Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-02-19
MISCELLANY.
Remarks of Senator Palmer on the Blue
Ridge Railroad Bill.

'N0hldl hS vi oeHaIoT falmcr on the Blue
Ridge Railroad Bill.
Mn. CniIGMAN: Itmight have been sun
posed that the position which have occu
lncd IN relation to the railroad cntcrpr;Scs
of our State. would have induced me to pur.
sue n different course towards the Blue
Iiidgc Railroad on the present occasion than
shall do. 1t is indeed painful duty To
me t" raise my voice in opposition to dat
measure; but ] shall cndclvor to do so frank
~ freely. ami III a manucr that becomes my
duty tomy.cir my con tiluents and mv State.
Win view tn a correct understanding of
this question. it becomes MS to take n view ur
the investments which lave been made Ly
the State and individuals in railroad enter.
rriScS. 1t would seem that Tie capital in
vested in the railroads already comnlctcJ
amount to at least SlG000,U0O, and that
there arc ono or two moro under cnnstruc-
ton tina will probably swell that sum I'M to
near S2O,nO0,00O. With hut few executions.
these investments have made but small re-
turns in the way of dividends tn the stock
holders. Bat ii is fortunate for those indi.
NuluaIS who embarked in these undertakings
that tho railroads within our State la,c 9th
or advantages to the community than the
Incrc paying of dividends, and take il tia.
nn one regrets wat has been done or would
willingly submit to u loss Of those roads,
But gentlemen, we have arrived Just ut that
point where nearly every portion of State.
having cnjoycd the adynntocrs "f ro;Iynni
facilities we should have paused in onr 90.
rccr. and awaited tie ,csult of ti,c rxnnr;.
n,cnt which we had made Am ;r.nynni
in The mana rcno,t nc Iii. ,o., ,fs,;. ai, ,m.Ni,
hnve ohscrved this rnos,,n. nf ,.n,,,,,,i; ha
would have counted the cost of what he had
denc. and the benefits to accruc .h"rcfrom,
Del"rc nc would take new risks Of II lnzard-
Gus character Such shonid L,yc Lnnr
the course of thcsc ncn,lnmcn ,yLn Lorn',.,,'
ten mn the Bluc Ei,lrn Rnilr,"d W,t o.,
fortuna,clv Cur nur Stntc ,h..o ,ro,s,,,os ''c
prccautinn which had h;,hcrto r,;I.I h,.
councils in ,hc constructinn of o,,r lnroi r,nJ.
were all abandoned ON thnt ocr,s;nn Om,.
Legislature had said or uhoti.ollv tlr,t sLn
would aid. but nut load In tI,r rH,s,.n,,;,',
of railroads Sbn rr,m,;roJ ;,,I;';I,"i'
give fntl. to those works in which, thn, ,yo,o
about To embark lv substantial suhyrr;,,,;nrs.
and this was wise and nruJent. G,,. unlc.s
there is n sufficient irdivi,iunI ;ntcrost tn
guide and direct these enterprises lurin"
their construction and tn thc;r rn,,rln,;nm9
and subscaucntly to insurc tLci, crn,,om;,,ni
management. Won mov rcst ,ss,,rc tlnt thn,,
will bc likely to result in disastrous Cilmc
But it was said this was n .rrcat cntcrnrisc
and beyond the reach of inIiyi,lu,l o;I. lin,
it was lut tie cnrryiuo ont nr th,t ornn,
Western extension. known as tho Chorleston
and Cincinnati Railroad. which tLr ,,rrnt
men of that day all approved Of. nnd wIirh
the State was willinr to cmborl; SI0 OO) 600
so obtain tic trade u2 Inn; ,o..;ca nf n.nn,rv
and but for the rcyusion nf ihnt duy. the OH.
icct would have been obained. Int have
gentlemen pursued the same course lIlot WAS
pursued on that occasion? Most nssurcdIy
not well recollect the aruculs tbnt wcrc
10 81, 4,
State, and the large amount Of imlIviluol
subscription then obtained The district
which have the honor to represent. alone
raised about $1,000 and ifthe same means
had hecn used ON this occasion thnt we're
then resored to, have no doubt much lar.
ger individual Subscription would have been
procured than has been. and the public son
timent of the State would have becn so well os
certainod on the subject that the cntcrpisc
would either have been placed upon sou,Idrr
basis, rit wouldneyer have been undertaken.