Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1912-01-26
The editorial in the "Herald" OF

The editorial in the "Herald" OF
last week upon the toll gate question
on the Valley Turnpike is absolutely
unaccountable for except upon the
hypothesis of its ignorance on the
subject.
l. There is not citizen of Shenan-
doah County or of any town in Shen-
doah County who would be willing to
abolish the Valley Turnpike, or to
allow it to go down.
2. There is no citizen of the county
or Of any town in it who imagines for
one moment that the turnpike can be
kept up without great expense under
present conditions of travel.
3. There is no one who can be fool
ed into believing that this money, un-
der present legislation, can be pro-
vided for otherwise than by tolls.
4 With Shenandoah County paying
less than one half the tolls per mile
per annum paid by other counties. and
an expense per mile for up-keep in
the county far beyond that of any 9th
er equity, owing to local condti ons.
no honest citizen would allow him
self for moment to be persuaded
that the citizens of other counties
should be required to contri butte to
keep the turnpike for the use of the
people Of this county, more than they
are now doing.
5. With local conditions in Shenan-
doah County such that one h slf OF its
citizens living near towns who travel
the turnpike must pay toll the year
round, and the other half of those
living near the same towns, who reg
ularly use the road, getting the use
of it for nothing. no honest man will
say that it is unfair to make the man
who now uses the road free pay for
his use of the road.
6. No citizen of any town in the
county can honestly say that the
Turnpike Company owes it to the
town to keep up free of charge a
macadam road into the town from one
side of the town while it has the right
to charge for the up-keep of the road
into town from the other side, nor
can any citizen of any town claim
! that, in addition to keeping up the
main street of the town free for the
use OF the citizens of the town as it
now does, it owes the town citizens
the right of the use of the road on one
side of the town for their business
travel, and all of their pleasure travel
free Of charge.
I. No sane man will claim that the
cost of the up-keep of the turnpike in
this county, which last year more
than doubled the entire county and
district levy for roads in the county
should be saddled upon the citizens
of the county generally, by a further
road tax, when not one citizen in ten
of the county ever uses the turnpike.
8. No citizen who now pays any
toll at all for the use of the road will
be required to pay cent more toll
than he now pays on. account of the
new gates authorized by the Corpora
ton Commission.
Then let the Herald solve its own
|disgruntlement over the toll ques-
ton, By either insisting upon the
abandonment of the turnpike, or show
ing the management of the turnpike
how it can he maintained without
cost.
Let it also say if it thinks it equita
BILE and just for the citizen North of
Woodstock to pay fer use of the road
into Woodstock, and the citizen liv-
ing South of Woodstock to have a
life time free use of the road.
Let it also say whether it thinks it
negotiable and unjust that the man
who uses the turnpike should con-
tribute to its p-keep proportionately
to his use of it.
BY discussing the question along
the suggested lines the Herald will lie
throwing some light on the question,
and trying at least to discharge It's
duty in the way of enlightning tie
public, instead of prejudicing the peo-
pie by exposing its ignorance as to
the situation.
T.. D. NEWMAN,
az I'll o.. rai1,e,