Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1912-01-26
FRIDAY. JANUARY 70. 1912.
THE TOLL GATES


upon the toll gate question by
Judge E. D. Newman, Director
of the Valley Turnpike.
It was very unkind in him to
attribute our article to ignor-
ance on the subject" when he
knew that we were ignorant on
the subject" as is nearly every
citizen of Shenandoah county;
for Notwithstanding the fact that
the people own three-ffths of the
stock of the company they are
kept in complete ignorance of its
management. If any reports
have been made, they certainly
have not been distributed in this
county and the majority of the
people do not even know who are
the officers of the company.
His first three numbered para
graphs are men of straw of his
own building. He can proceed
to knock them down at his leisure.
In Paragraph 4. He says that
Shenandoah pays less than one
half the tolls per mile per annum
paid by other counties, &c.
Is it strange that such should
be the case, for under their man.
agement for a stretch of seven
miles from the North end of StraS-
burg to one mile South of Toms
Brook for years, the people have
been permitted to travel over the
turnpike, FREE OF TOLLS,
and from the North border of
Woodstock to Strasburg a dist
ance of II miles they pass through
one gate, while from the same
point to the South corporation
line of Edinburg, a distance of
six miles, they propose to place
four gates.
In reply to paragraph g., this
road was not built for the accom-
mediation of the towns, but as a
great thoroughfare of the Valley
of Virginia. It was never intend
ed to so place their gates as to
interfere with the business of the
towns, or to exact toll from those
who only touch the pike, when
they come on the streets of the
towns.
Paragraph No. 8, may be be-
lieved by some, but we confess
that we are too ignorant" to
believe it. If the company will
only collect toll from those who
now pay none, and the toll of
through travel will not be in
creased, the erection of new gates
will be a useless expense. Then
let the HERALD solve its own dis
gruntlement over the toll ques-
ton, by either insisting upon the
abandonment of the turnpike, or
showing the management of the
turnpike how it can be maintain
ed without cost. -
1t is unnecessary for the HER
AID to assume either position.
This is another man of straw,
that its builder can knock down
at his leisure.
The HERALD does maintain the
position that to so place the gates
as to require men, who use the
turnpike only within the corpo-
ration lines of some towns, to pay
toll, while other towns are ex-
empt, is gross injustice.
If Shenandoah has only been
paying one half as much toll asi
other counties, there is some rea-
son for it. 1t may be that there
are cities or larger towns in the
other counties, or that in them |
the management has not permit
ted people to travel over the road
for a distance of seven miles with
out paying toll, as referred to
above.
The HERALD is not an enemy
of the turnpike company. It'll
would like to see the company
prosper and has heartily COM
mended its effort to improve the
road, but it does protest against
what it considers the unfair
treatment of many of our citizens.
While we would prefer to have
the management of the turnpike
in the hands of the company
which we believe will improve it,
we want to see all classes of citi-
zens treated fairly; for we know
they will not be frightened by the
cost of keeping up the road by
taxation. II
It is to be regretted that there
is SO much Ignorance as to tie II
Valley Turnpike Co. Would it
not be well to dispel this ignor-
ance by telling the people
the receipts and disbursements of