Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1917-08-10
BADLEGIsLATIoN.


the lower house of the United |
States Congress a bill by Repre-
sentative Adamson, the purpose
OF which is to abolish the license
fees now paid by residents Of the
District OF Columbia Tor theu Sc
OF the publich ighways Of Mary |
land. This kind Of Legislation is
bad and ought not to be passed.
The State Of Maryland, first OF |
all. has spent millions OF dollars
in building great ard magnificent ]
highways throughout the Statef
and has spent large sums to maN
No. 'slese. roads. The roads that
maintained if tfa2 elRep1i built must be
joy comfortable riding over theiq.
In order to maintain them it Acost
money. and the money must cbme
from somewhere. Under the llres-
ent laws of Maryland the roads
built by the State are kept Mp
by the money received from all
tomobile licenses, and this is the
only source from which money Us
available. AT one time one cent
was added ON to the State tax
rate for the purpose OF maintain
ing the roads, but. since the au-
tomobile has come into such
great use and have increased
very materially in number, in the
belief that the revenue derived
from licenses would be suff-
Gent to maintain the public
highways, this tax has been re-
moved. With this one cent tax
removed and the Adamson bill.
enacted into law, the revenue de-
rived from automobile licenses
paid Tor by only residents OF
Maryland the fine public high
ways cannot be maintained, and
must go into deterioration. Where
is there a Washingtonian who
wants 10 see this?
Aside from these facts. the
Maryland roads leading from
Washington into Maryland are
are used more by automobiles
from the District of Columbia
than by our own Maryland PEG
pie. If true statistics could be
had as to the percentage OF
Maryland automobiles and those
OF Washington using these roads.
we are satisfied that it would
show that at least sixty per cent
more Washington automobiles
travel over the MARYLAND roads
than do Maryland cars. What
benefit do the Maryland people
get from the streets of Washing
ton and how much harm is done
said streets? Practically more.
Whenever Marylanders go to
Washington bent on pleasure ii
IS not to use their streets. but 70
patronize their theaters or some
thing OF that nature, while their
automobiles are left standing on
the street, neither injuring nor
hurting the streets in any way
whatsoever. Marylanders travel
ing to Washington means bust
ness Tor that city-not idleness
or pleasure. The contrary is
true when Washingtonians visit |
Maryland upon pleasure bent. |
Aside from other things, Wash |
ington automobiles-and apartic-
ularly big trucks-tear up and /!
destroy Maryland roads, and The |
Washington people travelling in |
Maryland do not bring one dol |
lar of business.
If this law is enacted, then the |
Maryland authorities had better |
place tollgates on all roads out |
side of Washington and charge |
a severe toll to all non-residents |
is the only way to meet such bad |
and vicious legislation. There |
IS no justice in such legislation.
Further, if this measure becomes |
a law, then the Maryland au- |
thorities had better abandon all |
maintenance of all state roads |
leading from Washington to |
maryland and let them become
as bad as the roads of our sister
state of Virginia, where the |
Washington automobilist fails to
go now because Of the bad roads. |
Congressman Coady, of the
Third Congressional District of |
Maryland is making every effort |
to defeat this bill, and it is sin
cerely hoped he will do so. 1t
IS the duty of every Maryland
Congressman to give hi mall the
support they can in his efforts to
defeat the bill. We feel sure all |
Maryland Congressman will give
him their assistance, but this con
only be given by Congressman
who are at their post of duty,
working side by side with him
not by Congressman who are at
their homes or other places, fritz
tering their time away playing
politics or what not, while this
measure is speeding on its way
through the house Of Congress.
Every true Marylander joins
with Chairman Zouck OF the |,
State Roads Commission and {
Commissioner Bauphnan as well s