The Republican., 1925-06-25


out of the general revenues.
In 1881 the question was agitated
as to whether the general Govern
ment had power under the constitu-
tion to establish toll gates along the
line of the road in the several States
through which it ran. This question
was finally turned over to the State
legislatures.
Pennsylvania and Maryland passed
acts agreeing to build gates and toll
that Congress would appropriate
money and put the road in good re-
pair, and also furnish the money
necessary to build the houses and toll
gates. These acts were passed in
1881 and 1882, and Ohio and Virginia
passed similar acts, except that they
did not require Congress to repair the
road.
July 8, 1882, Congress declared lis
assent to the above mentioned laws Of
Pennsylvania and Maryland in these
words: "to which acts the assent of
the United States is hereby given, to
remain in force during the pleasure
Of Congress-" and on March =, 1882,
assented to the acts of the Legis-
latures of Virginia and Ohio with 4
similar limitation.
June "a, 1884, Congress passed an
act to repair the road as requested by.
Maryland and Pennsylvania, and
placed army engineers in control of
the work, and in charge of the appro-
priation, taken from the reserve fund
created by the admission of Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois and Missouri.
The death knell of the Cumberland
road extension and of internal i'm
provements by the Federal Govern
ment was sounded when President
Jackson ve.ved the Maysville road
bill. This road was the northern end
Of the old Wilderness Road leading
from Lexington, Kentucky, to Mays
vile, distance Of about sixty miles.
In his message to the Congress We
toing the bill, the President quoted
the language of President Monroe as
sustaining his own veto to wit: that
Congress could rightly appropriate
the national revenues to roads Of
general, not local, national, not State
benefit" whereas the part of the road
sought to be improved by Mr.. Clay's
bill, was purely local, and not OF any
general, or national benefit. President
jackson said further in speaking of
Mr.. Clay's road: "It has no con-
nectlOn with any established system
within the limits of a State, starting
at a point on the Ohio River and rur-
ming out sixty miles to an interior
town, and even as far as the State is
interested conferring partial instead
of general advantages"
This veto was also the end of Fed
eral aid to the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal, which, it had been thought
would be cut through the mountains
by the United States Government, to
the Ohio River. In 1882 President
jackson also vetoed bill appropriate
ing money for a national road from
Rockville to connect with the Great
Western Road at Frederich-the de-
sign being to give Washington the
benefit of access to that highway
The Federal Government began the
national road at Cumberland rather
than farther east so as not to inter-
fere with the road building between
Baltimore and Cumberland by COM
panies incorporated by the State Of
Maryland. The Cumberland road was
completed to Wheeling long before
continuous stone road from Cumber-
land, to Baltimore was completed.
This left very bad gap in the line,
which at times was almost impas-
sable. After the continuous road from
the Ohio River to Baltimore has been
made there was complaint of the toll
gates east of Cumberland. That part
Of the Western Road leading from
Baltimore to Boonsborough was plan
ned before the construction of the
Cumberland Road was undertaken.
The Baltimore and Fredericktown
Turnpike Company was chartered by
the General Assembly at the session
Of 1SO4-5, and the road was speedily
made, extending as far west as Boons-
borough The Boonsborough and
Hagerstown Company was chartered
IN 1919 and the stone road to
Hagerstown as far as the Conocochea-
que Greek had already been made by
a separate company. The important
road of about fifty-seven miles, to
connect the Hagerstown and Conococ-
heague road at the creek with the
National Road at Cumberland, was
laid out in 1919, and its completion
in 1922 was assured. The money for
this road, like the Conococheague, the
Boonsborough and the Baltimore
roads, came principally from the
banks and subscriptions to the stocks
of these companies, to the aggregate
amount of S486,170.71, and were ex-
acted from them as condition to the
renewal of their charters in 1916.
The proportion of the HagerStown
Bank was S16,772.72, and the Conoco-
cheague Bank at Williamsport $1O,-
566.81. In December, 1920, there was
a movement upon the Legislature to
have the State buy and complete the
road fom Baltimore to Cumberland
and make it free of tolls, as was the
road beyond the latter city.
The completion of the various links
which coupled the Cumberland Road
with the Baltimore gave splendid
macadam pike of 268 miles from
Baltimore to the Ohio River at
Wheeling.
By 1892 the old road had gotten
into bad condition through neglect.
That year the Congress made an ap-
preparation for its repair. 1t was
considered so important that there
was public celebration of the event
in Cumberland. This took place on
the 21st of May, 1882. Samuel Slicer
illuminated his large and handsome
hotel and James Black Illuminated his