The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-11-12
The Press and Banner.
Wednesday, Nov. IL, 1879.
The Columbia Mill Race.

The Columbia Register last Saturday
gives much of its space to some remarks
which we presume, from the heading were
meant for a discussion of the merits Of
the Columbia mill-race. The latter part OF
the article, seems more Ineligible, ana
as fa- as we are able to interpret 1t, we
agree with much that paper has said IN
the last column of it's article No one Is
more impressed than we are with the ad-
yantages to be derived from the establish
ment of factories within our borders.
But we want them built by private en-
terprjse and not by taxation. Several
years age Mr.. Hammett and other gentle
men Of Greenville organized a company
for the erection Of a factory near Green
vile, The citizens of that Town
subscribed literally. Afterwards beihg
still ia ueed of further capital, MIR. Ham
NETT came among u people, ana the
Registers friends on Long Cane gave
him twenty thousand dollars. so TAR
thew have had no reason to regret the in
vestment If the Greenville Manufac-
turing Company could afford to give ten
thousand dollars for water power In inc
woods, seven miles from the town. no"
much better could a Columbia Company
afford to build a factory if they can nave
theColumbia mill-race given to them' ana
we have no doubt the Legislature "oulo
transfer the right to this valuable wafer
power to any corporation possessing cap
ital and enterprise to put the machinery
in motion, Every property-holder IN
Columbia could afford to make hoeral
subscriptions with a reasonable hope OF
being reimbursed by dividends from his
stock, as we'll as by the improvement IN
the value of his real estate.
Several days ago that paper copied an
article from the augusta Chronicle ma
Coustituttomalist in which the great ad-
vantages of the Augusta cana were pre-
sented. All these statements we lully
endorse. and the same would be equally
true of the Columbia mill-race, If her
monied men would stop talking about
the State doing this and that, and put
their own shoulders to the wheel. Au-
pusta, as far as we are informed, dug her
own canal, without State aid. We have
no doubt theC Columbia mill-race company
could get the free use Of as many con-
yicts az they might want to complete the
widening of the canal, or to build the
dam across the river. Our friend speaks
rather contemptuously of $1,000, with
convict labor, being sufficient to build a
dam across the river, with labor on the
spot. the rock all around, the timber and
brick and everything where 1t Is want
ed"
There are many dams across the
streams in this County, and If any one
of them has cost the half OF s5,ooo we
have vet 10 hear of it. We still stick to
our assertion that a dam can be put across
the river at Columbia for a n insignificant
amount, when compared to the expense
Of opening the mill-race. VIC are mucn
mistaken if it would require as much as
S.. 900 to make the best dam in the South,
if the State in addition, would give the
convict labor. One thingis very certain,
if it is too hard 8 job, the manufacturing
company might find a place where the
river could be more chesply damned.
All our neighbours talk about increased
valuation of taxable property will apply
as we'll to a factory established anywhere
else in the State. There is no difference
in opinion as to the advantages OF aJac-
tori. The mode of getting it is the subject
in dispute.
IF we are not mistaken the Constitu-
ton would prevent an investment OF the
States money in such a project.