The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-01-29
The Great Northern and Southern
Railroad Enterprise. =

abroad enterprise, which Was intro
uced into the Senate, during the past
,cek, hy Senator Hollnshead:
"Another- extremely ambitious rail-
DAD scheme was introduced in the
Senate this morning in the shape of
ill to incorporate the "Great Northern
md Southern Railroad Company"
This is understood to be d portion CT the
railroad project recently in
reduced in the United States Senate by
Mr.. Sawyer, of this State, which pro-
,oses to authorize the construction OF
'ailroad from Port Royal, S. g., to the
Ohio River, with certain very eXtraor-
linary privileges and immunitles,
among Which are exemption from
Federal taxation, the right to engage IN
my sort of business whatever, ana tne
right to consolidate by purchase or
otherwise with any other railroad. The
bill also contemplates the incorporation
Of the company in each of the States
through which it is proposed to construct
the road, and it is understood to be IN
pursuance of this plan that the present
bill was introduced this morning by
Senator HoIinshead, of Abbeville.
The bill proposes to incorporate the
Great Northern and Southern Railroad
Company" with authority to build a
railroad from Port Royal on the Atlantic
coast through the Counties of Beaufort,
Anderson, Greenville and
Pickcns, and the States of North Caro-
lima, West Virginia and Tennessee to
the Ohio River at the mouth of.the Big
Sandy. The following commissioners
are designated to open books and receive
In Pickens County, Jas.
in Abbcville County, James
S. Cothran, w. Joel Smith, J. HOllins-
head and j. Il. G. DuPre. The capital
stock of the company is fixed at 81 500, :
200, in twenty-five dollar shares, with
to increase the same in the
discretion of the directors and to Issue
mortgage bonds and establish q sinking
fund for their redemption. Express
permission is given to any County
through which the road is to pass to
subscribe to the capital stock of the
upon a popular vote in favor
Of such subscription, and to pay therefor
either by the issue of bonds or by the
levy Of a special tax. The company is
to he exempted from State taxation for
the period of twenty years, and the bill
provides that the property Of the road
shall not after that period be assessed
1t more than its actual cost. The bill
also contains number of other curious
md unusual provisions, which, taken
promise, if they are passed,
10 constitute one of the most valuable
franchises that were ever granted. Sec
-, n fhof tho f,rnciInnf Qn6
directors of the company shall take oath
hat they will well and faithfully dis
charge their duties. Another section
leclares that it "shall not be lawful for
my other road to run 'latterly' (the sup
position being that the author means
aterally) within fifteen miles Of the
'oute adopted by this company. The
'ates of freight are fixed at thirty-five
cents per hundred weight, or ten cents
Der cubic foot for each. one hundred
niles, and the rate of passenger fare is
liked at five cents per mile. The bill
,lso provides that the said company
shall possess "such additional powers as
may be convenient" for the due and
execution of the powers
granted in this charter, and for the con-
and management of the work,
snd provision is made that the charter
shall not be amenabIe by the General
Assembly except upon the unanimous
petition Of the president and the direc-
tors Of the company. - -.
The above is a brief synopsis of bill
introduced by our Senator, and in which
the people Of Abbeville have the same
interest which any section might have
in an enterprise which proposes to give
it great highway, connecting it with
the seaboard on the one hand, and the
lakes on the other. But the Charleston
Ncms seems to think that the new
charter would conflict with vested
rights, especially those of the Charleston
and other railroads, and opens its batter
les against the project. The scheme, it
thinks, not at all feasible; but even if it
were practicable, it would, in its opinion,
10 injury to other vested rights. But
why does the Netps waste so much un-
n ccessary ammunition upon an object
which it regards as so utterly lifcless'
1t is like attempting to kill q dead dncls,
To launch its batteries against a projected
enterprise which, neither in its exemp-
ton from taxation nor in any other OF
its chartered privileges, can offer any
for the investment of for
eign capital. Nothing but q fear OF
success would seem to justify so stren-
uous opposition - project so hopeless
would scarcely evoke so bold an on
slaught. The sufficient answer to all
that the Ne,Os has said OH this head, is,
that the enterprise is engineered by
men who have experience enough to be
the proper judges of their own interests,
and the policy of the schem: as q judi
cious investment. The argument that
the proposed enterprise conflicts injuri.
riously with the chartered interests Of
other roads, scarcely merits serious
discussion. 1t would discourage the
building of all railroads, and sacrifice
he interests of the people to those of a
few over-grown monopolies. AS long as
we, or our friends abroad, seek to build
up for us a great highway which will
Increase the value of our property, and
levelop any great interests of our people,
t would seem that the least that the
legislature could do, would be to give
IS the privilege, though perhaps it
night divert some trade from the South
Carolina Railroad, and the city of
Charleston.
THE GovERNOR's MRsSAGE.-We
conclude in this issue, the publication of
Governor Moses Message. 1t is a long
md elaborate document, butone which