Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1859-03-16
From the Asheville News.
nFYnY ~ HFTTHnYAIn TINT. ACuEfIYY

From the Asheve News
PUBLIC MEETING IN ASHEFILLE.
Alta meeting of the citizens of Ashevle and vicin-
ity held at the Court House on the 23d of February
1859, A. s. Merrimon, ESQ.,, was called to the chair,
and r. B. Vance requested to act as secretary.
The chairman explained the object Of the meeting
to be for general consultation concerning our works
Of internal Improvement and that our Representa-
tves to the late Legislature might have an opportu-
nifty to explain the action of that body in relation
thereto.
Dr. j. s. T. Baird, our Commoner, being detained
at home, N W. Woodin, Esq, who has spent most
of the winter in Raleigh, called upon to favor
the meeting with an account Of the proceedings of
the General Assembly in which we are interested
Mr.. Wood6n proceeded to review the charters Of
the Western N. c. Railroad and the French Broad
Railroad; that the first because of its charter pro-
visions can only be built by sections, which feature
the late Legislature refused to change, and which
LETT the road almost beyond the hope of people,
and he sincerely trusted no citizen of Buncombe would
ever paw dollar for its further extension west;
that the French Broad charter was good one with
the exception Of the guage which. after ALL was not
so serious difficulty as at first might appear Mr..
Woodfn argued the impracticabity Of connecting
at the present day with the Wilmington and Ruth
erford Railroad-that four million dollars had al
ready been appropriated by the State for the West
ern Extension, and that the State would not vote
money to penetrate the Blue Ridge at two points
only twenty miles distant The speaker detailed at
length the causes which produced the failure of
Railroad schemes in the late Legislature and gave
it as his opinion that the people of Western North
Carolina will never get their rights under the pres
ent basis OF representation and system of taxation
that the true system of taxation the ad raorem
Mr.. w. said in view of the facts that it was useless
to lament over that which was lost that we must
now turn our eyes to the erection OF the French
Broad Railroad by county subscriptions, which the
amended charter provides for and proposed that we
commence work simultaneously at the South Caro-
lima ne in the direction of Spartanburg, and grade
the road to Columbus in the county Of Polk and at
the Tennessee line in the direction of MOrristOwn,
and grade to Marshall, in the county of Madison,
with view finally to connect both ends of the road
at Asheville and that he had no doubt this work
once began, that all restrictions the charter would
at once be removed
On motion of VIM. Murdoch, ESQ.,, the chairman
appointed committee of twelve gentlemen to rec
ommend what action is necessary for our people to
take in the premises, viz: VIM. Murdoch, N. w.
Woodfn, j. F. E. Hardy, Marcus Erwin j. W. Pat
ton, r. B. Vance, j. E. Patton, T. W. Atkin, W. A.
Patton, B. j. Smith, E. Clayton, and l. B. Sawyer.
Marcus Erwin, ESQ.,, was then called for, who re-
sponded by declaring his readiness to aid in carry
ing out the plan suggested by Mr.. Woodfin,-that
he had thought the prospects for Railroad In the
French Broad valley were destroyed, but that the
plan presented met his approval and he believed it
could be carried out that he thought the citizens
of Buncombe would warmly respond to the PROPOSE
ton. Mr.. E. said he was unwilling to wait ID or
90 years for Railroad to come to him, that he
did not consider the failure of projects in the
Legislature as chargeable upon any political party,
but as more easily to be accounted for on the score
of sectional feeling. Mr.. E. thought that our peo-
pie could at once build this Road if they would take
hold Of it.
Rev. H. W. Atkin called out, who said that
he had feared our situation was hopeless; he had
come to the meeting for information, and had been
highly gratified to hear the speech of Mr.. Woodn,
and thought his plan for building the French Broad
Road feasible; that he hoped the Western North
Carolina Railroad would stop at Morganton-
no citizen of BuncOmbc would ever subscribe dol
lar to move it and that he believed the noble spir
ted people of this county would chcerfuy submit
to tax to build themselves road, as they had SO
submitted to build roads for others.
David Coleman ESQ.,, was called upon for his
views He said he had been unwilling to address
the meeting, not having any plan formed that he
had thought great deal about the matter we had
held conventions, and still the question was what
shall be done that he thought We ought to get in
earnest about the matter, and adopt plan. Mr.. c.
thought that Mr.. Woodfin's plan was the proper
one and could be carried out; that the road should
be begun at once, which was the surest way to Sc
cure its completion.
The chairman made few remarks, stating that
We as a people, had once thought ourselves free,
but that it appeared portion of the State did not
want us to be so. and that he was well satisfied if
anything ever was done for this section, must do
it ourselves. Mr.. NJ. argued that the guage of the
road was not so great difficulty as some thought;
that the guage of the road could be the same from
Spartanburg to Ashevle, and from here to Cncin-
natl, thus making only two reshipments on road
one thousand miles long, from Cincinnati to Charles
ton. Mr.. NJ. suggested that the President of the
French Broad Railroad Company should at once call
the Directors together and they the stockholders,
and that people should be addressed on the SUBJ
ject South Carolina and Tennessee visited, and our
plans laid before the people of those States.
The following resolution was offered and passed
unanimously, to wit:
Resolred, That it is the sense of this meeting that
the President and Directors of the French Broad
Railroad Company be requested to take immediate
action in bringing the subject of county subscrip-
tons before the people, and for vigorous prosecu-
ton of the work, commencing at both ends of the
road simultaneously.
On motion, the Secretary was directed to furnish
copy of these proceedings for publication in the
baskerville News" and that the Hendersonvilc, and
other papers friendly to the enterprise be requested
to copy.
On motion, the meeting adjourned.
A. S. MERRIMON, Chm'n.
R. B. VANCE, Sec'y.
tbo lie Nou0