The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1927-09-22

trace has carried two hundred. IL
was conceived in the spirit of the
Roman Empire and laid with Roman
solidity. 1t developed its characters
and traditions and fiourished with a
gaiety and dash all its own.
Then the trade left. macadam for
the rails. The ornate coaches and the
freighters were falling apart in the
barns.
The tribe of mail and passenger
drivers, known to the celebrities Of
the day and distinguished each for
the temperamental peculiarities of his
skill in the mountains or on the pra-
tries, dissolved.
They had carried Presidents-elect
going to be inaugurated, statesmen
of great name coming home from
Congress, illustrious visitors such as
Lafayette, soldiers going on cam
paigns, men seeking fortunes, traders
and adventures and the seed of the
great West.
Pioneers had passed along with OK
carts and covered wagons and had
disappeared beyond the horizon. The
great wains and their drivers van
ished. The sound of flying hoofs on
the bridges died in the air with steam
ing horses which beat along the road
with the mails careening behind them
and the whip cracking over them.
The taverns which the press of
travel had filed at night closed their
doors, holes widened and deepened in
the roadbed and the mails, passen-
ger and frienght went by rail.
Coach travelling had disappeared
along with fiat boating and keel boat
ing, as canal boating and steam boat
ing were to disappear later, but the
National road had its day as vivid as
that of the Mississippi and Ohio riv-
ers. Now it is back in it's hey-day
again with a gas-run nation on its
smooth surfaces.
1t was 700 miles of broad roadway,
with salt water connections in the
East and the waters of the Mississippi
in the West. 1t carried the settlers
into the Northwest territory and their
produce and trade in and out.
1t tied the Atlantic seaboard to the
great valley by line of communica-
ton which for it's day was marvel of
speed.
The great western express mail
went from Washington to St. Louis in
ninety-four hours, carrying nothing
but mail. The mixed mail and pas
senger coach required ten days. The
road was stirring when the fast mail
went through.
The road satisfied requirement
which Washington on his Western trip
saw as necessity to national unity.
1t was project of Albert Gallatin.
The first enabling act was signed by
jefferson and it sustains the name of
Henry Clay as statesman.
When the French and Indian War
was over in 1853 the English had two
roads to the Ohio, such as they were.
One went over the mountains from
the Potomac at Cumberland to Pitts
burgh. The other was an all-Penn-
sylvania road. One was cut along
the Nemacolin trail of the Ohio COM
pany for General Braddock and car
ried his army to it's defeat. The other
was cut for General Forbes three
years later for an army which was
successful.
After Braddock's defeat his road
reverted to brush. The stumps
sprouted and the quick growth of the
forest came up. 1t would have been
easily cleared, but Forbes would not
use it and the Pennsylvanians did not
want him to. 1t was Virginia road
and Virginia settlers, traders, subdi-
viders and real estate spectators
would travel it into Pennsylvania.
Washington could not understand
Forbes determination not to use a
road already cut, but to cut another.
1t was comprehensive to him only as
a military imbecility or as political
craftsmanship for Pennsylvania. Cen
eral Forbes found Washington and
his remonstrances highly annoying
and would have been glad to be rid of
him and them.
Braddock with his road failed and
was killed. Forbes with his succeed
ed and died. It Identifies the two
routes to think of one as the Balti-
more and Ohio and of the other as
the Pennsylvania, as roughly they
are.
In the ten years following the Eng
lish capture of Pittsburgh road build
ing out of the post was begun, an al
lowance made for it, commissioners
appointed and men between 10 and
45 were required to do road work.
In 1894 postoffice was opened at
Pittsburgh and every two weeks mail
was sent out from Philadelphia. In
1895 Gen. Anthony Wayne, having
defeated the Indians of the Ohio
country at Fallen Timbers, made a
treaty with them which secured the
country for the settlers and in 1902