The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1913-09-27

is not bringing us the results we want.
We notice, from numerous exchanges,
strong utterances along this line.
Take, for example, this recent editorial
from the Middletown Valley Register, of
Frederick county, one of the strongest
papers in Western Maryland:
EXTRAVAGANT ROAD BUILDING.
The Shoemaker road law may be ali
right but We can't see it. Up at Brad
dock Heights, for instance, one and four
tenth miles of road was made under the
Shoemaker act, six years ago, at a cost
| of $9,367.04 OF this sum, the county paid
| 49, $50. 50 and the State the same. Now
| the road is sadly in need of extensive re-
pairs. After only six years of moderate
usage Except by automobilists) the road
| must be repaired, which will likely cost
81, 200. Instead of costing $9,367 for on
ly one and fourteenth miles, there should
have been three miles of good road for
this sum.
The roads now being built by the State,
at enormous cost per mile, are also not
worth half they cost. Take for instance,
the narrow stretch OF State road already
completed between Middletown and Brad
dock Heights. Instead of doing nothing
more to this solid and wide roadbed than
resurfacing it, the road is dug up, Is
made much narrower, a side of clay Is
added where solid stone once existed and
then it is called a State road. Already
loose places are showing, after only halt
a years usage.
What the farmer wants ischeaper roads
and more of them. What he gets is speed
ways for automobilists and heavy taxes
and unimproved roads, unless he is for
tunate enough to live along one of these
speed ways. 1t is about time for the tax
paying voters to get their eyes open and
demand cheaper roads and more of them.
The Bel Air Aegis of the largest
and most influential county weeklies of
the State-was at one time especially Sc
we're in its comments on our attitude to-
ward the road building work The Aegis
is, however, seeing the light" on this
question and only recently, in discussing
the situation in Hartford county, gave ut
terance to this editorial opinioh:
WITH THIS STATEMENT OF FACTS,
is 1T NOT MORE AND MORE GLARING-
LY APPARENT THAT THE COMMIS-
SIONERS SPOKE WISELY AND WELL
WHEN THEY FORMALLY NOTIFIED
THE PUBLIC ON APRIL 80, THAT IF
MODERN ROADS ARE TO BE BUILT AT
EXISTING PRICES SOME OTHER
SCHEME THAN THAT OF DIRECT TAX
ALTON MUST BE DEVISED FOR RAILS
ING THE FUNDS, AND HAS NOT THE
TINE FULLY ARRIVED WHEN A HALT
MUST BE CALLED?"
The previous week the Commissioners
of Hartford county issued statement
which closed with these words:
I'VE believe it must be apparent to all
thoughtful people that Hartford county
cannot continue to build permanent roads
to any extent at a cost of from $4,000 to
$4,000 per mile, pay Tor them by direct
taxation, and keep the tax rate within
reasonable limits, and If the taxpayers
believe our county should continue to ex-
tend our system of permanent road i'm
provement, some other method of raising
the necessary funds will have to lie adop-
ted"
Going now into another part of the
State, into that Southern Maryland where
sandy roads make some sort of an i'm
provement highly desirable, we get the
following "scorcher" from theLedger-
Enterprise, of Pocomoke City
The new State road from POcomoke
City over Carey Creek toward Snow Hill
reaently constructed is already badly
breaking up on the surface and clearly
indicates negligence or incompetency in
those doing the work We passed over
the road tn week and were as ounded
to find that from one end of the road to
the other the surface was giving way and
the loosened stones lay thickly scattered
over the road, and much of the surface
loosening up, all ready to become rolling
stones on the surface. This condition is
not confined to any particular section,
But CONTINUES PRETTY MUCH
THROUGHOUT ITS ENTIRE EXTENT.
The attention of the Road Commission is
especially called to this condition of the
road that the responsibility therefor may
BE looked into and fixed The amount of
money spent on this mileage of construc
ton has been sufficiently large to have
given the public a substantially good and
serviceable road, while its present con-
dtion WITHIN A FEW MONTHS OF ITS
CONSTRUCTION indicates that it will
nave to be resurfaced in order to be of
permanent service. Whose fault Is this
There has been dcrelicton some where"
As this chorus of criticism and protest
rows louder and wider, we lose the sense
VI lonliness we once felt in our fight
against the awful waste of the peoples
money, and are glad to know that there
are others" now. We want them to mul-
tiply, because We want the halt TO be
called Ii the people are to be burden
ed to death with taxation, we want them
TO get something for their money Other
wise, we want to see the halt in the
increasing taxation. We want this fight
to come in the Legislature next winter.
We want to see right there and then
whether or not the people have got to
have few more millions of dollars of
debt dumped on them for road building
that is outrageous in its cost and wholly
unsatisfactory in its results,
We want to live to see that Highland