Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-02-12

on tile road anu It's stuneraI dlrge VIII be sung /
by thousands of stalwart mechanics as they |
pass down the Greenyille and Columbia Road
to their distant homes. Every thing must lie |
abandoned to ruin and desolation connected
with the great enterprise
There can be but three objections to the |
completion of the Blue Ridge Railroad
They are involved in the following questions.
Isitpractic0ble Have wv tho means of
constructing it And will It be adyanta-
geous when completod? lam prepared to
demonstrate, MS fully as anything cniy be dc.
monstrated by argument, the affirmative of
all three of besepropositions.
The practicability of the work is demon
stratod, not only by the surveys of the most
scientific engineers inthe United States, but
by the actual completion of the most diff
cult portions of the road itself The main
Tunnel. morethan one mile in lcngth, istwo
thirds finished through solid granite. Four
or five other tunnels arc in n course of sue
ccssful completion. The bridge of the grca-
test elevation is almost completed. A large
portion of the heaviest grading is finished;
but no unc now denies, or will think of dis
pnting the practicahilitv of the entire work
Have wn the means of carrying on and
completing the work Its estimated cost iss
seven millions and q half is this estimate
correct r !, y <sas,ssSer II is. The estimate Is
made byone of.thc m6stscientiiic engineers
4 in the Uuitcd States. and man of the high
| est character for truth, proldty and honor,-
| His calculations Of similar wprks for the last
twenty years. have all provid correct. His
estimates of this work, so. iar as done, have
shown him to be correct. IN the expendi-
4 ture of two millions one mn6red and twenty
| six thousand dollars, the aitual cost OF the
work has faleh below the estimates two hun
| dred thonsaud dollars IL Sas the purpose
l,of Col. Gwynn. the chief engineer, that his
estimates should cover all ptssiblo coniingen-
Icies.
Now, sir acccrdingto these estimates, we
| shall need three millions OF dollars to coin-
| plctet the work. Cau we rnise-th hat sum with
out expressing our constituents with taSJis
ton, or embarrassing the finances of the
| State2 Bonds wilEbe issued re1eemable i'm
twenty and thirty years. This sum dstrib-
uted equally amongst the whole white popu-
lation Of the State. will be about tw clve dol
lnrs per head and about fifty cente year
| for each one,to pay. Can our constituents
! stand this heavy taxation? Let each mem
bcr answer for his own people, and if una
! BILE, wcwilt excuse them
Can our taxes he increased without oppreS-
sing the people? Our land fax is mere
bagatelc. as we all know. | will give an
inst0rce illustrating what say. A gentlo-
man lii the Eastern part of the State said to
| q friend ofmine the other day, that lie had
! been 9sfered or could sell his lands, for sixty
| Thousand dollars. aud his taxes on them were
I six dollarsl Suppose we double tho land
taS,5 would any one feel it as oppressive?-
/ Gould this gentleman afford to pay twelve
dollars on a property worth sixty thousand?
/ think so, when ihe six dollars thus paid
were appropriated to public Improvements,
increasing the value of his lunded estate
But, MIR. Speukcr. hold i'm lyiland an
II
1 provides the way and means of building the
Blue Ridge Railroad, without taxing the
Ipeoplc one cent. | hope this amendment
! will make the Bill acceptable to ALL 1t has
| been concOcted with the consent and appro-
val Of the President of tho Bunk of the State,
l'and provides that The Bank shall pay, out of
its profits, the bonds issued and guaranteed
| by tho State for the reconstruction OF tho road
! lt first prosidcs tnrthe payment of the prin-
cIpal and interest of the million of bonds al
| ready issued for State stock subscription to
! the Blue Ridge Ralroad by the Bank Of the
I State. ltthcn provides for the payi ent, by
the 5nnk, nstle bonds TO be guaranteed by
the State in case of deiaulo on the part of
| the 'Slpe Ridgc Railroad Company inmecting
l5tlpy ,asnlent of those bonls In the mean
| al q, tho interest on those bonds, if not paid
Iby q 5Comp9ny. shalt he paid by tho stocks.
kans n dIc dividends thereon owned by the
iiste i tiie ltfiouo isi,iifuad S1iliT
Sunth CarDlinn
t@ Iamassured, blythe President ofthe Bank,
that he will be able 10 mectnll these demands
as tbeyfall due, If properly arranged. He
can pay out of tllc profits of the Bank for
thirty years. or any definite time. two llun-
dred thousand dollars per annum. In the
confirmation Visthisablity to meet these pay
snents, o statement liis been put into my,
hands showing ilat the Bark has paid, du.
ring the last eighteen years. nearly three
iamillions uf the State debt.
But, hope, Mr., Speaker, that if the bonds
guaranteed by the State are not redcemahlel
m twenty years, the railroad Will, by that
tine. DE in such successful operation as to
enable the5company to pay5 .bose bonds itself
out of the inconeO of the rnnd This is not
q unreasonable snpposition. The Georgia
lsailrOad, which makes this same connection
between Sayannph and [hc West, cost five.
millions, and ispow poSfng intothe State
Treas ~, etety month. twenty 1.-Two thDusan,
OILERS. Iliisincomc sSould enable the COM
pany ~ pey three hundred thousand dollars
evety year, Of the whole three millions in
thirty years.
This brings meto the consideration Of tho
third propositions az to the advantages OF
tho Blue Ridge Railroad. In consiaerina
this propositi6il, ssill not eonfine myself to-
the single fact, whefhenor not the eoad viii
/ pay hanlsoifie dividends on lis stock This
would be 4 most llarsaw and contracted view
Ioftlto subject, MS the object Of the road Is tbe
prosperity Of tho State, and not simply to-
g3ake iargc profits on tlscinyostnspt q Gap.
lf8l
ietns consider what railroads have already
dono for flsc State fhcFs are obDutone
thoqsapd miles 81 lhilroads ip. South Carroll
n'ts That they ,liaso islereaeed tie y0luc Of
n - ft.tA.