The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1908-06-12
The Scheme OF State Road I'm
proVement.


The Baltimore Sun in its issue of Mon
day discusses the State road project. The
following are extracts from the editorial :
1.-THE selection of roads in the southern
and eastern counties by the State Com
mission for improvement has been highly
sensible and not difficult. Baltimore is
designed to be the center of the system
on the Western Shore. The roads select.
ed for improvement on the Eastern Shore
cannot lead to Baltimore. but some of
them touch important shipping points
from which boats ply to Baltimore. The
Eastern Shore system will connect all the
county towns.
''Itseems to be the design Of the Road
Commission to deal with the State as
unit, and not with the county as a unit.
Each county is to receive its just and pro-
portionate part of the road fund. But the
State road in each county, as far as it is
practicable, is to be made in connection
with those of the adjoining counties, SO
that there will be continuous highways.
Gas has been said, the selection of roads
for improvement in the Eastern Shore and
southern counties was comparatively
easy matter. Everybody in each county
knows what are the principal roads in
that county, just as the people in Balti-
more know which are the principal streets
Of the city.
"But the selection of the roads for i'm
provement in the great western counties
of Carroll, Frederick and Washington
will be more difficult. Every citizen of
each of those counties knows what are
the main roads in his county. But all the
most important main roads are turnpiked,
and the commission will be compelled to
make selection of the principal roads
of secondary importance. The main road
from Carroll, from Frederick and from
Washington counties leading to Baltimore
are fine stone roads; every road leading
into Hagerstown and every road leading
into Frederick is a nacadam road.
Nevertheless, there>are many of the small
er towns which stand in urgent need Of
roads to connect them with each other,
and there will be abundant use for all
the money which will be apportioned to
each county.
There appeared to be some appre-
hension among those who met the COM
mission in the western counties that the
law restricts the improvement to those
main roads which run from county to
county, and that the commission has no
power to improve the main roads that
begin and end in county or exterd from
one large town to another in the same
county. The law provides that the conf
mission "shall have full powers and be
charged with the full duties to select,
such general system of improved State
roads and highways as can reasonably be
expected to be completed with the funds
herein provided in and through all the
counties of the State" 1t may be argued
that road leading. for example, from
Brunswick or from Knoxville in Frederick
county to Frederick City, is just as much
a part of the system as road leading
FROM Frederick to Hagerstown or West
minister. Frederick is already the center
of splendid system of stone roads, while
Brunswick, a town of nearly 5, 1000 persons,
is almost mud-bound in winter, without
single good road to reach it. 1t surely
cannot be the design of the law to com
pei the commission to build road from
Frederick to Hagerstown and to Mount
Airy when there is already fine road TO
each one. and leave Brunswick and the
whole Merryland Tract, the only part of
Frederick county minus turnpikes, with
out good roads.
"And SO in Washington county; the
County Commissioners have recommend
ed road down the western side of South
Mountain through Pleasant Valley, the
only part of Washington county which
has no turnpikes.
San impression that seems to be gain
ing ground, namely, that there is an
effort by automobile people to control the
selection of roads without regard to the
local advantage, should be corrected
4 e s.sl