The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-26
PASSAGE OFTHE BLUE RIDGE BILL.
The Premiums for Prompt Completion
of the Road.

The Act to facilitate the completion of
the Blue Ridge Railroad has now passed
both Houses of the General Assembly,
and needs only the approval of the Gov
ernor, which it will certainly receive.
The first section of the bill provides
that the counties of Anderson and Oco'
nee, and the towns therein, are empow-
cred to subscribe such sums, payable in
county or town bonds, at par value, to
the owners of said railroad, not to exceed
five per cent. of the assessed value of the
taxable property of such county, city or
town. The County Commissioners are
required when petitioned by five hundred
real estate owners to submit the question
to the qualified voters. IF the result ia
rors subscription, the Commissioners are
to contract with the owners to issue them
bonds, payable to bearer in thirty years,
bearing interest at six per cent, to be de-
livered on the completion of the road to
Knoxville, provided the road be COM
pleted in three years. The Commissioners
shall levy an annual tax to pay the in
terest. In return for the bonds the own.
ers of the road shall give an equal
amount of its stock at par value, to be
represented by the Commissioners. In
towns. the. Council shall take the same
action on the petition of fifty real estate
owners. Section 2 provides that the two
counties may, instead of subscribing
bonds, subscribe an annual tax not ex-
ceeding ten mills, and for not longer than
six years.
In section 8 the State agrees To remit
all,taxes except the school tax and pen
alties now due on the road, and all taxes
except the school tax for the next three
yeats, provided the work be begun by the
1st of January, 1881, and be completed in
three years.
Section 4 provides that on similar con-
ditions the road be authorized to pay the
county taxes due to Anderson and Oco-
nee, and all to become due before the
completion of the work, excepting the
school tax in stock at par.
In section the State pledges its faith
to remit all State, county and municipal
taxes except the school tax for twenty
years consecutively to any parties begin
ming the construction of the road from
the present terminus by the 1st of Janu-
airy, 1881, and completing it to Knoxville
within three years from that date.
Section defines, as one of the condi-
tions of the act, that the parties accept
ing its benefits shall build the road from
Walhalla in the direction of Clayton,
Ca, and thence to Knoxville, Tenn, and
that when completed they shall never
discriminate against the interests of any
of the ports of this State, or offer better
terms of freight or passage to any other
ports, or enter into any combination with
other roads within or without the State
by which they shall discriminate in favor
of any other port over Charleston, and
any persons hereafter coming into pos
session of the road shall take it subject to
the terms of this section. The persons
owning or operating said road shall not
have right to make any discrimination
against Charleston either by rebates or
special rates, nor in any other way, nor
combine or pool with any other compa-
MES to do So.
Section 7 says that the State and coun-
ties receiving stock shall not be liable to
any assessment upon the same, nor be I'D
any way responsible otherwise than in
loss of stock.
Section 8 authorizes putting as large a
mortgage bonded debt as necessary on the
road, the State to be in no way liable, ex-
cept as provided in this act.
The terms Of the act, therefore, are
liberal indeed. There is now an oppor-
tunity for combination of corporations
or capitalists, within or without the State,
to lift the Blue Ridge Road out of the
legal slough and push it forward to com
pletion. The State gives evidence of its
earnest desire to secure the completion of
the road, and of its willingness to pay
literally for accomplished results. This
is the most that could be expected at this
time.-Mc,ps and Courier.