The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-09-20
THURSDAY MORNING, SEPT. 20, 1877.
THE RAILROAD MEETING.

THE RAILROAD MEETINGe
On last Tuesday Railroad Mass Meet
ing was held in the Court House, at
which Judge J. S. Murray was called on
to preside, and Col. Jas. L. Orr to act Sec
retary. The chairman announced that
inasmuch as the railroad convention in
the interest of the Anderson and Angus
ia Railroad had been postponed to meet
at this place on the 25th inst, it had been
decided to hold mass meeting at this
time for the purpose of hearing addresses
from distinguished speakers upon the
question of the proposed road. Col. j.
G. C. Featherstone moved that Judge T.
81. Cooke be invited to address the meet
ing, and upon invitation he responded
in an earnest and well-timed speech, of
which the following is brief synopsis.
He said: This is such a sudden turn to
the administration Of justice, that can
not do justice to the merits of the enter
prise presented for your consideration.
know nothing Of the merits of the road
from Anderson to Lowndesville, but am
told that it is very favorable route for
a railroad, but I do know that you will
derive very great advantages from con-
Meeting Anderson with Augusta, or Port
Royal, or even Charleston, by another
line of railroad. You are now burdened
with discrimination in freights which
has been driving your trade to Greenville.
If you had another route 10 the sea coast
it would bring down your freights equal
to those which Greenville now enjoys.
This is enough of itself to induce you to
build another road; but there are also
other inducements, such as the advance
ment of the value of real estate and other
property. Your lands would be enhanced
to double their present value, and more
over you would develop the immense
water-power which now lies idle along
this route, thereby bringing capital from
abroad and using up your raw material
at home. These advantages are sufficient
to warrant you in building this road. If
you wish to prove true to yourselves and
to postsrity lay hold now and build
it, for if You fail or delay, Others lying
near you will build a road, say within
fifteen or twenty miles of you which will
prevent the construction of this line and
cut you off from competition. You are
able do it and now is the time. You can
bear a tax of $S00,00O to secure it.
Greenville paid $25o,ooO for the Air
Line, and has lost all of her stock, and
yet her people do not complain, for they
have made more by it in freights and in
creased value of property than they lost.
Anderson County is the banner county,
and can do the same. If you should
lose your stock, you will be more than
repaid by the advantages of the road.
Do you want to see your town 60 down,
and your most active men leave it? You
are now second, if not first among the
towns of the up. country, but if you do
not secure better railroad facilities, this
place is destined to become roosting
place for owls and bats, and your town
will sink into insigni6cance. Your live
men will go to live places. I am told
that this is practicable route; if so,
why stand ye here idlea You need the
road. Go to work now. Put your shoul-
ders to the wheel and show disposition
to help yourselves, and capitalists will
come in and help you. Show DISPOSE
ton to connect with live places and they
will come out to meet you.
Judge L. G. Northrop was next invited
to address the meeting, and said, in sub
stance: Like the Judge who preceded
me this invitation takes me by surprise.
/ do not remember to have ever made
q railroad speech, and am no public
speaker. 1 am at home with my pen,
but am i'll at ease when upon my feet,
and required to deliver speech at such
short notice. AS general thing do
not care to address public gatherings,
but this is subject about which every
man ought to know something, and to be
willing to assist as far as possible. The
question of the policy of railroads has
gone, and they are now established as
necessities. There is no use to talk about
the policy, for railroads are the moving
power in the civilization of our day. If
you wish to advance equal TO what other
places attain, you must have railroads.
Forty or fifty years ago the British Par
Lament appointed commission to ex-
anime Stephenson to ascertain if he were
not insane because he proposed to invent
railroad. They asked him if he could
run his engine one, Two, ana so on, miles
per hour, as tests of his insanity. Now
men are considered crazy who have no
railroads. Railroads are the great need
of our people. We have a magnificent
country. Our mountains nod to our
seas, and they rush up to WISH our fer
tile shores. Our people are industrious,
patriotic and chivalrous, but our pros
perity languishes while our fellow-citizens
across the Potomac and the Ohio are
revelling in wealth. Nature has not
done much for them as for us, and yet
they are covered with wealth, while we
are hewers of wood and drawers Of water
for them. They take our phosphates and
cotton over their roads, manufacture
them, bring them back to rs and charge