The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1943-09-30

agency, especially the quiet but effec-
tive ministry of Mrs. E. z. Tower
and Mrs. Samuel Cole, have also
made its impress, and will continue
to be of great benefit to all. These
agencies, and the people who are re
sponsible for their programs use the
roads-and get to all parts of the
county. What they are doing if their
work is summed up in statistics of
achievement would be information to
which we could point with pride.
However, there is one very weak
link in the chain of our county pro-
gram. Our various communities have
not broken away from their self-cen-
tered existence in spite of the good
roads, and in spite of the great work
of our agencies. Each community
takes an attitude of rivalry. One
would think that after thirty years of
good roads the social, cultural and
spiritual life of Oakland citizens
would be in common with the people
of Accident, Friendsville, Grantsville,
Kitzmiller, Crellin, Bloomington, Sang
Run, McHenry, Bittinger, Underwood,
New Germany, HOyes, Avilton, Fin
eel, Mountain Lake Park, Deer Park,
Swanton, German, Kempton and other
places. One would think that the peo-
pie of these various communities
would have a sustained interchange of
ideas; an interchange that would not
be desultory, but directive.
1t would seem then that the county
has reached a new level-that it is
now conditioned for a Community
conference agency, set up voluntarily
and Independently by the public spir-
tied leaders in each community. Of
course there would be no need for
such a social intercourse unless there
were large numbers Of people in each
Of our communities who felt there
were some basic things to accomplish
in which every community had vital
interest and in which every commun-
ity would want to do its apportioned
part.
Suppose our lamented friend, Har-
vey Speicher, as an example, would be
here now. Suppose he would renew
his old habit of rowing over the county
and talking to all our neighbors. What
do you think would be the major item
of conversation, not as what is eff
fecting the outside world but what
is pertinent to county welfare? Would
it be more and better roads Z?
Perhaps that would be an item in a
few places. Would it be some kind of
industry? Perhaps several commun-
tiles would be interested. But my
guess the one item that people in all
our communities would have most in
common would be conservation and
reclamation of our forest lands. Every
community is seriously affected by
the destruction of our most valuable
resources-our timber. In the years
ahead, lumber is going to be more
valuable, and every piece of wood will
have market value, - even the
branches that are Topped off and at
present allowed to rot. How many of
our people grasp the extent Of our
forests? How many know that of the
100000 acres in the county 100000
Of those acres are woodland, or what
is left Of woodland?
The desire to know the physical
features of our county has during the
past ten years taken me into every
part-even the most remote While
studying the features at frst-hand
have made acquaintance with the
people, l find people in every COM
munity who have that feeling and de-
sire of inter-community neighborli-
ness of our friend Harvey Speicher.
| believe we have wise and unsclfish
leadership in all our communities.