Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1859-11-02
ont successful rail road enterprise, and that

is Georgia..
1t is not wonderful that you can find only
one State that has carried out o successful
rail roll enterprise, since Georgia is the only
State Which has made a rail road as a State
work; measure which, since you admit its
success, YOU must admit to have been wise.
1t has not only proved a great financial sue
cess to that State, but has made every rail
ad connected with it in the borders
of Georgia eminently prosperous. If the
Western current Of trade over the Georgia
State Road, which yields 4 gross income of
one million Of dollars annually, and is dis
tributel over the connecting roads, were ar
rested Or diverted, the Georgia rail roads
would be as poor as the South Carolina rail
roads.
In another paragraph you state that the
Baltimore and Ohio r Ill Road cost s2l ,S0O,-
000 In the same statement from which you
took those figures you may probably have
seen that TIE "stock held by individuals"
amounted to So 420, ,000.--im. Il. R Journal.
Nay 81, 1856.
You affirm in your first paragraph that
"we have searched in vain and cannot find
a single State that erected public works out
of her own borders" "Public Works" ls
very indefinite, but 10 give any pertinence to
your affirmation, it must be understood to
mean rail roads. Yet, in the COURSE of your
article, you state that " the State of Mary
land subscribed $GSj,000 to the Baltimore
and Ohio Rail Road, and loaned the Company
S3,000,000."
it strange that you should have learned so
much respecting the Baltimore and Ohio Rail
Road and not have discovered that it is $50
miles long, and that of it 240 miles are con-
structed in the State of Virginia. You do
not assert, nor does it appear, that the aid
afforded by the State of Maryland was grant
ed OIL the condition that it should be spent
in the State of Maryland. The State Of
Maryland, then, contributed more to build a
road through Virginia than South Carolina
is desired to contribute for the Blue Ridge
Road. The value of the real and personal
property of Maryland in 1850, according to
the census, was S208,000, 900, and of South
Carolina S284,000,000.
Maryland and South Carolina were situa-
ted alike-neither can connect by rail road
with the narigable streams or rail roads uf
the West, unless it be made through the ter.
ritory of neighborins States. The grant Of a
right Of way, with States, us with private
persons, confers a privilege. It may be very
valuable according to the necessity for it, or
the use that is made of it. If one owned a
mill with large power for toll and merchant
uil, but was cramped in his business for
want Of a convenient mill road, which could
only be made over the land Of his two neigh.
bors, and they gave him leave to do so, he
should consider it very kind and generous
concession. Can it be imaged he would be
so stupid as to abandon the project of mill
road because his neighbors would not build
those parts Of it which were to be made on
their land2 The folly Of his conduct would
be more glaring, if each Of his neighbors had
mills and convenient mill roads, and large
part Of their custom would be drawn off il
nc new mill road was made Maryland did
not behave SO stupidity. That State prompt
ly took advantage Of the privilege which Yir-
ginia granted.
The only question in South Carolina, re.
spec:ing tue Blue Ridge Road, should be
Will the road be worth the cost of it to the
State? If it will be an investment Of money
profitable to the commerce and resources OF
the State. the privilege granted by Georgia
and North Carolina should be promptly ex-
crciSed. 1t is an unsound and ignorant OBJ
lection to the expenditure of money by the
State for the construction of the Blue Ridge
Road, that the benefit it will confer can be
secured only by constructing it through the
States uf North Carolina and Georgia. II
the objection be good against the States CON-
tributing 10 its construction it is equally good
against The citizens Of the States contributing
and the result is that South Carolina never
can have a Western rail road which shall be
directed to the increase Of its prosperity.
Again, you say The Baltimore Road was
built by private enterprise; lie mra4s fur.
nshed mainly by the city and citizens of
Baltimore"
This is intended To give color to your dc.
man'l, that it should he built by the citizens
of Charleston. did suppose that the city
OF Baltimore was 4 public or political corpo-
ration, and that its contribution to the Bal.
t!more road was not an effort ot' "priratc ell
terprisc." 1t does not appear on what au-
thority you say it was merely built by tie
city and citizens Of Baltimore, thereby in a
great measure excluding from the stock list
all who were interested along the line Of the
road. In this connection vul do hot men
tiom (wllaL is the fact that the city of Balti-
more subscribed $3,500,000. to the stock oil
the road, and loaned its bonds to the compa-
ny for S5O00UW more, thus making the
State and city contributors to the construc-
tion uf that road SD lS5,0O0. The CITY Of
Baltimore besides, luanc its bonds to the
amount Of 81 300 600 to the Northwestern
Virginia Road, q branch Of the Baltimore
and Ohio Rail Road, which is located wholly
in Virginia, and loaned its bonds to The
amount of 81 ,000,0G more to the pltsburg
and Counelsvile Rail Road, five sixths oi
which is constructed in Pennsylvania.
THUS Baltimore and Maryland, which are
gengrap phically situated like Charleston and
South Carnina. have together contributed
near SI5, 100000 to tic construction Of rail
roasiS without the limits of the State.
l have before mentioned that the amount
of individual subscriptions was S5,42O 0UU.
You must rccnliect the road extends from
Baltimore to Cleveland OH the Ohio River, a
distance of $50 miles. In its progress through
Maryland and Virginia for 2UO miles, it was
baiit in i thickly settled and productive
country. which would have supportel the
road even if it ha!l gone no further than
Cumberland. To make fair comparison be-
tween the two roads, the Blue Ridge Rail
Road must be considered as extending from
Charleston to Knoxville, i distance of 40
miles. From Charleston to Anderson, dis
tance Of PSI miles, the road has been built
chiefly b. individual subscriptions to an
amount very much exceeding the individual
subscriptions to the Baltimore and Ohio Rail
Road. The country, from which private con-
tribution5 might be demanded, has already
done its part. 1t is for the construction of
the road beyond Anderson and over the
mountains that public aid is requested.
The advantage OF draining the swamps is
very feeble attempt to divert the attention
of the people from the Blue Ridge Road.
The area of the swamps to be drained is quite