The Democratic advocate., 1907-01-11
Address By President Armstrong.


I'm none of these have they been more
marked than in the methods and agencies of
| transportation.
-Four hundred years ago, Christopher Co
| lumbus reached America in puny pathfinder
| of the sea- moved irregularly by capricious
winds; today, numberlesS floating palaces are
| propelled over the same waters by the uniform
and potent energy of steam. In this time,
marvellous transitions have taken place from
the bride path and pack saddle to the sub
stantial turnpikes of Tefourd and Macadam,
with the wagon train and stage coach. From
these to twin lines of metal rails on ballast
with mammoth engines drawing enormous
burdens of freight. And now former means
of traction and propulsion are being supplant
ed BY the occult and powerful motive agency
of electricity.
"What will the coming centuries unfold
| That which to this generation may seem the
ending, may be but the beginning or middle
era of scientific achievement.
'.In the near future. there may float in the
ocean of air above us. smulachres OF those
winged monsters of the paleozOic age, that
| lived by the shores of nameless lakes and
left the r footprints in the sands of time.
These griffins of the sky will be the aeroplaneS
of Santos Dumont, and may be the evolution
ary successors of the horse. the automobile
aud the trolley. They will carry their freight.
in ca RS less costly. against a material less re-
sistant than earth or water and he operated AT
| an expense less than the vehicles now used by
| man.
"Ascending into the empyrean. and beyond
| the attraction of terrestrial gravitatiOn; by re-
naming stationary, they will travel 200 miles
| an hour With a diurnal revolution of the
| globe they will have made the grand circuit,
eclipsing beyond comparison the mythical
time of Jules Verne's imaginary trip Around
the World in Eighty Days.
'The most important economic question
confronting the State of Maryland is how to
secure an improved public road system at an
outlay commensurate with the means OF the
taxpayers.
History shows that sudden awakening to
past evils has misled the people into following
visionary and enthusiastic counsels, so that
| injurious. instead of beneficial. results ensued
from the adoption of unwise measures. Early
in the nineteenth century, and prior to the era
of railroads. large sums of money were wasted
in the construction of artificial waterways
This Elusive activity extended from the Mis-
sissippi River to the Atlantic Ocean. Nearly
all of these projects resulted in financial loss
and disappointment 1t is, therefore, essen
tial to the attainment of permanent success
that good sense and business principles should
dpply III 'hS ShoiN ~ >o
system of the State.
mo complicated law, nor scientific engl-
neer, nor extravagant expenditures are neces-
sary to accomplish great improvements IN
existing road conditions.
The Chief Engineer of the Highway Bu
reau of Maryland has recently stated that 70
$40 miles of model roads have been completed
in the last year at cost of over $l5O, 900.
This means, therefore, that each mile has
cost about $4,000. =
"Under local, self. government plan of
building roads equally as durable and as good
can be constructed at one half that cost. In
deed. excellent macadamized roads have been
built in the past few years in Washington
county for about 81 900 per mile.
but objection to the large outlay under the
State Bureau is thought to be removed by the
impression that the lambike taxpayers be
Eeve that the State half Of the money reaches
the treasury as silently and benehcenty as the
mama which fed the children of Israel.
but common sense and street corner edu-
cation are not easily misled by Cassie Chad
wick finance and legislative film fiam. The
property owners Of Maryland are forced each
wear to pay to the State treasury $2oo,OO
Then it is proclaimed that that amount OF
mama money is on hand, and if the property.
owners will contribute again, like amount of
5000 600. then there will be $4OO, 1000 to build
model roads This is the charlatanic, trans
lncent. benevolent assimilation, State aid
nlan. of constructing a So, ,000-a mile road for
Sc, 800.
1.-THE political sentiment that granted char
ters TO corporations to build turnplkes and
collect tolls is being superseded by spirit of
a directly opposite character. This trend is
represented by that large and growing element
that aspires to the happy millennium when
| nobody shall work but father. and everybody
| else shall be furnished everything for nothing.
'The eternal fiat of the Almighty that man
shall earn his bread by the sweat of his brow,
is an antique chestnut, suited only to the
| scriptural and strenuous life of old fogles.
The primal rights of life, liberty and the
| nursuit of happiness count for nothing. The
| gentlemen of leisure of the anti sudorihc
| trust demand that those poor stupid devils of
| industry and self. denial shall raise the nuts,
crack them. and that they, the said gentlemen
ofleisure,' with the philanthropy of Abou Ben
| Adhem, and the generosity of Saladin, will
complete the Job, conscientiously and labor
| iously, by masticating the kernels. In con,
,rast with this developing and perverting sen
timent is the position of sterling citizen of
Hagerstown, whose property consists only OF
a small home. In referring to this public
road problem, he asservated. that If its soiu-
ton were submitted to him, he would grant
| charters to private corporations to build roads
| and collect tolls 10 pay interest OH the capilai
invested.
"Why, he inquired, should he be taxed TO
nroyide model roads for the comfort and
Measure of the owners of stylish and costly
vehicles? He possessed none himself. nor
could he afford to hire them. His position,
bv no means, accords with the popular free
for alr dogma, but it would require a very
ingenious argument to countervail the equity
of the principle. ..,,
at was said ofthe preacherin Goldsmith S
Deserted Village that even his tailings leaned
to virtues side
''But this compliment cannot be applied to
the fobles of our great National Government.
"Parsimony and nj iggardliness are often the
concomitants of prodigality.
Count Boni de Castellane, after having
disbursed his martial patrimony with whole
| sale recklessness, was at last forced to pitt
full importantly.
"With satirical satisfaction, however. it is
| to he observed that like Mother Hubbard.
when he went to the cupboard, to get poor
Boni bone. the cupboard was bare, and for
poor Boni was none.
.sThe rainbow teas of the fashionable -Four
Hundred often rival in costly sumptuousness
and splendor the imperial banquets OF Hello
| gabulus, but the HORST anu ine oouie WASH
ers bills remain unpaid.
The Government of the United States has
expended countless millions on chryselephan-
tine architecture, which in magnihcence sur.
passes in the heyday of their glory, the royal
palaces of the Luxem bourg and the Alhambra.
1t has collected vast sums from the farmers OF
the East to be expended on the gigantic
scheme of irrigating the arid regions ofremote
territory, thereby increasing the competition
with those sections where agriculture is already
embarrassed and Improbable.
"When the rural free delivery system, was
proposed, agents of the Government endeav'
ored to make arrangements with the turnpike
companies on a scale basis OF tolls less tnan
the regular schedule charge to the travelling
Notwithstanding the fact that free delivery
service would reduce pike receipts by lessen
;no local travel. the Government, in popular