Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1854-04-05
FOR TIE ADVERTISER,
AIKEN & N1NETY-srx. RAIL ROAD.

closed, our merchants abandoning us, our citizens
offering their houscs and property for sale, eager to
get away-and shall we still look on with listless
eyes and lifrlpss nerves? Shall we do. nothing to
keep the springs of business in motion Shall we
allow the whole current Of our Ewes to stagnate
The most needless cannnt fail to see that spirit
of enterprise must begin to display itself amnng us,
or soon deat-like calm will come upon all that per-
tans TO the wealth and prosperity Of our village.
When half the stores Of the place are closed and
when many Of the choicest residences are actually
for .ale does it require the ken Of prophet to fore
tell serious decline in the value Of real estate and
othe, village rroperty2 What are We to come to
unless shake off this sluggish Indifference and
clohe ourselves in the proper energy and msniness
Of nature? Will no one vouch for the enterprise
and the bera!ity OF our citizensl
The cause Of our decline may BE- stated in single
phrase ice are behind the age IN uhieh rs Iire.-
We are standing still while every body else il,
moving on Weare sleeping, while Others are wide
awake, thinking, acting, improving. Under this
state Of quiet inactivity can we expect to grow in
wealth, intelligence and general prosperityl Can
We think 10 retain thriving and con,ented popu-
lation? Can We hope 10 avoid cmigraiiona Shall
We be surprised to hear # many valuable citizens
selling out and leaving US
The truth is. Rail Road facilities are demanded
by the necessities of the age. Busincss intelligence,
convenience call for ,h,m. Without them these
cannot now live and thrive. Along The line and at
the iernlini Of the Rail Roals cluster the fruits of
genius, enterprise and capital. The mechanical
arts, manufactures mercantile business, general in
teligcnce bloom and flourish there as the Rose in
the garden. All these here concentrate the in
t"nsity Of their fnrce anl display the grandeur of
their results. If Rail Roads are not brought to
these they vii go to the Rail Roads The will and
genius Of the age have ordered IT, and NIL the old
fashioned obstinacy Of ullschooIism cannot change
it.
These remarks. Mr.. Editor. are preliminary to
the conclusion to hich We wish to lead the minds
of our citizens viz: That unless We bring Rail
Road TO our streets, We must necessarily he lef be-
hind all our sister towns. in wealth, in the conve-
n;cnccs of life, and in all that looks to the general
welfare of our village.
Now is very proper time f'r ur to ponder over
this result :, Rail Road from Columbia to lam.
burg is seriously agtatrd, and must and will be
built. Time will, also, surely bring into existence
another Road running from Ncw-market "r Ninety
six in Abbeville District, TO Aiken. Have none r.
the sage capitalists and property holders about our
village cast their thoughts ahead to view the proba
bic 1--WE might say the ccrtain) effects Of these two
enterprises upon the welfare of our little town p
Let tile Columbia and Hamburg Road pass by or
near the Pine House (thcrc is 10 chance of its
coming nearer TO usD and let the a ikcn and Nine
ty-six Road pass by Lofts, or, if you please, ,ix
miles nearer this way-what then, We ask, is tn be-
come of the prosperity Of this our little town p
there then will be our merchants an M c!'nnics
the bone aud sncw Of every village and town I
You will find them snug!y quartered IN the RIil
Road, paraking Of the spirit Of activity and encr-
ey which the stcam-rngne never fails to excite
Think you, merchants and mechanic here can COM
pete with llluse thcrel With insignificant rents,
with merchandise and materials landed at their very
doors. with the crowd of: persons attracted thther
hy The life, the activity the intelligence horne along
OH the wings of steam, the latter would soon draw
our custom away from us, and new village, would
pring up to rival and break tls down. 1t may
now excite surprise to several Of our stores
closing up. would then be surprising il most or
all should not be closed. Where now the track is
beaten, aud the sidewalk and the garden show
marks of cultivated taste, then grass would spring
up in our streets and neglect would manifest itself
in everything around. Merchants and mechanics,
interests lead them to dwell in towns and villages,
would seek The Rail Road, and there they would
remain. Lots in our village that now command
from So 900 TO $G,DO0, nigh! then BE- obtained fnr
be seen to rear their ugly fronts everywhere in our
c,rpurate limits, snd the nhabit ns would scarcely
have the spirit TO ask fr rr-riartrr Of their once
beautiful and flour s!,ing lirlc town.
Is this Mr.. Editor, mere fancy sketch I Let
those who bu,st Of their practical wisdom reflect
calmly on these things, and they will find sas. too
much truth in the picture 10 doubt the unpleasant
! reality.
Men nced MT form their judgment on these mat
ter. from the state Of things Which rreccde the
building of Rail Roads among us Because our
village has prospcrcd up TO this time, it is not to be
inferred it would continue to prosper when Rail
Roads shall BE- built in our vicinity, leaving us in an
insulated position. 4 new order Of things will
aris., VIII ch it will be impossible for to Withstand
We cannot resist the powerful Influence of Rail
Roads when brought within distance to affect US.
ltwuuld be useless to try. 1t would be like fighting
the inhabitants of the moon. Our efforts would BE-
about as unava;ling MS the attack Of the Pney-
woods Bull upon the engine in motion. Rail Roads
create actual nrcrssiiis that cann"t be successfully
resisted BY men or cities. See how Charleston is
already groaning under the weight Of the Winning
ton and Manchester Road. Yet We, the people Of
little Borough, think we may be more than a
match for great an enterprise rs that "f the
Rabun Gap Road, extended to Aiken and Charles
ton. What a sangune people we are !" coming
No let us not he deceived this Road viii be tie
ruin OF us, unless We bring it within corpora
limits
Our course, then, is marked out by ,trong con-
silcratons Of wisdom ard policy, and the failure TO
adopt that COURSE will, venture to predict, cau'e
in tile minds of our citizens, long and lastir regrets.
4 false step now made, can never be r'c"vered.-
We must take an aetire part in the structure Of
the Rail Road from Aiken TO Ninety-siz. This
Road must sooner or later BE- built. The ncccssi-