The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-10-22
THE CONoWINGO BRIDGE PRO
TECTIvE ASSOCIATION

To the Voters of the State of
| Maryland
In order that the people of Mary
land may be a little better in
formed as to some facts concerning
Conowingo Bridge, which spans the
Susquehanna river at Conowingo,
Maryland, SO that they might per-
haps be in better position to cast
their ballot intelligently at the COM
ing election on November End, it
has been deemed wise to submit
these few statements for your
consideration.
LIST. Conowingo Bridge with the
exception of two of the shorter
spans) is an iron structure a little
less than half mile long, and built
about eighteen years ago, and with
its sister bridges before it, has
provided safe and entirely salts
factory means of crossing the river
at this point for approximately three
quarters of century.
End. 1t was bought from private
interests by the State of Maryland
inaNineteen Hundred and Eleven at
a price said to be in excess of Eighty
Thousand Dollars ($8O,000) and
lsince that time has been and is now,
s4he undisputed property Of the State
of Maryland.
Bird, An agreement has been en-
tered between the State Roads Conn
mission of Maryland and the Sus-
quehanna Power Company Ia copy
of which was published in the Bel
Air Times of recent date) in which
the State Roads Commission agrees
| to give the bridge away, without
| any compensation whatever, appar-
emily, other than lease on : an
other bridge owned by a private
corporation, located several miles
down stream, which lease is good
only as long as the Federal permit
for it, is granted and issued.
4th. The present Conowingo Bridge
I is the only means Of thoroughfare
across the river, between Havre de
Grace, Maryland, and Columbia,
Pa, which is distance of approx
mately 43 miles and at it's present
location the bridge is eleven miles
north of Havre de Grace, and thirty
two miles south of Columbia.
5th.- Because of these facts as
above stated Rhe Conowingo Bridge
Protective Association has been
formed and its membership is COM
posed of citizens and taxpayers and
voters of all political utilization, in
the various communities which the
bridge has served all these years and
there was recently presented a \
petition of protest to the State Roads
Commission signed by more than six
hundred people, who honestly and
sincerely feel that their interests as
we'll as the interests of the State
Of Maryland are being bartered away
illegally and unjustly and without
any compensation to the State or to
the citizens who happen to live and
| own property in the vicinity OF the
bridge, near the river and who will
be severely injured by the abandon
| ment of the bridge at its present
site
9Th. The business of The Como,
wingo Protective Association is to
save Conowingo Bridge at is present
| site, and we feel that this is not
an unreasonable request because we
have used it all these years and to
the best of our knowledge no ques-
ton was ever raised before about it
being in the wrong place, and If our
natural resources have been bartered
away for apparently nothing but
political patronage we feel that the
private interests, who by this agree
ment get all of the advantages of our
resources, should make good the
loss which the State is bound to
sustain by the destruction and
abandonment of Conowingo Bridge
at is present site.
7th. Here is an opportunity to
save a small portion of the wreck of
our resources, by joining with these
six hundred or more voters who
have already gone on record as
opposed to this nefarious proceed
| ing and vote for men who will at
least make some effort to conserve
the States property and will help
us to maintain Conowingo Bridge at
it's present site.
VOTE FOR MULLIKIN AND
DEFEAT RITCHIE.
Respectfully submitted,
THE CONOWINGO BRIDGE
PROTECTIWE ASCOGIA TION