Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1905-11-24

presence of an automobile upon high
way is always attended with more or less
danger. This the horse understands and
acts accordingly. He may get used to
certain phases, and more ordinary ones,
of meeting the automobiles, but when
ever an extraordinary one occurs, as of
the automobile going with large speed,
as many of them do and always will, and
will do it more and more as they may be
longer permitted to use the roads; or
again, if they, meet where the path IS
narrow, as. is frequently the case with
practically all our roads, nearly all of
them being at many places turnpiked
and narrow, any horse involuntarily SHES
from the danger just as a man does-tries
to get out of the way-nor is he thinking
of the vehicle behindghim or those in it.
Then comes. the accident. Nor will a
horse cease to shy or to try to get out of
the way of being hit, any more than a
man will, if he lives hundred years.
1t is because of such conditions as these
that the use of these same highways by
two such, different kinds of locomotion
can never be safe, and therefore each kind
must have its own roads. There is no
other possible, satisfactory or even endur-
able settlement of this question. So that
really the only question is whether those
who built and own the present roads,
shall surrender them to those who prac-
tically have done nothing toward build
ing them and do nothing to keep them
in repair, andibuild more roads for them
selves; or whether those using the new
line of vehicles shall build and keep in
repair their own roads. Either thing
can be done without any especial difficulty
or hardship, just as railroads or turnpikes
have been. or are constantly built.
The building of any road is hardly
more than the use of wealth for the bene-
fit of labor, and therefore in itself may be
and properly is blessing rather than an
evil
We have already determined, if the
courts do not sustain the people in the
safe use of their own roads, to build
private road from the Bread Loaf at
least to East Middlebury, six miles, and
this although we pay now $1,000 year,
more or less, to keep in repair the present
mountain roads; but it is lnconceivable
that our courts should not sustain the
peoples rights in this matter. as the
ID 10 -
equally inconceivable that our people
will permit their roads to be stolen from
them.
We have already had experience in
private road building. Some twenty
five years ago, to get away from the
annoyances of a clay road to a farm in
Weybridge, we built mile or more of
stone road, at an expense of $500, upon
the public highway, that is changed the
clay road to a stone road, and it was so
well built by those we employed to build
it, that it is perhaps as good today as
when made, and with but little repair
should be good for a hundred years. We
speak of this to show that there is moth
ing especially difficult for those who
want them to build roads.
Those who use automobiles are sup
posed to be the most able of all to build,
but whether this is so or not, let them
build their own roads, or go without.
To return to the horse. We do not
think the editor of the Enterprise owns
horse, and doubt whether he ever did,
although he talks very glibly of their
, actions, For many years we have owned
large number, seldom if ever less than 80
at time, and have used them in almost
every conceivable way, one, two, or four
, together, but we never owned horse that
, we would desire to meet an automobile
: with at many spots on our mountain
: roads, or anywhere in the night and
rather than do it in going up and down
our mountain, as we have said we would
3 build a private road for many miles
r For we knOly that in either of these two
cases supposed, an accident of the most
. serious character might happen at any
e time, with any horse or horses, Just a,
the one which the Register mentioned las
4 week happened upon the Alpine pass
few weeks since, when a stage drawn by
S five horses, having between 90 and 81
q passengers, the horses becoming fright
: ened from meeting an automobile, wa
e precipitated over precipice 400 feet, an,
e every person on the outside killed anc