The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1870-02-19
The South Carolina Rail Road
Company.

Company.
In our issue of Wednesday we pub
lisbed the proceedings of a.ftommittee, of
the Senate ohsthe matters ofthe freight
;sehargcs ofthe South Carolina Rail Road.
between Camden and Kipgsyille. These
proceedings were based upon COM
,plaint made by merchant of the form
'er place. The South Carolina Rail
hoad Company is the property of large
number of our citizens. who are poor;
many have saved bat little else from the
wreck OF the war. 1t is important to
tl'enl that the value OF their property
should not be uhfav6rably affected by
representations not correct in point of
fact or facts greatly exaggerated aud dis
s"r.sa, .e crafty pssss:;:aail feeling, or To
promote selfish. ends We know those
whe have been entrusted with the man.
agenent of this property We know,
also, what labors and difficulties they
have had tosepcountcr in providing for
the public highway, and accommo,ia
tions not inferior to those enjoyed in
any section of the Southern country.
we know further that t is claimed and
wc believe, justly, that their rates OF
freight and passages are to-day low er
than any in the State or near it. Still
we hear this clamor kept up and it's CON
tinuahce tnrces us to conclude that there
is something more in it than appears
ON the surface. To do justice, therefore,
to all parties, we sought our informa.
ton from those whom we regarded au
thorlzcd aud able to furnish il. and ,sccr-
tain the facts of this case to- be sim, IL
these: That the parties who complain i'm
This case have never approached the
Directors Of the Company with any state.
nent Of their grievances; that the South
Carolina Rail Road Company has no
such charges per 100 pounds upon any
of its freight tariffs as are stated in the
reports; that its charges for freight from
Camden to Kingsvllle are precisely the
same as they are for similar distances
from Charleston, from Columbia or from
Augusta.
Now VIC conlc>l with these statements
before us. We arc ut loss to comprehend
the necessity of the proceeding to which
we are referring. The Rail Road Com.
miia'c has clearly not sent for persons
But We hear still more. and papers.
1t Will be borne in mind that the
burden Of the complaint is, that th.
South Carolina Rail Road does not work
,hrty-eight miles of its line in cnnnec
tinn with the Wilmington aud Marches
ter. and Wilmington aud Weldon Rail
Road. aud tho rail reads leading throu..l,
ta Bahinrrc. which is /,
line: y"c !" destroy he trade
at its own line to Charleston, the inter
csts "f the City of Charleston and of The
STATE, and the steam slips which have
c"st 5" much cfi'rt and money to c>tab-
Ii>h. Tor the very purpose OF gi,in. Cam
den and all other inland cit!,s II route
North over their own line and through
their own city. Now what are these very
rail roads doing. for whom
this ruinons policy Is invoked pursuing
the very Identical practice Which is com.
planned of, thnn.h in "a greatly cxs.c:-
htrd inr:::. OF the South Carolina Rail
Road Company We understand that
the price of freight on the Wilmington
aud Manchester Rail Road, Csny bale
of cottnn,) is as much as from Sumter
TO klngville, twcnty-scvcn miles, or
Mars Bluff to Florence, six-miles. as it
is from these places respectively to WI
ever one hundred mills. Is
his true The same is the case ON the
Charlotte Road, and we presume ON eve
~ rail road. i'll cXistancc, and the reason
is obvious. 1t is found in the service
and necessity of every company to pro-
tect and promote its own interests aud
that interest is of course in the direc-
lion of freight movements along the en-
tire line of its rail road. and to and
through an important terminal initul
point
Nor are the rail roads mentioned
the complaint exhibiting any unus,l &
liberality in the adoption of what =:
pears to be low tsrff of charges. IN
nnyh ns comm red with the South Cnr ss..