The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1860-09-18

where the Blue Ridge Road is attempted 10 be
built at an enormous cost to the Stale 7"
l have before noticed your short memory in
your statement of the excess of cost above the
estimates and of your short reaGing in not
seeing in the Act of 1854 the repeal of the
"l4th section" Of the Act of 1852, when the
latter furnished an argument in support ofyonr
charges. Ard have now noted another in
stance of this freak of memory. Indeed there
seems to be with you an Opaque section in that
faculty Of the mind, which revolves with your
argument and obscurcs at one time facts in
rcIatior to the Blue Ridge Road, which would
oppose your conclusions, and at another time
admits them, when they favor your purpose. 1t
would be better if that opaque section were
stationary. Then it would not betray you into
inconsistencies.
Having thus, think, rcfuted your charges,
| will rcfute also the mischief which You specify
as the consequence Of the gross violation of the
charter, and of IT,. bad faith OF the officers of
the Company, viz: that the funds which have
been expended in the construction of the road
beyond the Georgia line, would have finished
the road in South Carolina.
In pursuance of the original design Of the
Company, and of the purpose for which funds
were contributed by individual subscribers, by
the City of Charleston, and by the State, the
officers of the Company have directed. the con-
struction of the road with a view to its COIN
pclion from Anderson to Knoxville. They
have urged forward the work on the tunnels
and masonry, which are the most costly and
tedious parts of the work, leaving the light
grading almost entirely suspended after Bangs
L. Co., were dismissed, who had done nothing
else. As the progress ofthe work was reported
to the Stockholders in detail, this policy Of the
Directors was, in almost every report which
they made, communicated to the Stockholders
and to the Legislature. In order to give the
largest publicity 10 the proceedings OF the
President and Directors, their annual Report
to the Stockholders has every year been pub
lshcl in all the daily papers in Charleston,
and in pamphlet form sent to the Mayor and
Aldermen ofChareston, oa the Stockholders,
members Of. the Chamber of Commerce in
Charleston, and largely distributed among the
cilzrns of Charleston and the State. As re-
quircd by the charter, copies have been official
" presented to the presiding officers Of both
branches of the Legislature; =; and, besides lay
ing copy on the fable Of every member, one
has been mailed to their residences before the
session of the Legislature III order that they
might have time to read it before they went to
Columbia, anu became distracted 10y amllse
ments aud elections, or cngrossed in business.
You cannot orshould not, therefore, have been
uniformed OF the views Of the officers of the
Company. They have constantly avowcd and
published, as they now do, that if the Blue
gia line, in the midst Of the Blue Ridge Moun-
tains the addition it would make to the COM
mcrcc of South Carolina, would fall very far
short of compcnsating for the cost Of its coq-
structiou. a III Subject will make qnd
snnta,' oTI ,nGA ASsGeEt sf !s5s NAV have
been presented in the grading of the road, if it
had not been deemed unwise so to apply the
resources of the Company. A little reflection
must make it apparent that if the road were to
terminate at any point of the line short of
Knoxville or the navigaLc waters Of the Ten.
nessce at some other place, the road would not
for its cost The construction Of
tue road has been accordingly directed to the
ola connection between Char
lesion and Knoxville. The great obstacle to
this important end is presented by the Blue
Ritlra Mountains. If the line of the road to
the RaLun Gap presented onl y ordinary diff
cutics. the Blue Ridge Road would have been
and finished long before this time.
When the mountains are crossed the extension
Of the road to Knoxville will bc acertain conse-
qucncc."
I suppose every intelligent person in the
State will concur in the opinion of the officers
of the Company that If the Road is to termi-
nate at the Georgia line it would not compcn-
safe for its cost. The insufiicicncv of funds to
finish the road to the Georgia line, which You
specify as the mischief resulting from the mis-
conduct Of tic officers of the Company is, then,
10 nIiscliefat all.
At the hazard Of being tedious will further
vimd;catc the officers Of the Company from
Your charge of bad faith. l understand bad
faith to be violation of some trust or comb |
dcncc repo>cd, it may he in the transaction Of
business, or in tic intimate relation OF the
parties. The bad taith you charge is compre-
hrndcd in thc'tirst part of my definition. If |
commercial attorney or agent should engagen
transactions beyond the scope of his authority,
and not inform his principal Of such transac- |
tions, but conceal them, that would be bad
faith. But If he fully apprised his principal
frcm time to time. rs often us he communicated
with him. that he was engaged in transactions
which were bcyoGd tic original scope of his
authority, and his principal did nor disapprorc
or make any objection, that would make valid
and bono &ir the Transactions Of the agent, OF
which his principal has been So informed.
The officers Of the Company are the agents
ofthc Stockholders. These consist of the State
Of South Carolina, the City Of Charleston, and
the corporate and individual subscribers The
members of the Senate and House of Rep
rcscntativcS arc the amcnts or proXr: OF the
State for the Stock which it holds i'll the Blue
Ridge Rail Road Company. Even if it were
admitted that the officers of the Company had
violated the charter 10y the expenditure OF
money for the construction Of the road beyond
tie Georgia line, yet if slow that this cxpcn-
,lirurc WAS communicated ~ the Stockholders
in every Annual Report Of the officers, the
CHARGE Of bad faith is repealed.
1t would be tedious to quote from the re-
rorts, but affirm that in every report since
October, 1886, when WAS elected President
of the Company, the progress Of construction,
and, of course, the expenditure Of money for
work bcvond the Georgia line, has been eX-
hhitcd in detail.
No dsapprobation has been expressed by
the Legislature, nor by any other Stakeholder.
TO the present time, though in the report of
1853 the expression Of a want OF confidence