The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-12-14
FRx CHARLESTON NEWS AND THE
BLUE RIDGE RAILROAD.
tprom the Anderson Intelligencer.l ]

l fFrOm the Anderson lntellgenCer.J
We have NO disposition to engage in con,
royersy with any of our cotemporares, anu
especially upon subjects where eacn one mIst
admit that the other Is actuated by equally
worthy motives as itself. But the recent at
titude of THE CHARLESTON NEWS towards tne
Blue Ridge Railroad calls tor lair snare OF
criticism, and we cannot allow the occasion 10
psss altogether without expressing our dls-
oent from its course. In lengthy article,
uublished two weeks since, THE NEWS under
lakes To stbIow its own horh' in rather onen-
lfye manner, as we conceive it, to the friends
Of the Blue Ridge Road of whatever party. II
has likewise for some months past endeavored
TO make the question Of State ald
20 this important railroad SAVIOR TOO mucn
or politics, and in the article above referred to
It would create the impression that THE
NEWS has dealt unmercitul blows to the Radi-
cal party by opposing the contract with Crlss-
ven & Co., and raising clamor against the
road-the practical results OF which tend 10
an abandonment of the enterprise, II the ad-
vice OF THE NEWS was carried out. 4. Now, we
: cannot possibly be charged with any jealous
motive In arraigning THE NEWS at the bar OF
public opinion for its opposition to the Blue
Ridge Road, az there can be no conflict OF In
ter6Sts between an enterprisiug daily and an
obscure country sheet. Hence, when that
journal seeks TO gain notoriety by laudlng lts
own conductin this or any other respect, TINS
selfglorii1cation does not affect us one way or
the other. But, to our mind, this hasty as
gurnacy on the part of THE NEWS Is
totally at variance with the true inter,
ests of the State, and on this ground
alone Is the conduct of THH NEWS
brought In question. It may be that the
HtAte officials were interested with the con-
: tractors, as has been repeatedly cnargea .S py
sequence TO this contract does not furnish eYl-
dence to that effect. If Governor Scott made
2rrsnrements to obtain nice little job with
these contractors, it is somewhat singular that
he should be among the first to relinquish and
advise d!scontinuance of the contract, on
the ground that these contractors had not
compiled with the conditions therein express
ed.S But the truth is that the contract made
with Crissyell & Co. required the sanction
or q majority of the Executive Committee,
OF which Governor Scott was member,
and that the remaining members present
were two well known citizens of this State,
: Who have been long identified with the
: mad and whose connection Herewith dates
fhrther back than the existence OF THE NEWS,
-or even the knowledge of its editors that such
= rpad was contemplated. One Of them, Pres
ident Harrison, has been largely Interested In
. pecuniary sense from the inception Of this
enterprise until the present time, and II is not
likely that his conduct was Influenced Dy the
tlictStion OF Governor Scott or any other indi-
yidual. The manner of awarding this con-
tract was fully and satisfactorily explained last
suumer When these wholesale charges first
appeared In The NEWS, and we are surprised
1hat such stale allegations are again paraded
& before the public.
TJt IA unnecessary for us to declare that we
5 have no love for Radical ofice-holders in this
State. The past Is q guarantee Of our position
ir this regard, and the antecedents OF the In
fellleencer may be safely compared to those
Of any of its eotemporaries. But we do love
$ Justice. and have never. yet withheld 1t even
from an enemy. We will heartily join THE
NEWS In exposing rascality OF every sort IN
these officials, but we can never allow our
preiudices 20 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 puonc
mind that the contract with CrissVeu & 20.
wasadvantageQus to the company ut the time
: H was made and that they now have sufficient
reasons for their recent action in Withdrawing
irom said contract. It Is enough to say, so far
IS the Charleston public is concerned. that
the directors residing In that city, old and new,
approved the contract made with these gentle
uaen. and that the recent action OF the board
was entirely unanimous.
The adjustment Of the differences between
The company and the contractors has been un-
der adyisement during the past week. and it
IL slated that tine directors have agreed to pay
seyenty-five thousand dollars, which has been
agreed to by the contractors, and oil claims
Withdpwn. 1t is supposed that they had done
about fifteen or twenty thousand dollars worth
or work on the road. The work will be con-
finued, with the funds now in the hands of the
company, until the 81, 100000 appropriated by
the Legislature has been expended. This Is
The plan originally advocated by the president
and chief engineer, and is the most feasible
and economical, in our judgment, although the
advantages of an early completion OF the en-
serpr,se which induced the contract with Crlss-
veil d Co. are to some extent diminished by
this result. We hope to announce at an early
day that the work Is progressing under the di-
rection Of the chlefengineer, and that all need
less opposition to the foad has been eftectually
silenced.
Nile Roeder, yet a pupil, Is announced as
the coming sensational singer Of the day. or
rofnar AZ the morrow She is q native OF Berlin,