The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1933-12-28

l. 49,
more Christmas, and that's something,
even if the budget doesn't balance.
And one more turkey, believe it or
not.
Since there is nothing particularly
funny this week there is space for
some valuable information. Maybe
you knew it before, but the chances
are you didn't. The title is "Why We
hicles Pass on the Right"
The Conestoga wagon, the freight
hauling vehicle of the early days, is
responsible for the present custom of
vehicles passing on the right in the
United States, says the bureau of pub
lie roads. Before the extensive use OF
the Conestoga wagon, it was the GUS
tom to pass vehicles to the left, fol-
lowing the earlier English rule.
In England in the days when men
travelled armed on horseback, it was
the custom to pass to the left so that
the sword or pistol arm would be on
the side of the man passed. Later, in
travel by coach or wagon, the driver
sat on the right side to give his right
arm free play in welding the whip,
and passing to the left he was better
able to avoid entanglements with the
wheels of passing vehicles. Traffic
passes to the left to this day in Eng
land.
On the Continent-in France, Ger
many, and Italy-the postillion system
of driving, by which the driver sat on
the left wheel horse, existed in the
early days for both coaches and wag-
ons. To man riding the left wheel
horse passing to the right gives bet
ter view of the passing vehicle. In
these countries, passing to the right
has always been the custom.
In Italy until the time of Mussolini
vehicles in the cities, where postillions
were customary, passed to the right;
in the country, where box wagons
were much used, vehicles passed to the
left. Mussolini made passing custom
uniform by decreeing that all should
pass to the right.
The drivers of the Conestoga wag-
ons rode the left wheel horse. Pass
ing on the right was more convenient
in spite of the fact that it was the
custom to pass to the left, as in Eng
land. Drivers riding the "lazy board"
of the Conestoga wagon-a board be-
tween the two left-side wheels that
pulled out and could be ridden when
driving from the side of the wagon
preferred passing traffic to the right,
and the traffic was passed on that
side.
The deep wagon ruts in the single
track roads made by the Conestoga
wagon drivers were followed by other
traffic. This explains why vehicles
pass to the right in the United States.
And there's something you didn't
know before.
The only chance an anonymous COM
munication has of getting in The Re-
publican is in this column, and there
was one this week about big rabbit
hunt near Blooming Rose on Christ
mas Day.
We hunted for the name of the
writer on the letter, and since it
wasn't there the paper was gently de-
posted in the waste basket, where all
such letters go.
A sensation back in the old days
was a runaway horse. 1t still would
be.
There have been quite a few at this
office who have requested that this
column print the names of the Oak
land citizens whe were on that ac-
count book of an alleged bootlegger,
which was confscated here several
weeks ago along with still and some
mash.
If it wasn't for the buyer, there
wouldn't be any bootleggers l guess,
so who is to blame?
The list would make swell column
for a week, and I'd feel sure that it
would be read by every person in the
county. Popularity for time.
When the time arrives when every
body is on the government payroll,
and it doesn't seem as if that time is
so far distant, who is going to do the
work?
Says me, as if 1 had ever done
enough to make it hurt.
But you don't know what an effort
it has been this week, to come back
after two-day holiday, with the tenn
perature at the zero mark, and your