The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-12-02
THE NEW STATE
ROADS Of MARYLAND
Interest In the Great Public Improve
ment.

toned in Maryland listeners will be on
the alert to hear what is going to be
said. No comment will be made, per
haps, until the person having the infor-
nation concerning this necessary public
improvement is through talking.
Then question after question will be
fired at him, if he possesses any knowl-
edge of the conditions, and he had bet
ter be well informed on the subject be-
/ fore he begins to talk, otherwise he will
/ soon be overwhelmed with the arguments
ana intarogatories of his hearers, many
of whom he will find fully informed on
! the law and the facts.
There is no question in this State at
the moment which is creating more
( public interest than good roads 1t is
discussed at all crossroads meetings on
Saturdays when the farmers gather to
lay in their following weeks supplies.
This is the one opportunity they have
for exchange Of neighboriy views, and
it is availed Of to the limit 1t is dis
cussed at the Sunday church services,
which affords another meeting chance
to these busy laborers, and it is thor
oughly thrashed over on "cour, days"
in the county $ ats.
Then the subject takes on a wider
range. Il is 10 longer matter of mere
neighborhood gossip, but broadens into
a county and State matters, for on
these field days" the residents of
widely separated sections meet, com
pare notes and discuss conditions con-
corning the whole county, in which all
are mutually Interested, regardless of
district or neighborhood lines.
1t is often the case that at these
court '6eId DAYS" in county seats many
from other parts Of the State gather
for business purposes This makes it
possible to give al extended view to all
State situations as well as to matters of
nat: " { irlport.
The Good Roads Commission has
great work in hand, on which all eyes
are now focused.
This is the work which by an act of
the General Assembly has been placed
in the hands Of the following commits
sion: Gov Austin L. Crothers. John
M. Tucker, chairman, Ira Remsen,
William Bullock Clarr,, S. NJ. Shoe
maker and Francis c. Hutton. Walter
w. Crosby is chief engineer and J. c.
! BOwerman secretary.
This body has outlined the sections of
the State it is intended to cover by the
first appropriation of $5,00O,000 which
has been made by the Legislature,
authority for which has been given to
issue % per cent bonds. Only about
1880, 900 Of this was available up to
July 80 last For thus the commission
has outlined work covering about l07, IS
miles of the LOCO miles contemplated
in the broad scope of this big public UNI
dertaking.
No section of the State is left I'M
covered. The highways are to be built
on modern plans, according to those
promoting them. The work is being
done under the observation of skilled
engineers, and is intended to give
network of good roads reaching from
/ the Atlantic Ocean in Worcester county,
to the Allegany ridge in Garrett county,
county, and from the Potomac river in
/ Charles county and the Chesapeake Bay
IN st. Mary's and Calvert counties to
/ the Pennsylvania border line on the
northern end of the State.
A study of the map will show that no
section is neglected in this scope. 1t
will further show that those having this
gigantic task in hand have aimed to
reach the settlement of great popula-
ton in all sections, from a Topographic
cal standpoint.
1t is apparent that much thought has
/ been given to the subject in these sur
veys. While everyone may not be
pleased, still no work of great public
improvement, it was pointed out, has
ever been undertaken which was not
subject tc more or less criticism. Some
think they are being ignored while their
neighbors are being benefited. This is
irF some and annoying to those with a
grievance, and assuredly leads to COM
plants.
Still the commission claims to have
proceeded on the theory of the greatest
good to the greatest number in the
selection of the routes. With it this
was not matter of bias or prejudices.
The selections were not hastily made.
This was done only after careful inves-
tigation and after open hearings with
persons in the counties concerned. The
commission reserved to itself, of course,
the right of final determination in the
ma ter, as it was the responsible body
on whom the criticism whether favor
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