The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-01-10
TEE BLUE RIDaE RAILROAD.

The drean, 81 the sts.es..e... cf Sentl.
Carolina Tor years past has been a direct
connection between our sea coost and the
Great West by gacat national highway
for freights and passengers, which would
Immensely improve our commercial busi-
ness, besides opening up to us moro ad-
vantageous markets in which to buy the
articles We consume and to sell the pro.
ductlons we raise foF market. In this
direction quantities Of thought, labor and
money has been expended, and our whole
State was ut one time so much enthused
upon the subject that our Legislature
and the city OF Charleston united In the
appropriation of public money io- The
completion of this great desideratum of
all classes of our citizens, and, after care
ful consideration of all the advantages
and disadvantages Of the yarious lines of
crossing the mountains, selected the
route known as the Blue Ridge Railroad.
from this place by way of Rabun Gap to
Knoxville, Tennessee, as the most desira-
BILE possible location, after which work to
the amount of millions of dollars was
expended upon the line, and the road
actually put into operation as Gar as
Walhalla. But for the late war, with its
disasters and the evils which followed in
itsewake, tho Road would have been COM
p.eted long before this, and the South
would have been the neighbor of the
West In point of time and trade as well
as In geographical position. The harpies
Of Republicanism, however, swept away
with their foul hands all that was left of
this Road, ana thereby disheartened it's
friends, and, for q time, dissipated all
hope of its construction. But now that
We once more have the government in
our possession, we hope the interest of
our people will again return TO this i'm.
portant public work, and that our Legis-
lature will take some action 10 revive the
building of the Road. 1t is one which
will benefit all portions of the State, and
make Charleston one of the most -four
iahing and important ports south of New
York.
Every one who wishes to contribute to
the commerce of South Carolina should
advocate the building Of the Blue Ridge
Railroad, and we believe the Legislature
Of the State should lend it helping
hand. 1t may be objected that the State
has already loat heavily in this road, but
instead of this being an argument against
further expense. tits reason why the
State should see It completed. We have
spent too much money on It not to get
any return. end it would be decidedly q
better investment to complete it than to
lose what has been expended judiciously
upon the road. We know the State Is
poor, but we can do something to keep
this road alive. IF nothing more, the
State could we'll afford to put the convict
labor to work upon it, and in the course
OF year or two we will be in O condition
to appropriate annually small! sums to
extending tho length Of the line, 30 that
In few years we would have the whole
iiae built witho;i: imposing aay serious
burden. II we take hold of it as State
enterprise there would be a fair prospect
OF securing help from outside, and the
road could be built beyond Doubt. We
hope when the Legislature reassembles
that Charleston and the up-country will
shake hands over their common interest,
end mature o plan for reviving this grand
enterprise. What 10 our Charleston
contemporaries, tho Ne7ss and C1ar;sr
and Journal Of Commerce, think of this
question? and how are our other ex.
changes disposed towards IL? y