The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-12-09
THE cHARLEsToN NEWS AND THE BLUE
RIDGE RAILROAD.

/
with any of pur contemporaries, and especially upon
subjects where each one must admit that the other
is actuated by equally worthy motives as itself.
But the recent attitude Of the Charleston NeDs to-
wards the Blue Ridge Railroad calls for fair
share Of criticism, and we cannot allow the occa-
sion to pass altogether without expressing our dis
sent from its course In q lengthy articles pub.
| lished two weeks since, the Ners undertakes to
"blow It's own horn " in rather offensive man
ner, as we conceive it, to the friends of the Blue
Ridge Road of whatever party. 1t has likewise
| for some months past endeavored to make the
question of State aid to this mportant Railroad
SAVIOR too much of politics. and in the article above
referred TO it would create the impression that the
News has dealt unmerciful blows to the Radical
party by opposing the contract with CREswELL g.
| Co., and raising clamor against the Road-thei
practical results Of which tend to an abandonment
of the enterprise, il the advice of the Ne'rs Was
carried out Now, We cannot possibly be charged
with any jealous motive in arraignng the Ne'cs at
the bar of public opinion for its opposition to the
Blue Ridge Road as there can be no conflict of in
terest between an enterpssing daily and an obscure
country sheet Hence, when that journal seeks to
gain notoriety by lauding its own conduct in this
or any other respect, this self-glori6cation does
not affect us one way or the other. But, to our
mind, this hasty assumacy on the part of the News
is totally at variance with the true interests of the
State, and on this ground alone is the conduct Of
the Ne,rs brought in question. 1t may be that the
State officials were interested with the contractors
as has been repeatedly charged by the Neus, but
we respectfully submit that the sequence to this
contract does not furnish evidence to that effect
If Gov. SCOTT made arrangements to obtain anice
little job with these contractors, it is somewhat
singular that he should be among the frst to re-
linquish and advise discontinuance of the con-
tract on the ground that these contractors had not
| complied with the conditions therein expressed.
But the truth is, that the contract made with
lCREswElL s Go. required the sanction of major
ity of the Executive Committee, Of which Gov.
ScoTT was member, and that the remaining
members present were two vell-known citizens of
this State, who have been long identified with the
ther back than the existence of the Ners, or even
the knowledge Of its editors that such Road was
| contemplated. One of them, President HARRISON,
has been largely interested in q pecuniary sense
from the inception of this enterprise until the
present time, and it is not likely that his conduct
was Influenced by the dictation Of Gov. ScorT or
any other individual. The manner of awarding
this contract was fully aud satisfactorily explained
last summer, when these wholesale charges fret
appeared in the Ne,as, and we are surprised that
such stale allegations are again paraded before the
public.
no love for Radical Office holders in this State.
The past is guarantee of our position in this re-
gard. and the antecedents Of the Intelhgencer may
be safely compared to those Of any of it's cotempo-
raries- But we do love justice, and have never
yet withheld it even from an enemy. We will
heartily join the Ne,os in exposing rascality of
cry sort in these officials but we can never allow
our prejudices to outweigh judgment, for the pur-
pose of creating sensation. .,
We have no doubt that the Board Of Directors
can, at the proper time satisfy the public mind
that the contract with CREswELL & Co. was advan-
and that they now have sufficient reasons for their
recent action in Withdrawing from said contract
It is enough to say so far as the Charleston pub
lie is concerned that the Directors residing in that
city, old and new, approved the contract made
with these gentlemen, and that the recent action
of the Board was entirely unanimous.
The adjustment Of the differences bstweeu the
| Company and the contractors hos been under ad-
visement during the past week. and it is stated
that the Directors have agreed to pay seventy five
thousand dollars, which has been agreed to by the
contractors and oil claims withdrawn. 1t is sup
| posed that they had done about fifteen or twenty
thousand dollars worth of work on the Road.
The work will be continued, with the funds now in
the hands Of the Company, until the $4,000, 600
appropriated by the Legislature bas been expen-
ded. This is the plan originally advocated by the
President and Chief Engineer. and is the most
feasible and economical, in our rjudgment, although
the advantages of an early completion of the en-
/ terprise which induced the contract with Ores.
WELL Co. are TO some extent diminished by this
result We hope to announce OF an early day that
the work is progressing under the direction Of the
Chief Engineer, and that oil needless opposition to
| the Road has been efectually silenced.
MAsoSIc-The following Companions were elec-
ted and installed on Monday night last to serve as
officers of Burning Bush Chapter, No. 7, R. A. NJ,
for the ensuing Masonic year: JAMES A. Horr,
High Priest ]. B. CLARK, King; H. LESSER,
Scribe; F. NJ. MORGAN, Captain of the Host ;
SAMUEL NJ. PEoo, Principal sojouner; BENJAMIN
P. NORRIS Royal Arch Captain; R. NJ. CLINK-
SCALES, Grand Master of the Srd Veil; P. A. WILL
HITE, Grand Master Of the End Veil W. W. Hum
pHnEYs, Grand Master of the 1st Veil; F. C. "