Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-12-04
From The Baltimore Sun.

From The Baltimore Sun.
The most surprising thing about the con-
dition Of our State roads in the counties is
that so few protests have reached the
public press This is doubtless attributa-
bic TO the fact that people are 10th to say
anything disparaging Of any movement or
enterprise which in its origin and purpose
is honestly designed for the public good.
This we frankly believe is the intent Of the
State Roads Commission, but, in its zeal
for better highways and its efforts to pre-
serve them. it has oveneached itself, and
as result all of US who cannot afford au-
tomobiles are driven to the byways, and,
in many instances. to the cutters.
10 the performance of my duties find
it necessary to travel in every section Of
my county, therefore feel that | am fairly
good judge Of conditions. The unavoidable
conviction in my case is that the hard.
glazed, Oval-shaped surface of these roads
renders them not only of very little use to
the ordinary driver but positive menace
to the safety Of man and beast. Driving out
of Belair few days ago, found to my
discontinue the beautiful" and splendidly
founded and preserved" road to be de-
fusion and snare to my horse in any at
tempt to travel. or even stand upon its
glossy surface. Finally, in attempting to
cross from the rough, narrow, gutter-like
side road on the left to the unsightly gutter
on the right, he fell full length and lay
struggling as if he were on smooth sheet
Of ice.
The only portions of these model" roads
at all safe for horses are such parts as may
be exposed for some time to the direct rays
of the sun. thus rendering the surface
slightly soft 1t will thus be readily seen
that just as soon as the weather grows cool
the surface of those roads becomes I'M
yielding and slippery to the point Of dan
ger.
This is not all. Drivers Of teams cannot
use the roads even when they are not slip
perry. because every few minutes they must
turn out for rapidly moving motorcars.
Some Automobiles find to be reasonably
considerable but many are not and this
latter class is rarely satisfied with half the
track, allowing the driver the other half,
but clearly show by their actions that they
want the middle. so that horses are, to
escape collision. forced to the riehthand
slope, or still worse, the ditch.
Recently had occasion to drive for a
distance Of IL miles on one of these roads,
and am sure do not exaggerate when
] say that for 10 miles of this distance |
was Obliged to use the narrow, stony side
road to prevent my horse from either fall
ing or colliding with machines. 1t is no
unusual sight to see whole teams of horses
slipping and sprawling on these CLASSY
surfaces in their vain efforts to draw heavily
loaded wagons.
We do not object to paying legitimate
taxes. but we do seriously protest against
being taxed to build roads for any special
class of travellers. or for any special type
of vehicle. Our roads as now constructed
are dangerous speedways for tourists and
sports from outside our own borders, and we
enter our indignant protest against such
conditions as render our highways men
ace to the safety of man and beast
CHARLES 7. WRIGHT.
Belair, Md. Nov. "a.