Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1879-11-27
The Blue Ridge Railroad.

The Blue Ridge Railroad.
This great enterprise tho line of which
was indicated in his day by Mr.. Calhoun. and
tho work on which was begun nearly twenty
years ago, has been suffered to lio dormant
for several years. Tho little work done on it
by the Radical party after tho war was moro
Of q speculation than an honest desire to
complete the road and benefit the State. The
great Importance Of the rond has been lost
sight OF in the bad management Of tho party
in power and tho limo of connection
with tho West marked out by nature seems
about to be abandoned. Shall our people
permit this without any effort to complete tho
road? Shall this line be superseded bv other
and more distant routes, and our State be
insulated by roads bordering her Western
frontier and carrying trade and travel into
Georgia and North Carolina We hope not.
Thisrcad should be ompletcd as convenience
and as u necessary stimuant to the develops
ment of our own State. We have always
contcndcd that it's completion was certainty,
marked out by nature and demanded by our
interests, but all must admit that tho longer
it is delayed the more injury we sustain. Wo
can conceive OF no more important matter
demanding tho attention of our present
Legislature than the completion of this road.
1t may be we are unable to appropriate money
at this !imc to this end. but cannot some
scheme be devised whereby private corpo-
ration would take the work and carry it on?
Wc think if the Legislature would pass an
~ 4 kl,o pbo t,c. a. +
in tho road to any company who would under.
take its completion, and further, would donate
to such company three hundred or more con,
victs without wages for n proper length of
time, the company to feed, clothc und guard
them that sonio one in year wrnld, with
the work dono undertake tho completion of
the road. This would cost the State nothing,
Tor we believe there are now about scren
hundred convicts on tho pcntcntiary rolls,
end many Of them are farmcd out at nominal
wages. If crime continues, in i've years VIC
will have fifteen hundred id!ing away their
time, while this great enterprise is neglected.
II no company will undertake the job then tho
State could carry it on at little expense with
convict labor and thus reap the great benefits
likely to flow from it.
Would tho road, in pccuniary point Of
view. bo paying investment? We think it
would. as it would be tho shortest line from
the grain and meat producing sections of the
West to tho sea coast and to tho cotton belt of
the South. We reason farther from tho trade
and travel over the Air LiDo Road, which
row is rcmunerative, and which with the
uoVplOnmpDk nj ho
annually. We understand that fourteen
freight and four passenger trains were on, /,
gagged on this read enc day last week, ard
that with it's immense rolling stock and
splendid road bed, it is barely able 70 do tho
business demanded oft. Would not q direct
connection with tho West pay oven better
than this great thoroughfarc, and as the
country became moro popnlous and tho
mineral and manufacturing resources along
this limo wero developed we might sa!ely
conclude tho business of the road would
increase. In fact. if completed this road
| would become nt once feeder to tho Air
Line Roud, to a pre- cctcd road from Waia
hala, Seneca City, or Anderson to Savannah
and also Il ford u direct connection with the
sea mt Charleston. Who can estimate the
business of such a road and who can tell it's
immense influence on tho tho local develop
ment of tho country through which it wcu!d
pass? 1t is an enterprise worthy tho con.
sideration of our State.
The political influence of the completion of
this road is q matter Of no small Importance,
Tho South anu West, as IN agricultural
people, arc and should be closely allied in
poltics. but thoy arc by railroad connections
and trado so remote from each other rs to feel
no interest in common. Whilo wo buy from
tho West and the West from ns, all our trado
passes through tho Eastern States, and tho
West fools no interest in US, as their real
friends and tho consumers of their products.
Our cotton, rice and sugar 60 North whore it
is manufactured and prepared for market and
from thence to tho Western customer, whilo
thoir corn, meat and -four reach rs in tho
same remote way Neither looks to tho
other as connected in interest, and hence
their influence in the government il thrown
with tho Eastern States. Give us once a
direct route to the West and our trade as
we'll rs travel would 60 directly to that see-
ton, and common interest would cement