Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-01-08

Blue Ridge project cannot benefit, would
be floating in the regions of romance
North Carolina too, at cost of S3,OO0,-
QUO, is building n road by Ashcville to
compete Tor the same trade We seek. North
Carolina and Tennessee, however, are ready
to do considerable portion, if nJt the
whole, of the work within their borders
FiTty-cight per cent of the total cost occurs
in South Carolina and Georgia. The un-
dcrtaliing will accrue principally to our
benefit, and it is vain to expect anything
further from either of these quarters
There is no otler source from whence we
may look for it. The question then comes
back to us, whether to abandon the enter
prise totally, with all the money invested
by the State, by her seaport city, and by
| her puDic-sprtcd citizens as stockholders,
or to guarantee the bonds of the company
without proof that funds are previously pro
vdcd for its completion, but with reason
able certainty that they can be obtained
subsequently,
But it may be thought that the State
would assume a burden of taxation greater
| than her people can bear. The force of
this objection will bcjustly estimated when
the proposition of tho company is under
stood. 1t is proposed tlNt, after paying of
othcrincumbrunccs the profits of the Bank
of the State should be employed in meeting
the principal of the debt incurred and that
the interest only on the amount be paid an
nually by triAing increase Of & lxcs.
This increase would be so insi It that
no one in the Stpte would fl 1t in the
least degree. ] he raw head and bloody
homes of increased taxation, so terrible to
scrupulous Representatives, are therefore
laid entirely at rest with all of those pco-
pie who can comprehend the proposition.
The BLUE RIDGE RAlLuoAD ENTERPRISES
The refusal of the last Legislature to remove
the condition on the guarantee formerly gran
ted by the State to the Blue Ridge Railroad
Company, may have hccn influenced by the
idea that the enterprise is one oflttlc value
II may be thought that thcruad should never
have hccn begun; that as money has been
already sunk, it is well now to make an end
of losses incurred without consideration. e.
thcr present or prospective. This view leads
inevitably to The conclusion that the State
has. for a numl er of years. been guilty ofthc
most cgrcginus and rcprehensiblc folly; for
She has not only thrown away her own mon
cy, but has induced the people of her prnci-
pal city and many public-Spiritcd individu-
ais to wreck their means with her. In 1852
and 1854. by Legislative action, she contrbu-
ted aid to the project. In 1886 and 1857, af-
ter the failure of Bang Co. was known, and
it became certain that this great public enter
prise must lean ON her for assistance or fail.
she Sc od by an approving party to the cX-
,, pcndlturc. year after year, OF all the means
III possession of the company. Aud to take
the position now that the road is NalucleSs
and should. on that account, be stopped is
simply to charge the State with wanloa Stul-
tihcation. if not moral dcrclecton Such is
the conclusion TO which this kind OF Argument
inevitably leads. Willthc people of the State
suSIa' n such a view Other course? Will they
n t, on the contrary. feel ashamed of the APP
lcaranrc of ccnsunblc inc nSstcncv and ir-
resolution which she has exhibited before the
world within ,Ic last few weeks
But it is easy to show that she II s not en-
tcrtuincd Il visionary project, nor tooishly
embarked her means in IL scheme of ll-cal-
culntiug enthusiasm. There are, doubtless
some who arc unaLlc to appreciate the mag
nitudc and Importance of connecting South
Carolina with the various quarters ofthc grca,
| West hy an independent route through the
mountains and network raj roads beyond
There are some who would measure the ben
tcrpr;sc by Tie litlc pocket rule of immcdi-
a;c dividends. We look unon it rs a project
ON II grandcr scale. and destined to confer
menSurc!c>S hcnciilS-Sncinl. political and
/ commcrcal-upun the pcuplc OF the State
As she StamGs now. aside from Inc PRINCIPAL
highways lctw"cn tie West and the Allan
7 tic scaboard. South Carolina is destined to
| dwmdIc into progressive insgniticance.-
There is II" reason why this should he so.--,
! The Blue Ridge Road, as located, constitutes
| the shortest great trunk line between splen-
did portion of the West and II considerable
! portion Of the S uthcvn scuboard Atlantic
/ States. No calculation can estimate the in
crease of wealth and population in these
/ Western States Ii has heretofore dcticd con.
| lecture and VIII do so again. Until within
a few years. great regions of splendid soil
have been Iand-locked and sparscly popnla-
ted for the want OF roads. These are now
rapidly filing up and improving. They will
/ require largely increasing supplies of every
! variety OF merchandise. aud will pour into
the laps of our people the rich products Of
| their tocming country. With tho growing
markets of the West open to the enterprise
ofour citizens, and the shortest ronte to the
Atlantic open ut all seasons Of the year, and
! If light grades. we need not despair of build
ing upa foreign import trade. An export
trade OF the heavy products of the West we
! al cadv enjoy to some extent. through the
| Georgia road. This is likely to be increased
and expanded beyond measure in the future
In all the benefits of both these trades, the
people ofthc State, throughout its limits, will
| participate, and by social intercourse aud po-
| litical Importance thus derived, will be am
! ply rcmunerated for their investment To
watch and wait now at this critical period
is to cut off hope forever. These convictions