The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-02-28
The Conspiracy Against Charleston.

OF MaCOD, aTo luuoCeuu oPeS'o
tions which have no more to do with the Cen
tral Railroad of Georgia than with the Suez
Canal, the mass OF the people are satisfied
that Ring has been formed whose oo)ect is
tn obtain control OF the South Carolina Rail-
road and work it exclusively in the interest
of the Central Railroad and of Savannah.
The Ring have moved quietly and sagacious'
ly, but enough has leaked out or has been
boldly acknowledged to convince all citizens
of Charleston, save the constitutional Do
Nothings, that conspiracy is formed against
the commercial life OF the city, which will in
eyltably succeed unless the people act with
more energy and foresight than they usually
display in matters Of grave public concern.
The New Yorkers think it would be good
thing for the South Carolina Railroad to pass
into the hands OF the Central Railroad, and
the Daily Bulletin supports the hypothesis
by a tissue OF misrepresentation and down.
right untruth. Savannah and Macon know,
whether they admit it or not, that the effort
is making to choke off Savannah's powerful
rival. But from all parts OF South Carolina
come protests against any combination
which proposes to place the management OF
our main thoroughfare in the hands OF our
commercial antagonist, and TIE South, a
weekly paper printed in New York and inde-
pendent of the Wall street Rings, sends US
earnest words Of warning. This paper says:
..The South is fully alive to the importance
of increased transportation facilities, and IN
every one of the Southern States The deepest
interest is manifested, either in the construc'
tion of new roads or the improvement OF old
ones. There are not less then FIVE thousand
miles of newly projected railroads In these
States, on most of which work Is progressing
rapidly. The attentive reader of our paper
from week to week can but be struck with the
intense activity shown In this direction by the
Southern people.
uIt is not alone 10 the construction OF these
new routes of travel that these important
changes are taking place. In the awakened
interest Of prominent commercial centres 10
the absolute necessity of better aud cheaper
TRANSPORTATION facilities, we find the -fse69aai
sources of schemes for nnmhiaA+in->----9' 9'e
troll of some OF the old and well-established
lines. The grasping ambition Of the great
railroad king, Thomas Scott, OF Philadelphia
has led him 10 place his strong hand upon the
leading artery OF travel towards the Pacnc' 10
which his recent election 10 the Presidency oil
the Southern Pacific Railroad, In place OF Mar
shall O. Roberts, resigned, Is fitting climax.
We look with distrust upon these gigantic mo-
nopolists, while we cannot help admtrng the
audaclous boldness of the mind that can con-
ceiye and execute such vast enterprises.
1.-THE name of Wadley Is but little less known
in the South than that of Scott, for his constant
aim for years has been to control line OF
roads westward from Savannah towards the
Pacific, making his objective point for the
present at Vlcksburg.
s.The most recent attempt to secure another
one of the old lines Is that of the Central Rail-
road of Georgia to lease the South Carolina
Railroad from Charleston to Augusta. The
bare suggestion, we are glad to notice, has
aroused the energies of the Charlestonians,
and the matter Is not likely to 60 further at
present. 1t would be the most suicidal policy
on the part of Charleston to permit any such
scheme to be consummated. The city itself
had better buy controlling Interest In the
road, rather than permit the control OF 1t TO
pass away from her own people.
ssThe general interest exhibited all over the
South in behalf of railroads is certainly one of
the most gratifying signs of returning prosperi-
ty to that section. With increased transporta-
tlon facilities all the other elements Of material
prosperity and growth will quickly follow,
and the waste places will be rebuilt, aud the
desert be made to blossom as the rose."
There are two points in the foregoing ar
ticle which we desire to particularly notice.
The first is, that the matter OF the lease sis
'snot likely to go further at present, and the
second is, that "the city itself had better
ssbuy controlling interest IN the road rather
ssthan permit the control OF 1t to pass away
'sirom her own people,"
Our contemporary correctly says that the
matter OF the lease will not 60 further at
present, but it's words should not lull the
people into false security. The Central
Ring had some hope OF carrying their point
by a coup de main ar the late annual meet
ing of the stockholders OF the South Caro-
lima Railroad, but when their object was
discovered, although at the eleventh hour,
they contented themselves with recon-
no.ssance 10 small force, and retired as soon
as they had felt the strength Of their adver
saries. They saw that they were in the
minority, and We doubt that the Ring
voted any OF their stock But they did not
abandon the contest. They withdrew from
the market in the expectation that the failure
of the effort to lease the road would cause
the shares to decline-their plan being to buy
the shares at the lower figures. This plan
they are steadily carrying out. They will
90 into the market whenever, in their Judg-
meut, the shares are near the bottom. We
assert, therefore, that the lease OF the road
is only postponed, and will iii we lie idle) be
carried into effect as soon as the Ring ac-
quire a voting majority Of the stock of the
road.
The second point made by The Soam is
that it is to the interest of the City OF
Charleston itself to buy controlling amount
of the stock OF the South Carolina Railroad.