The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1860-06-20
For the Lancaster Ledger.

caS'ef' lhey are addressed without u par
uc.c of i'll feeling and witt; no sinister pur-
pose, to the sober judgment Of your peo.
pie. Lancaster desires II Rail Road and
will have one, The only question to be
discussed is, where shall it be built This
depends upon another question in what
direction can she most easily and certainly
succeed in her enterprise
by an air line, measured by rule and
compass on Mills Map, Lancastervlle is
thirty-three miles from Camden. A better
location will throw the road to the West
OF an air line, on Beaver Creek, increasing
the distance to 35 miles. At the estimate
cost, three hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars will build the road. On the authority
OF one OF your most esteemed citizens, it
Is said that Lancaster had subscribed, before
the Bishopville route INTERVIEWED, one hun
dred ard fifty thousand dollars to tn. Cam.
den road. kershaw will subscribe the
snme amount by the Is: July. Camden
has already subscribed one hundred thou.
sand dollars, and is pledged to make up the
subscription of the District to one hundred
and fifty thousand, and more If necessary.
The South Carolina Rail Road will take
stock to the amount of all the engineering
and transportation of material required,
which practical aud informed gentlemen es-
innate ut $4,000 making total Of subserip-
tions to the Camden connection Of not less
than three hundred and thirty thousand
dollars, leaving deficit of only twenty
thousand dollars ut most But besides
this, there will be presented at the next
meeting of the 5. G. X. r. Directors, n
memorial from the Stockholders of Cam
den, which must induce them to enlarge
their proposed subscription at least TO fifty
thousand dollars. And we are assured that
Liberty Hill alone will subscribe fifty thou
sand dollars, which would swell the Ker-
shaw subscription 10 more than one hun.
drcd and seventy thousand dollars This
will suffice to show that the Camden and
Lancaster Road can be built without State
aid, and without the necessity Of contract
ing any debt,
The road could be built. and finished
within two years from its commencement.
Every dollar expended and every mile con.
siructed would place Lancaster that much
nearer railroad Within one year l.ancas-
ter would be within II miles Of her Rail
Road. When at Camden, Lancaster would
meet good market she would be on ncr
way, not only to Charleston but to Colum-
bia, TO the whole State, indeed, and to the
great West All the money expended on
said road woud be laid out for the exclu.
slve use Of Lancaster and for the benefit of
no other place.
Nov look ut the Bishopvile route. You
will have La construct one hundred miles of
Railroad, instead of thirty three. both air
line measurements, You must RAISE one
million Of dollars, instead of three hundred
and thirty thousand You have the money
already practically for the Camden 70 ad.
1t is conceded that it cannot be raised for
the other You propose to commence on
SSoO,O00, which you suppose may be had.
Where will the road commence AT the
other end of the road, one hundred miles
away from You. Manning would have her
Railroad IN eighteen months time, Sumter
hers in year more, BshopviIle in eighteen
months more. Four years will have passed
aw?y and still Lancaster will be no hcar.r
n Railroad than now. How much of your
money will then remain Not enough TO
carry it TO Lancaster. certainly, perhaps,
none. What people will then be Interested
to hypothecate the road already in opera
tion 10 Bishopvile, for the purpose of car.
rying it on TO Lancaster. A commercial in.
terest will have been created at BishopvIlle.
She will have an extensive trade with the
country north of her Will she be inclined
to destroy that trade by extending the Rail
Road! But, say that the money is raised,
two years and half more wi bring the
Road to Lancaster. Many of those now
warmly interested in the enterprise will
have passed away, but Lancaster will have
her Railroad after the lapse of six and n naf
years, and her old friends in Camden will
see her no more forever. True the road
will be in debt, it will have TO contend with
rival ond conflicting roads-dividends will
have to be paid Gf at alD on n million OF
dollars and must be small of necessity
There will be an expensive and complicated
anagement--Lancasler stock holders will
count bu. sma!l iii such mamm 9th company
Her interests may not always be consulted;
she will have no market short OF Charles.
ton, and, it may be, she will find cause to
regret, even after accomplishing her purpo-
ses, that she gave no attention to the re-
sponse which Camden so literally makes
to her call.
Now, will Railroad TO Camden pay the
stockholders? IL taken on to Charlotte, as
it must and will be, (and as the BishopviTe
:oad must and will be. if it reaches lancas.
ter) it certainly will pay The Charlotte
and Columbia Road has declared dividend
of 4 Der cent for the last months rba