The Democratic advocate., 1908-12-25
TO ABOLISH TOLLGATES
GOVERNOR HOPES To ACCOMPLISH
This DURING HIS TERM
Toll Highways All Right in Their Day,
but Now Out OF Date

Toll Highways All Right in Their Day,
but Now Out OF Date
From the Baltimore Sun.
Governor Crothers is reported to be
anxious for the abolition of tollgates
on the highways of the State, upon
the theory that they are a nuisance.
1t is related, we believe, that friend
of Mr.. Tony Weller, who became mis-
anthropic, gratified his animosity to
the human race by becoming a gate
keeper and collecting toll from trav-
elers. Robin Hood and Jonathan Wild
were toll-gatherers in their day and
generation, but they did not keep the
roads in any better repair than some
of the tollroads which enter Balti-
more city are kept today. Indeed
many travellers are satisfied in their
own minds that the "hold-ups" and
exactions by the gatekeepers on some
of the so-called roads that enter Bal
timore are no more warranted nor
just than the activities and collections
of the road agents" of other years.
That the stream Of traffic entering a
great city should be impeded and
preyed upon, first by an abominably
bad road and then by the exaction of
payment for it's use, is not creditable.
Market people entering Paris and
other French cities are compelled to
pay "octrOi"-a small tax upon the
produce they are carrying. But these
people are provided with a fine road.
They are not compelled to drag their
vehicles through mud and ruts and
over powders, and then pay "octroi''
In addition. The quicker the tollgates
in and around Baltimore are abolish
ed the better.
But it should not be forgotten that
the various turnpike companies In
many of the counties of the State have
performed splendid public service
and have contributed enormously to
the development and wealth of the
State. Among the earliest of the
turnpike roads in Maryland were the
so-called bank roads," In the first
half of the nineteenth century bank
charters were esteemed a most val
liable property, and in granting them
large exactions were made. A taz
was imposed upon bank stock for the
benefit of the public schools and 8
sum raised which is still held by the
State as trust fund for public edu.
cation. In addition to this the banks
were required to invest a certain
amount of their capital stock in some
works of internal improvement for the
benefit Of the State. In the western
counties. which we're not blessed with
the natural highways to market tina
the southern and eastern counties haC
In the bay and rivers, the rule was tt
subscribe to the capital stock of turn
pike companies. By these subscrip
tions the great highway connecting
Baltimore with Cumberland, where
the National road to the West began
was made, and over the highway came
the traffic, in large part, which made
Baltimore an important commercial
City before the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad reached the Ohio river. Sew.
eral of the companies which con.
structed the road from Baltimore tt
Cumberland were composed of the
president and directors of banks il
Baltimore, Hagerstown, WiIliamspor1
and Cumberland. The subscriptions tc
the stock of the road made by these
banks amounted to $486,170.71. The
last section of the road was complet.
ed about 1925, and after that time
there was splendid road from Bal.
timore to the Ohio river, that part
west from Cumberland having beer
constructed years before by the United
States and being free road. All OF
Baltimores great Western trade and
much of that which went on to
Philadelphia went over the road until
the railroad was built. The bank sub
scriptions to the road were almost
equivalent to donations, as only small
returns in dividends were received on
the greater part of the road. 1t may
well be seen what an enormous bene-
faction to the State this road was. 1t
was the outlet to market of the pro-
duce OF the great western counties
for many years.
The local and less important roads
in the western counties were made
mainly by the farmers in each neigh
borhood to provide a way to market.
The main idea was this, and not as
an investment. 1t was quite impos-
sible to get the county governments
to make these good roads, and so the
people undertook the good work them
selves and put the cost of maintaining
the roads in good order not on the
taxpayers of the county generally,
but upon the people who used the
roads, making them pay toll In some
cases the toll collected was just suffi-
cient for maintenance; in other cases
good dividends were paid to the stock
holders. In every case the taxpayers
at large have profted; first, by the
increased valuation for taxation of
the land along the turnpikes; second
by being relieved of the cost of keep
ing long stretches of road in repair.
The turnpike companies, therefore,
have not been public enemies, but i'm
portant agencies for the improvement
and development of the State They
have added millions to the value of
farming properties. If anyone doubts
the value of a good turnpike road to
a country community, let him try to
buy farm binding upon one He
will find that it is worth great deal
more per acre than land just as good
on mud road five miles away.