The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-08-01
TIE Blue RIDGE Ro4D..
Private 1ndtviduals Purchase the Line
1.-The Talk Of its EARLY Completion.
IFrom the Columbia UnIon.l |

Negotiate entered into some time
ago, BY an ION of gentlemen, the OBJ
ject being chase the Blue Ridge Rail-
road, and, 0y learn that the purchase. has
been ef d. These capitalists. including
quite a..-mber of men well known to South
Carolina, intend to 60 at once to work to COM
iplete this great 'thoroughfare to the West 30
that we can confidently expect that within q
very short time this great outlet TO one OF the
most fertile portions Of our State will open up
to trade and commerce the garden OF the
South. -.,
;, This purchase, If made, will release the State
from any obligations TO build the road, and
will throw the whole matter into the hauds OF
private individuals, where Improperly belongs.
Building railroads should be confined eXclus-
lively to private enterprise, the State assisting
whenever It is shown to be advantageous to
the citizens at large to do 80.
The stock of the Blue Ridge is TO De solo 70
these gentlemen, the bonds endorsed by the
State turned over to their use, they giving o
bond to perform the work, as we understand,
within specified time, using the bonds only
as the work Is completed, something alter the
manner in which the United States Govern
ment issued Its guarantee to the Pacific Kali
road Company. By this arrangement 1t Is be:
lieved the road iwlllbe completed as early as
ask Is the countenance and support OF tine
business community, and this &c are confident
they wiil9receiye. So long as this road was In
any way connected with the State, so long
the people of the country woplq-lack conf.
dence in It's completion. 1t was the duty OF
those acting as trustees for the State to dis.
pose OF Its interest in this and all other roads
as soon as practicable, for wherever q railroad
istoWned or. controlled By the State, there Is
always to be- found corruption and its accom-
panying evil, Every administration uses 1t to
secure Its own selfish ends, and the business
interests Of the community are made to suffer
for the sake OF Helping along the personal
aims of private individuals. Ut were better,
far better. If the State did not own adolIar OF
any kind Of corporation stock.
To make the present. enterprise compete
success, 1t Is necessary, In our judgment, ,or
them to make thorough connecting line W!lh
the great West, via Louisville or Cincinnati
To de. this, the company should own or con-
troll all the roads forming the direct route
between the West and Charleston or Port
Royal
|. The section of country through which this
route is to run Is the finest and richest IN the
South, and. when the road Is once openeu1,
the tide of immigration must set irreSlstloly
In that direction. This feature alone, 1t seems
to us, ought to commend the enterprise to
every man who has the good OF the state at
heart, and we are glad that the State has not
lost the opportunity to sell all the interest 1t
held In this great thoroughfare. lC coulo
never prosper so long as it was manipulated
by State influence. Whichever party is IN
power would necessarily use this as means
oil perpetuatIng Its lease Of authority, 80 that
the business interests of the community would
be made to suffer very serious detrlment.
We believe this road would have 0een com,
pleted long ago, If such men as Cameron and
Scott, of Pennsylvania, or Walters and Gar,
rett, OF Baltimore, and Cameron and Smith, OF
Charleston, and others whom we.could name,
controlled the matter. 1t Is SUICIDAL poicy 10
refuse to allow railroad to be built, Simply
because there is fear existing that some
body is to make money from the operation.
| Suppose somebody does make money, II In so
doing he benefits the great majority OF the
public, where Is the harm?
We can richly afford to entrust our railroad
| development to any capitalists who are will.
| Ing to- undertake 1t, and 1t Is only the old
fogies who favor the old stage system, when
1t took about week to 60 from here to
l-Greenvllle, who are opposed, as they say on
principle, to farming out the development ol
our internal resources. If lelt to the enter
prise Of the South alone, there are none of us
young enoug ID to- hope to live to see the day
when this great thoroughiare to the West viii
| be opened up to the traffic and commerce OF
the world. 1t must be done by those who
| have the means and are willing to risk them
\ in this direction, and no man who has the
| good OF the State at heart can consistently
| find fault with any enterprise, or with those
who manage 1t, il said enterprise enriches the
State and benefits the people at large. Suct
we believe this enterprise will do, and think
ing thus, We gladly hall it as an omen of ,
brighter future for South Carolina