Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1853-12-08
LFsoH HE Athens posr !

KNoxvILLE AND CHARLESTON RoAD-APPRopRIA-
TIoN BY THE STATE.-0ne of the most important
measures pending before our Legislature, is the ap-
pication of the Knoxville and Charleston Railroad
Company for State appropriation of four hundred
thousand dollars The object of this road is to con-
meet the system of Internal improvements in East
Tennessee with the RabUn Gap road, and to open
direct communication with Charleston. Were this
mere sectional enterprise we should doubt the
policy of direct State appropriation; but it being
emphatcaly State work, in which all divisions
and sections OF Tennessee are deeply interested
we do not hesitate to urge the adoption of the bill
Such an appropriation, properly guarded, would
enure just as much to the benefit oil the Southern
or Chattanooga branch of the Rabun Gap road as
it possibly could to the Knoxville branch 1t being
understood that that road must enter our State BY
the Little Tennessee river, and admitted that the
money itself must be raised to grade the road
through the mountains las the work is exceeding.
y heavy and the population sparSe,) the Importance
of such appropriation is seen at a glance IF the
amount is left for individuals to raise the work can
not go on AS the country does not afford the
means and Charleston expects Tennessee to build
that portion of the line within her limits There
fore that portion lying in the mountains stands upon
peculiar grounds before the Legislature 1t is the
key which opens North and South Carolina to all
the roads in Tennessee. Our State cannot RELY up
on the State road Of Georgia alone-another outlet
must be had, which is presented in the road under
consideration 1t thus becomes State enterprise and
worthy of State aid. Let the State furnish the
means to bring the road through the mountains I'M
tilt reaches the plains where the country is rich
and densely populated. The people on each d.
vergng line will take it up-exteud to Knoxville,
where the roads reaching to Kentucky will be met
and on the other hand, to Chattanooga and there
connect itself with the Middle Tennessee system of
roads Let provision be made that the amount
appropriated shall be expended in grading the road
through the mountains, and every Railroad inter-
est in the State pointing to the Southern Atlantic
seaboard will be greatly subserved by the adoption
of the bill. From these, and many other conside-
ratons equally important to the State at large, we
hope the Legislature will pass the bill with the pro-
visions alluded to- and thus place the success of the
Rabun Gap road beyond doubt
Since the above was in type, we learn through !
the Nashville Wig of the 29th that the "Omni-
bus Internal Improvement Bill" as it is called, |
passed the Senate the preceding day on its las.
reading by vote Of IA to 0. This BILL we belle ve
embraces provision in reference to the Rabun Gap
road in accordance with the desires Of the people |
of this section and with the views expressed above
If our information in this respect is correct, we
trust the measure will meet the same degree of IA
vor in the House, and be promptly passed into
law.