The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1907-03-15
FRIDAY AFTERNOON, MARCH IS. 1907
Address of w. w. Crosby Before the
Pomona Grange of Carroll County,
at Westminster, on March 2.

Pomona Grange of Carroll County,
at Westminster, on March 2.
81 do not need to detail to you the advan
tages of good roads. City people may appre
ciate good road when they go out into the
country, but it takes farmer to fully under
stand all that the improvement of the road
means. The farmer not only uses the roads
for convenience and pleasure, but he uses
them because he haste, IN many cases. And
when the improvement OF the road results, as
did the Improvement of a mile of the road be-
tween Bladensburg and Washington, the
farmer fully realizes not only the value OF this
particular improvement, but what would be
the value to him of more such roads. The
instance | refer to is the statement by farmer
living near Bladensburg to Dr. r. S. Hill,
member of the last General Assembly from
Prince Georges county. The farmer said:
up to two years ago the mile in question used
to be the worst between my place and the
city. Now when | send load to town | send
one horse home as soon as the team stlkes
the new road, and you can imagine what that
means to me-.
"You all appreciate the value to each Of
you of the turnpikes in winter even though
you object to the toll. But there are probably
many instances in the experience Of each Of
you when the payment of the toll was pre-
terred to the tree ROADS.
"And that brings up point L wish to
mention at this opportunity, the relation OF
the present State aid law to the turnpikPs
The Shoemaker law was not designed prlmar
lily to affect or iniure the turnpike companies
If, in its operation, by force of the example
of the results secured under IAN improvement
in the condition of some Of our pixies is secur-
ed, we shall all be grateful. But the opposition
expressed in some localities by those interest
ed in the pixies to the law is uuwarranted.
personally believe that the day of toll roads
in Maryland is past, but do not believe in
taking private property for public use with
ont just compensation, | think that the Stale
and the counties, acting together, should take
over the pixies, paying their owners Il tar
price for them, and make them all free. 1t
probably would be impractcable to do this
Immediately. In the meantime ! would sug
gest, that the counties with the aid Of the
State, improve other main feeders Of the
pixies, and such other main roads as are
needed to meet the public demands not salts
fed by the location of the pixies themselves.
1.-The general demand of the travelling
public could thus be most quickly and salts
tactorlly met, and not only not inlure the
pixies, but actually increase their value to the
public and the pike-Owners themselves. Were
the entrances and exits to the pixies put in
better shape generally, undoubtedly the
amount of travel on the pixies would increase
and also the general public be benefited i'll
many ways. Then. after This work OF improv
ing the main roads feeding the pixies or taking
travel from them to the railroad was well
under way, the ofquestions abolishing the tolls
would not naturally be in order.
"These questions are bound to demand
settlement at no distant day. Those interested
in the pixies had better accept this fact and
all lnthelr pOwer-tOr instance, aiding the
State and the counties to improve the pixies
teederS-tO make their property valuable
as possible in the meantime, rather than OBJ
struct or hinder the movement for better roads
now under way, for their own interests, If for
no other reasons Ii is entirely reasonable
for the State and county together, in those
localities where no pixies have been built, to
meet the existing demands Of The residents, to
improve system of main roads, Including a
main stem as it might be called, and in
those localities where the Development may
have occurred IN q totally new or different
from that anticipated by the turnpike huiIaers.
to improve main roads that may TO some cX-
tent even njure the existing pixies. The III
jury in these latter cases. however, would gen
orally be slight, the development away
from the pike has already done the pike al.
most the greatest injury possible.
Better roads have come 10 stay alt over
the country, and Maryland, am sure. will
not be found in til" rear The people are
demanding them all over the State and puz
cling their county officials to satisfy these
demands.
"The sincerity of the requests is most
strongly proved by the offers of the petition.
ers in almost every case to contribute from 10
to 80 per cent. of the cash needed.
''Some counties, realizing fully the value
of the investment, have actually borrowed the
money needed. Others are talking seriously
of doing so. Carroll county. out of its Inn
tied annual resources has built two pieces of
modern road, and so far as know they have
been entirel satisfactory, although the second
one is not yet quite completed. Al any rate,
the neighborhoods are demanding the eXten-
sion this year of each piece. Applications
are in for similar roads IN other sections of
the county, and undoubtedly the county Off
Gals will deal as fairly and as literally in each
case as their judgment and resources permit.
can only wish you may all be fully satisfied