Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1859-09-10
SPEECH OF HON. B. r. PERRY.
IS OF GaEENNlLLE,
"' Inc Mass Meeting and Barbecue, at Tunnel
Hill, August 49, 1850.

FELLOW CITIZENS: You have assemb:
ied to give encouragement to tile prosccu-
'tion OF great enterprise in danger of being
4'ypbandohcd and lost t. the present genera
ti6n. How different wonid be your feel
q Inss aud mine, if you had met this day to-
, commemorate, in joyous festivity, tile pas
sage of the steam engine over this lofty
mointnin into the grent valley of tho West {.
How different it would Id With alp of 1ls.
sf this vast assHnIblage of persons had boon
'sunmuoneds here to inauguratc the com
4 mtfDccmcnt of an enterprise which was to
y'.cenicct, wibh the iron bands of a railway. J
'fthe Atlantic and the Mississippi !r But
'ary friends, there is more honot. in retriby
ing ~ lost battle than IN whipping victory
'lt~ requires more prudence and wisdom
: oreporseyerancca and h6emitablG courage
'andzperhabs, harder fighting. Wewill not
'FdospMr oftsuccess whilst there is hope left
'The~ Prizo'is too great TO De easily tiban-
ssioh d. Once more We will'appcil to the
,LegiIatuTp. They 'arVp honorable, men
hNvise md iatlfotid--4Garolinun fceafna a
proper iutercst IN the wclfarc c.aRds spfost,tr
@itN6f their 'efeb nbthcrrStatd rThcy will
5not thNy. can ait, ;.fet fall All .unteiiSrise
.EWhlchth ..Sw~ so much Of eorhmcPcc
'wealthnnd power into South Catotna:
@H@ Imenty-sevon -yearsS ago the people aof
Seiith ,Oardlina, under the noble lead of
thor Calhoun, y~l1hyno and Binding, saw
7thes inportancc, In a. eonnnorciai, social
t-nnd political point'of Wow, of connoction
lJy railroads., with the'gfeatr atrwesttiq, States.
,tahc people4of 0lIioa Kcntoeky, r6Ancssee,
North Carolina and Virginia united with
then in projecting h railroad from Charles
..toh TO Louisville aud Cincinnati. Every
where it Diet The hearty approval, of Legis-
htnrcs, eohveiitiGns end primary assemblies
of-tfe people, South and West. Six States
were enlisted IN the cntcfm,ise, Charters
'for a fail&dY aid d kAmR wore obtained
from all Of them ilions of dollars were
subscribed. The route was surveyed and
the work Commenced. The, whole State
-of South Carolina was alive to the project
'fmery npFn who could raise FIVE dollars
took stock. The Legislature, subscribed
orc oiiiiTo.a, aud gTvo The State I, endorse
"ihcht fortwo niiilioiS mdrc.' But a terrible
rfiNantial crisis caihc@ and swept over TIE
country with Bankruptcy and ruin. The
road rcactcd ColuMBi,, and there stopped.
..Fhe enterprise was sabahdonGd, and our Gu
'tIrusitsm passed. aTy" Tie State seemed
'fosfpk into d. pibfou9d 1etliareyys, and lost
wight aitog6ther Of her true and Important
Interests. Not SO WITH tic n,oirthern aud
middle States. They, TOO, Had seen the
Importance of thisswesterp connection with
the Atlantic, They observation-disclosures TO
win tho prjze.-s. RAILROADS were constructed
from BOSTON, New York, PHILADELPHIA aud
,l,nltpnare, into; the galley pf5he Mississip.
.pi, MT an expcnso of ten, Observation-Disclosures
rmjllious, ,af dollars q. What were the conse-
.Quepees Z ,,L Look mt those ctiese--see, their
,great wealth. their wonderful co,nlner6e
their unparalleled growth and .prospority
.7-apd you kpow.the, consequences n Pass
oyer these lines of,railoals, and yiow,thc
scountry on, eithey side, adorned with the
Observation-Disclosures. .fFasS enriched with
the ,pest. prosperous mappfaetWestrbeauti
I'M myillages and naJpagnifcept,towns antlaities
FplnElng up 10 hview aaH around YOU
apd yoa will be lostin, wonderful adnlira-
ton vt tho. energy enterprise industry .aotl
"%un " Wsp, IS r"s-,f g-'',i'- ~.
.S.Mlilst oil. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. going
9n IN the. States 7ef Massachusetts, New
.3York. Peqps9lgsaAia and lMpEylalid,. and 1,ll
thls wealth and prosperity ware. .fiowinginto
7tHein tqYIls, Villages and cities froai- their
western. railrqRa eonneetians,, South. Caro-
Jipa was. interesting. herself wisA a,gpaad
lna1rel which she bad ipstitnasd With ,tl,e
Federal ,Goyernipent, about iso,pe gbstrnss
constitutlonal question, inwlsh. .sbarallea
all Of her ollivalrg, exhausted her strength,
NEGLECTED her,intterests, and ,sesmed oblisi,
ops, to all STATE enteynrise py.iupEeyemerit;
The ,epergetie and Industrious ,pertiou of
her population wps rapidly rcmgFins totthe
squthNasb bcr fields were becoming batrei,
wastes, ana her tQwnsapd villages deeliniDa
md sinking ciG.p )dfeaylhgd lrpin, ]! fAt
legrth she was. arop- -ed from her lctbargy
blythe gtepsy handHes, peyeEtg,a and 4aesola:
tioD1 \ systcmg0f branch. railroads. :exi
sending iaGs almost every district of the
Etate, was scs,naAeaeed By the people rfnder
the iiberohhId and auspices or htsr Hegisia-
tuPc. IN w'ieaf seeniets to bctGfncG lssv9r
ih our shistpfyg 3gbdna8Ty and eneeapiis!
were stinsGtbtq4, fhotids 6e lehii gsati6h to
fh8sentlfRdst aAt6s' stopped and 6hs jiorS
our GOOD bidesStasS began to- flGs9risii, dfsdi
prosper. Thanks osheso brdheh faiifostisil'
Whetever they connected ~itk other. sail-
roads eleadiug into otiier. States; they have
done well fore btheuiseigels and the country
But5i@here4 they tbfmihate he some Iittls'
yillags after Faphsag afca miles, shey have
faded of that entire suecess aud the acsohil'
plishmentofithatg atigeneral good which
were nnticipated The truth h. thatofaik