The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-05-30
BIue Ridge Railroad.

in our people. The project was agitated
in the Knoxville Convention as early as
1886, and the great interest of the Sec
tions to be penetrated by the road have
kept the matter alive until the opening
of the war, which swallowed up every
local interest in the struggle for indie
pendence. Scarcely had the smoke of
the contending armies dissipated, until
the vast importance Of the road enlisted
the entire people of the State on the
side of its completion. Tho Legislature
at once pledged the faith Of the State in
its behalf to the extent of S4,000,000.
With q view to select the best route to
connect Cincinnati with some Southern
port, a great railroad meeting was held
in that city on the 18th instant. This
Gov. Scott, Col. Low and Gen. Harrison
in the interest of the Blue Ridge route,
by way of Knoxville. The proceedings
of the meeting are too lengthy for our
columns, but we extract from the Gin
cinnati Gazette the following sketch of
the speech of Gen. Harrison, the Presi-
dent, and, in fact, tho irrepressible
"friend and advocate of the road:'
Gen. j. w. Harrison, President of the
Blue Ridge Railroad, was called for
He spoke of the evidences of pros
perity that he saw in Ohio. The bust
ness, the railroad and shipping of Gin
clnnatl had far exceeded his expecta-
tions. He alluded to the early efforts to
get connection between Cincinnati and
Charleston. There was then mutual
understanding between nine States on
the railroad question. There were in-
ducements that entered into public trans
actions that could not be disregarded.
He could not charge Cincinnati with bad
faith if she failed to mako the road to
knoxville, but certainly South Carolina
had gone on with her system, upon the
supposition that Cincinnati could meet
them. A railroad connection had been
made with Columbia at cost of S.
100000 Besides this, the State has ex-
pended 80, 500, 900 on other roads with
the same ultimate purpose-making in
all $1,000, 600 of railway expenditures,
hoping to reach Cincinnati and the mex
haustible resources Of the Ohio and Mis-
sissippi Valleys. Had we sufficient rea-
son to hope that could we reach Knox
vile you would meet us there? Will you
now turn back upon us? He then spoke
of other railway connections South and
Southwest Of Knoxville and described
the great mineral resources of the valley
of North Carolina. He spoke Of the
railway meeting at Augusta, Ga, held
within few days, that resolved to build
at once connection with the Blue Ridge
Road. This will afford route for Gin
clnnati to Atlanta shorter than any other.
The State OF South Carolina has built
and projected perfect network of rail
way, that will give Cincinnati direct
communication with Charleston and Sa-
vannah.
The speaker said that, instead of at
tempting to tell Cincinnati what benefits
she will reap from the Knoxville con-
nection, he would say something OF it's
benefit to his own people. They had
expected, for a generation, to enjoy the
advantages of your grain fields and green
pasturage; we have planted cotton and
rice, expecting to be fed from other Sec
tions. We have been compelled to trans
port provision 1000 miles, and have lost
more in freights from the immense
roundabout distance than would build the
road from end to end. We cannot, as
things now stand, raise rice, cotton, to-
bacco and sugar, without also raising a
large portion of our provisions. If you
will bring us within 500 miles of your
corn fields, we can plant all our lands in
such produce as will grow most natural
~ WILL us, anu eAcLauBe WIFI you TO
the mutual advantage of yourselves and
us. You cannot fully realize the changed
condition of things in the South. For
example, we now noed stove in every
house. Before the war, it was not SO.
The South wants a million of stoves to-
day. Would you not like to supply us
We are now compelled to use machinery
in agriculture. Do you not desire this
patronage for your shops? Very little
that is used on the farm is made at
home. We have to look abroad for
these things, but we cannot afford to
pay freight on wagons. buggies, &C., for
1000 miles around. In timber, we have
the finest of walnut, cherry, &c, to offer
you. The engineer said that in survey
ing the road from Wahalla to Franklin,
1t was not q rare thing to see black wal
nut thirty feet in circumference and
Savontv feet to tba fret l;p,I. olco ol, o,r,,