Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-09-10
TGa g. slgFzl [slgrN to d mlR0BFRg

is always postpoRed y inerrhant in Columbia
intorIned me, two years ago that he bad " guam
ti'y OF" bacon destined Tor Columbia osec the
Georgia Railroad. lie applied to the Supcrin(
tehdant OF this road To ship hts bacon, and was
Informed II could not be done in loss tltan three
months AdstinGuishe ed ncrchunt Of Ch6tIcs.-
ton informed me last winter, ttat he had been
forced TO ilaSe cotton from the eo0th% all
shipped 20 Savannah, and thcnee sent 10 Cherries
ton, instead OF having il brought direct over tho
Georgia Railroad, He could not get il carried
over the Georgia road TO Augusta when its des-
tination WAS known to be uharlestont. What
advantage is there IN such a railroad with the
West. Ii is enly "a dciusion. If wo wish to cn.
Joy the advantages of,tbis connection We must
have railroad of our own.
II is said by our opponents that the Blue
Ridge Raihpad will never pay or renipneratc
The stockholders if Completed How this can
be the case il is hard TO conceive, when we know
that similar road in Gcorgia pays into the
treasury of the State one thousand dollars every
day. clear of all exnonscs. We kne@ that a
smaller road in Virginia and Tcnncsscc is
crowded with treiGllt and tpasscngcrs'every day,
and pays handsomely. We kuoWthat railroads
of like rhHrac,er AMI purpose in tho mitldle,and
northern States Ave doing well for the stock
holders as we'll as Tor the country Mt large. Why,
then, will not the Blue Ridge RAILROAD pay !.
IL will not cost more THAN these other roads in
| proportion to its length. 1t will give tho uear
est seaport " the Western trade, and in this re-
spcct must have advantages over all railroads
connecting with the valley of the Mississippi.
Bu; admit, FOR the argument sake, Lhat no
dividends arc to be expected from this .railroad
| is that n good hud iustifablc reason for aban-
doning the enterprise The wealth anu pros
perfty which it will pour into the State-vthc
stimulus it win give to- labor-the increased
value of our lands--tle social blessings and po-
| htical ihtuenceto South Carolina will be ample
fcompensation for nll tho State may bc required
| to eXpend in its construction. Wherever rail-
roads have been buht in South Carolina the
! lands have risen in value from three to ten fold
On the South Carolina Railroad, lands which
could not he sold for iifty ccuis per acre arc
now worth ten and twenty an acre. Them
creased value of the lands on either side OF uie
! Blue Ridge Railroad in South Caroline alono,
would build tho road We all know, that since
our railroad system commenced in this State,
that tide of emigration, which was depopplatng
the country, has ceased in great meaaure,-
The poor man who could not earn his twenty five
cents day. now receives fifteen dollars month, ,
Many farnilies, who never before were from
home, except 10 church or II neighbours house,
now pay their visits to Columbia and Charles
| ton. As our intercourse with the est'increas-
I es so Will increase our political influence in
that vast region Of country. In time of scarcity,
! when -four andcorn and all provisions are liig
the Blue Ridge Railroad will enable MS to get n
considerations. for building tho road without
| dividends f :..t.
In building railroads the State should no
| more look to dividends and profit as q peeupinry
consideration, than slio does in the Improvement
of her navigablc streams, or the laying ont her
public highways for the convenience of her citi-
zens. The first and greatest consideration with
the State should always be the developing hcr
resources, Increasing her commerce., adding to
her wealth and prosperity, and giving her citi-
Eens thc comforts convenienccs,, and facilities
of civilization. If. at tho same tine the rail
roads, constructed by the State can be made a
source or profit, as the Georgia road has been,
so much the better. But fills should never be II
primary consideration with Sontl, Carolina.
Where few individuals unite and form a
company for the purpose of constructing n rail
road, different consideration is allowable and
justifabe. They have right to look to the
value of their stock 1t cannot be expected that
a. few individuals should sacrifice tilrir money
tSr the good of the whole, If sacrifice is to
he made, all SHOULD unite and pay in proportion
TO their means. Hence it is the faire$t and
most equitable way Of building raihoads, for fhc
State to construct them at the expense of all
der citizens, and especially one liketb present
which is to benefit thcm;all. If left to private
contributors, the burden falls on the puble.spir
tied and liberal, whilst the mean and parsimo-
nious escape, although they participate equally
in the blessings and advantages.
South Carolina, although small State, Us
| larger In territory than Massachusetts, Con
,aectieut and Rhode lsland>pm together. Ant,
yet, how far behind those States is she IN com
merce, wealth and Improvement! a the period
of onr revolutionary struggle, South Carolina
ranked as one of the first Statcs in the Union
| How far has slfebecn outstripped in growth and
prosperity since tiIat time by lIcr Sister States
| Why is it? Because she has fallen behind Them
in energy, enterprise, public spirit and improve
nent. SHE cannot maintain her relative position
in the contetteracy and stand still while all the
other States are progressive. Like one rlaccdil
II tread mill, she iuust keep moving and strun.
! Cling, or she will sink to the hottoin. We must
uyaii ourselves of the Improvements Uf the age,
and one oil the greatest Is railroads. What
| would you think of a man who should now start
to Charleston on horseback or in his carriage
The same will be thought OF South Carolina if
she does not attempt to ektond hcp railroads so
as TO form connection with all the Other States!
| State pride alone; if actnhtetl by no other
consideration, should prompt her to carry on
and complcto this great enterprise, in which she
has embarked and spent SC much. If she ban
dons the work now. she will Justly be an object
of iidicule and derision to her sister States II
will he said is constant and perscvering in
| nothing. Already we have been laughed at by
the world for our political schemes, commenced
with great enthusiasm and spirit, but always
abandoned, never cariied out Many years apo
we commencedra system Of internal Improve
ments in South Carolina, and spent hundreds Of
thousands of dollars in digging canals, making
! locks in oar rivers and improving their nayiga-
| ton, and all has been abandoned. Twenty-Five
or six years since we commenced the Charleston
and Louisville md Cincinnati Railroad with
| IorsA az NJ, nit -. I,nk