The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-12-08

upon the State.
We explained yesterday that the Savan-
rsh and Charleston Railroad which cost,
before the war, three million of dollars,
and has now for its only debt the bonds
guaranteed by the State, amounting, with
the accrued interest, to less than eight hum
dred thousand dollars,-is now before the
Legislature asking for authority to issue
first mortgage bonds for FIVE hundred thou
sand dollars to secure the prompt compile
tion of the road. We stated, in general
terms, that in this instance the interests Of
the State, of this city, of the bondholders
and cf tie stockholders, who now control
the road, were one and the same; and now
propose to give our reasons for asserting
that the opening of the Savannah and
Charleston Railroad must be of vast advan-
tsge to the public at large, and especially
to the residents of the thickly- settled coun-
ties through which it chiefly passes.
At present, the only communication bo-
tween Charleston and Savannah is by steam
er, or by railroad via Augusta. The length
of the journey by rail, and the dislike
which many persons have to even the short
est trips by sea, have checked the current
of travel between the two cities, until Sa-
yannaE has been made to seem almost as
difficult Of access as New York or Balti-
more. Eut as soon as q journey of four or
five hours duration is all that separates
Savannah from Charleston, travel will re-
commence with more than its old force, and
will soon prove source of profit to the
merchants of both cities. There is, beyond
this, the through passenger travel, which
is of far more Importance than the travel
between Charleston and Savannah. Last
year more than I've thousand persons tray
elled from the North to Florida, and return
ed when the warm season began. This
year it is expected that at least twelve thou
snnd persons will visit that State; and the
large majority of these would indubitably
pass over the railroad from this city to Sa-
vannah if it were open for traffic. There
is also in contemplation the establishment
of a line of steamships between Florida
and Havana, and other West India ports,
which would tend to swell the volume of
passenger travel. And it is not too much
to say that the reopening of the Savannah
and Charleston Railroad, in connection with
the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad now open
to cambridge and being pushed rapidly on
to Mobile in direct line, will complete
the easiest, safest and quickest line Of travel
between the Northern States and the Gulf.
The light grades of the seacOast route ad-
NIT of high rates of speed combined with
Thorough safety, aud, within few years of
the completion of the connections upon this
through seacoast line, we expect to see the
traveller taken from New York to New
Orleans in fifty or ffty,6vc hours.
Many of the through passengers would
stay day or two in Charleston, which
would then become one of the chief places
on the great through line, and every pas
senger would, directly or indirectly, con-
tribute something to the trade and business
of the city. Every dollar added TO the
value of real estate here, and every addi-
tional dollar of busncss done is n benefit
to the whole State, because the taxation is
upon The value of property and TIE amount
of business traneac.ci. AS Charleston
grew rich so would the general ratio of tax
alton be lessened, while there would be but
few parts of the State which would not feel
sensibly the happy effects Of her growth
and good fortune.
But even these things would be as moth
ing in comparison with the gain to the low
country, by the opening up of the new rail-
road line-for new it will assuredly be in
system, management and policy. Tie Sa-
vannah and Charleston Railroad trarerses
one of the richest and most fertile sections
of the State. Cotton and rice arc now
raised there in large quantities, and their
production must be greatly increased by
improved railroad communication; and there
IL fo,