers, and nowhere did
the blow strike more heavily than in
Maryland. President Adams had brok-
en- ground for the Chesapeake and
Ohio canal July 4, 1928. lie was
vastly Interested in the work, which
no said would exceed any of the
seven wonders " of the world. The
United States subscribed million dol.
lars to the capital stock upon condition
that it should be made wider and doep.
er than had been purposed, and no one
doubted that this was only beginning
and that the United States would fur
nish money to continue tho waterway
to the OHIO river. But Jackson do
stroyed all these hopes. The cana
company elected as its president {
Imember OF ,JacksOn's cabinet. hi!