The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-05-25

eeeding. If you, representing as you 80
completely do, the property the .?., o9aract C.
tor, the intelligence and the pa9trlotlsm . OF
the State. wish the road abandoned, who
| wishes TO- build, it IT is: the States en-
terprise years the petpgeject OF the
State.s No words of mine can describe lts
value. no zeal of mine can vindicate It's
Importance with one-teenth of the feryor
1disp1syed, year after wear, session after
Jeassi session, By the gentlemen who set around
me..,If, then, you wish it abandoned, say
30 snake provision for the payment oflts
small but honest :indebtedne and, my
word Stortit, the urimillion of bonds will
be sd riresn derefit tie State, not one mis-
sing, not one sold, not one stolen. But,
St You do not mean this, do not take ac-
ton. which, By simply crippling the en-
terprse and discrediting1t The bonds, puts
them inidangerifrom. which they are to-
day exetipt.7s - ~ i:.a-5,S.s 9 ..iF'
What, then, do ask you to do, in COM
mon fairness and in view Of the action
which you have already taken Simply
this: You are about to adjourn. You
shaye by this resolution expressed your
doubt as to the validity of this legislation.
Do not leave that doubt unsolved:t to pref
udice, our rights. Settle it Eow at once !;
do not adjourn and leave it uncertain and
Indefinite. You have selected certain
counsel, mono better. l do not know that
they viii assume the responsibility thus
thruss. upon them. Let us knowit. fWe
want their opinion; We have not the
s,;obtast doubt or fear of what it will be.
fet us have it. For, recollect, if that
opinion confirms ours, if this, and this on
II, is the objection you have to the legis-
lation in question, then, if the decision OF
the arbiters. you have yourselves selected
is in our favor, your resolution becomes
approval instead of censure. Your opin-
ion is strength to our bonds, and not
weakness. The bonds of the company
are now, to a limited extent, held as col
lateral fore small loan, required by the
necessities of its work, and negotiations
are pending for the sale of the bonds. If
YOU are right, and the priority Of the
State lien is to be restored let US KNOWN
time, for it will be no embarrassment, i
once distinctly understood, to the nego-
tion., IF we are right, learn it yourselves.
and Withdrawn all unnecessary interter-
once with the business of the company.
This is but common justice, and this do
mand I will not anticipate a solitary OBJ.
lection.
And here, Mr.. President, might stop.
But. whatever may be the impressions or
preiudices or convictions of those who
surround me, have no apprehension that
will be denied q fair hearing by body
of South Cal olina gentlemen. The pub.
iication of your report and resolution will
give color to this legislation which, |
think, unjust to the President and disad-
yantageous to tho interests of the compa-
nv. propose, very plainly and briefly,
TO tell what know of its history. do
it with reluctance, and with reluctance
only because I am the Solicitor of the
road. and because, whatever may the per-
sonal kindness towards me of the men,
bers of this Convention, and looking
around upon the familiar faces of SO many
whom l will venture to call my friends, l
feel assured of that kindly feeling-yet |
cannot but feel that what may say will
naturally be supposed to be colored by the
pride Of professional opinion and the in
terest which have in the success of the
corporation which I serve. But, while l
am responsible only for my legal advice to
that body, have been thoroughly tamil
lar with the difficulties that besct it's adj
ministration, and, more than that. l am
the personal friend Of its President. L
know his troubles, his labors-above all,
I know bis character; and while would
have preferred that he should be vindica-
ted by some one of those whom see
around me, the friends of his boyhood,
his colleagues in the House and Senate,
his associates for years upon the Board OF
Direction, the men under whose advice,
and by whose assistance, he applied, in
1868, to the Legislature for the guarantee
of these bonds now under discussion, l
feel it my duty to place before you, what
he has not the privilege of doing, plain
history of this legislation, the causes
which rendered it necessary, and what
believe to be the true character and con-
SEQUENCES of It's provisions. / shall con.
fine myself to what l know. -
u regret that Lshall be obliged to refer
to the GreenviIle road, but l do not pro-
pose to denounce its present owners
They are responsible men lot them bear
the burden OF their offence, or clear them
of the charge of offence. The Blue Ridge
road found the Greenville road, neigh
bor, with whom it's relations must be
friendly or hostile, and / can say, with
truth, they were not friendly. The Green
villo road, in pursuit of it's own policy.
and in conformity with it's own system Of
morals, desired and determined to appro-
pirate the four millions of bonds belong
ing to the Blue Ridge road. For that
purpose it's friends prepared bill, setting
| forth that the Blue Ridge road could not
be built; that indeed it ought not to be
built. for Western connection from
Greenvillo or spartanburg was better, and
authorizing the Greenville road to take
- &c tka p1,a RiInro