Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1871-08-04
The Blue Ridge Railroad : Win it be Bu,i,s

The Blue Ridge RailI Dad - Will 1t be RnS, 2
Negotiations were cptcrcd into some timo
aeU, by an association of gentlemen, tho object
being to purchase the Blue Ridge Rnilroad.
and we now learn that Tie purchase l,us tceu
Effected. These capitalists, including quite
a number Ut mcn well known to Suuth Caro-.
lima, intend to go at once TO work tn complete
this great ,l,oroughiare TO the Wc,,t 50 that
time this great outlet to one Of tic most fsf.
and commerce the garden of the South -
Ills purchase, If made, will release tho
State from my obligations to Lnla the read,
and will threw the whole mn,tcr into the
hands OF pivute individuals where IT, pro- or.
ly belongs. Building railroads should be
confined exclusively to private enterprise, the
Stntc assisting whenever il is shown to be ad-
vantagcors to the citizens at large tn do so.
The stock OF the Blue Ridge is to be sold
to heSc gcntcmcr, the bonds endorsed by
the otntc turned ever tn their usc, they giving
u Son tn perform the work, as wn under
stand, within a specified time, using tho
bonds OILY nS the wolk is completed, some.
thing aftcr tue nanner in which the United
States Gnvcrnmrnt issued its guarantee to
The r. cic Rniroad Company J,y this ar.
H. II cement j, is believed The .oad y III he COM
pccd as early as it IL possible to do it, An
these gentlemen ask is the countanauce and
support of iI,, business communi,v, and this
We arc ecnfilcnt they will rccei5c So long
as this road was in any way connected with
the Stu,c, 50 long the people IF the country
would lack confidence in its conn elton. 1t
VS. the duty Of those acting as trustees fur
the ST. to dispose OF its interest in this and
ali ether roads rs soon as practicable, for
whenever railroad il owncl OF controlled by
the State, there is alwnys to be found cor.
ruption anl It's accompanying evils. Every
administration us,s it to secure its own selfish
ENDS, aud the busucs interest. Of the com
mnnity arc made to suffer for the sake of
hclpn. alvIg the personal ai..s Of private in-
dividuals 1t were better, far better it tbs
State did not own dollar Vi any kind Of cor.
poraton stock.
TO make the present enterprise n c,mplcte
success, it is necessary, in our Judgment, for
them to make through connecting line with
the great West, via Louisville or Cincinnati
10 do this, the company should own or control
all the ronds 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 aud richest in tho
South, and when the road is once oncncd. the
tide Of immigration must set ircsistibly in
that direction. This feature alone, it seems
to u.s. ought TO commend the enterprise to
every man who has the good of the State ut
heart. and we arc glad tha, the State has not
lost the opportunity to sell all the interest it
held in this great thoroughfarc. 1t could
never prosper so long as it was manipulated
by State influence. Whichever party is in
ppwcr would necessarily use this ns a means
OF pcrpctunting its lease Of authority, so chat
the business interests of the community would
be made to suffer very serious dctrimcnt.
We believe this road would have been com.
pletcd long ago, if such men as Cameron and
Scott of Pennsylvania or Walters and Gar.
ret, of Baltimore, and Cameron and 5mith,4.
Of Charleston, and others, whom 3we could
al -, n