The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-04-06

and Messrs. Murray, Thompson and Greer
were appointed upon the committee.
Upon motion of Mr. Walker, represen-
tatives of the press were invited to seats
upon the floor OF the Convention.
The Convention then adjourned 10
meet at y P. m. for the purpose of hold
ing mass meeting.
AN ENTHUSIASTIC NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
SPEECHES AND LARGE AUDIENCE.
At the appointed hour, large number
of the ladies and gentlemen of Anderson
assembled in the Court House to hear
addresses from distinguished gentlemen
from abroad upon the subject of the Blue
Ridge Railroad, which is theme of great
interest in this place. The Court House
was crowded with the grace, beauty and
intelligence of the town, and many Of
the business men who were unable to
attend the morning session of the Con-
vention were present to hear the words
of cheer to be spoken in furtherance Of
this great enterprise.
The President called the meeting to
order, and Col. F. E. Harrison, President
of the Hartwell and Augusta Railroad,
and Maj. G. w. Maret, Director of the
said Road, were invited to seats and the
privileges of the Convention.
The President then announced that
the meeting would proceed with the pro-
gramme for the evening, as furnished by
the committee to secure speakers, and
introduced Col. McAdoo, who addressed
the meeting as follows:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: | cannot
attempt to make speech to you upon
this occasion. must content myself
with saying few words to you relative
to the great enterprise which has brought
us together. I am not i'll the habit of
making speeches to mixed assemblies,
and especially I am not accustomed to
speaking before the ladies. Being law
yer, am very difident, and am only
accustomed to addressing courts and
juries. I am sure that you will agree
with me that brevity is very good
maxim, and therefore will only say a
few things about the Knoxville and
Charleston Railroad, which was con-
ceived and agitated by the people of this
State forty years ago. Sixteen miles of
this road is completed, at cost of nearly
one million dollars, in the State of Ten
nessee, and has been forfeited to the
State and sold into the hands of three
men, DIR. Morrow, and Messrs. O'Connor
and Cherry, who now own it. come
from that country, and am authorized TO
say that they are ready and willing to
make the road to the North Carolina
line, and from consultation with gentle
men from North Carolina am able to
state that it will be carried to the Georgia
line. 1t will also be carried from this
end to meet it, I hope, and in this way
this great projected railroad will be COM
pleted before long. l am sure the road
will be built, but cannot say definitely
how. long it will be before it is done.
There is a spirit moving the people to
this end, which will impel them to push
it forward with vigor to its speedy COM
pletion. This is a railroad age. l was
scarcely aware of the feeling which would
come over me in connection with this
project, until I attended meeting at
Murphy, N. O., last year, which is about
seventy miles from any railroad. 1t was
new feeling for me, and was impressed
by the eager sentiments of these people,
and I am determined to lend my efforts
to the building of this road. yield the
floor to others, who will be more enter
tanning than L have been. [Applause.l
Maj. H. w. Cannon, of Rabun County,
Ca, was next introduced, and said:
Mr.. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GEN
TLEMEN: l am before you tonight in
the interest of the Blue Ridge Railroad.
I have spent the day pleasantly in your
midst, and am glad to have the opportu-
nifty of meeting you tonight. Whenever
the Blue Ridge Railroad is mentioned I
feel like the little boy whose parents were
accustomed to having frequent quarrels
over bunch of yarn. After some time
these quarrels ceased, and the little boy
said one day: Mother, I wish you would
take down that bunch of yarn" His
mother asked him why. Because" he
replied, II glory in row." 1 like to
hear this question agitated, because I
glory in railroad row, and am here to-
night for the purpose of having one.
TI,c 80 Of not n11osfI0ng and
think feel a deeper interest in this
movement than any one who hears me
tonight. In 1851, the late Gen. Coffee
and spent many hours looking over
various railroad charters, and finally drew
and passed this charter in Georgia. I
was one of its originators, and hence l
cherish it. 1t is like the lost son who
was thought to be dead .and afterwards
returned. Even so I rejoice at the revi-
val of this road, and hope it will yet live.
am proud to he here tonight, and
would leave your city of Anderson with
pain if nothing is done to advance this
object. We have about nine or eleven
hundred penitentiary convicts in Geor-
gia, and we are liberal with them. We
| do not know what to do with them.
Some persons wanted to rent an island
to put them on and have them surroun-
ded by water to prevent escape, but this
having failed, they are in the charge of
the Governor, who is authorized to hire
them out at an average of eleven dollars
a year. The Marietta and Georgia Rail-
road used large number of these con-
victs, and became largely indebted to
the State for them, but the Legislature,
forgave them the debt and two hundred
and fifty hands for one year. The peo-
ple of Rabun are poor, but are willing to
do do what they can for this road. We can
get the convicts to work upon it. 1 have
helped the road in the past, by furnish
ing labor and materials, to the amount
of five hundred dollars, and lost it all
but am willing to give to it again. The
litigation is embarrassing, but we should
get rid of it and 60 on with the work.