The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1910-12-23

State itself, not merely az CONNER
cial venture for sake of profit, and
that they have contributed in large
measure to the general growth and
prosperity OF the State. Certainly
whatever of value they now repre-
sent to their proprietors should be
fully recognized by the State when
seeking to acquire them.
1T cannot with any show OF JUS
tice be claimed that because they
were not originally protected for pro
fit they should now be surrendered
without proper compensation, when II
il remembered that their present val
uation does not represent their orig
inal cost
For example, take the Reisters-
town Turnpike; its original COST ana
that i'm the days of cheap labor and
materials, was $638,O0O a. represented
by its stock land we are sure that
in those days they had not developed
the modern process of watering).
when by far the greater part OF
it's traffic had been diverted by the
railroads it was found necessary to
reduce it's capital to the present
amount of S191,4O0, and not with
standing that it's present capital thus
represents less than one-third of the
amount originally invested, upon
which it il now paying satisfactory
dividends to the stockholders, if the
dealings with the Frederick Turn
pike are to be taken as the criterion,
should the State desire to acquire our
road we can hardly expect an offer to
any extent approximating it's present
valuation.
Contrast with this the provision of
our charter as to the acquisition OF
the road by the State, part of our
contract i'm fact which we will might
claim should be recognized. Section
80 of the charter provides,
AND BE 1T ENACTED, That the
General Assembly of Maryland may,
at any period after all of either OF
the roads shall have been completed,
one years notice being given to the
stockholders, pay all or either OF the
said companies the amount Of the
cost of the road or roads OF such
company or companies, with such an
equal, with the tolls received to ten
per centum, from the investments OF
their moneys, and that thenceforward
the tolls shall be subject to the regu-
latfons of the legislature
Mistake of Commission.
"As we have previously stated, we
believe that the Commission has
made serious mistake in failing first
to direct it's efforts towards acquiring
the existing toll roads.
1.-The very act creating the Commits
sion bears upon its face evidence that
such course was contemplated, and
certainly this was expected by those
who were compelled to use these
roads.
1T was to be expected that those
roads which the State itself had orig
inally projected as the natural and
proper highways for traffic, some
extending in a continuous line to the
borders of adjacent States, and which
have been accepted and used for over
100 years as the natural and neces-
sary highways, and with reference to
which as such the citizens of the re-
spective sections had invested their
money in the purchase of adjacent
lands and made their improvements,
would commend themselves to the
Commission as the proper and natur-
al highways for the State The open
ing of adjacent or parallel roads,
aside from the question of increased
cost, will not, we submit, serve a.
large portion of the public, and will
give no relief to those adjacent to
these toll roads, and hence not accom-
plish the purpose in large part de-
signed by the Legislature and conf
IDENTIFY expected by the public. The
Commission has been repeatedly in
formed by those using the turnpike
roads that they were perfectly salts
fed with these roads if they were
made free and properly maintained.
We confidently assert that the large
sum which has already been expend-
ed by the commission in it's expert
ments, with little and in large part
unsatisfactory results, would have
been sufficient to have acquired at a
reasonable valuation most, IL not all,
of the existing turnpikes, and put
them in a satisfactory condition, and
thus hundreds of miles of durable
and serviceable roads would have
been made free to the travelling pub
lie, and the work of the commission
popularized instead of being now sub
ject to so much adverse criticism.
I'm asserting that these turnpikes
could be used and improved at min
imum cost and with most satisfactory
results we but voice the statement of
a large contractor now engaged in
building roads for the commission.
A Contractors Criticism.
ITO quote him, there is a large
amount of theorizing but woeful
lack of practical knowledge Of road
building in the commission. The
present turnpikes afford foundation
for modern roads which could not be
obtained in the construction OF new
roads at any cost and recent exper-
fence confirms his opinion.
Modern road-buifding is yet in its
experimental stage; one has but to
read the numerous articles upon the
subject to see that there il a surprfs-
ing lack of agreement as to methods
among the theorists, or self-consti-
tuted experts, in regard thereto The
condemnation by the public even in
this day Of the old pixies il not 20
severe as the criticisms Of each
others methods in which these new
prophets indulge.
| But we need no prophets as to the
results already i'm this State, since a
condition not a theory, confronts us.
| I'VE do not wish to be considered
as making a plea for the purchase by
! the State of the existing turnpike
roads. We do believe that the inter-
ests of the State and it, citizens would
be best subserved thereby. But we do