The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-05

Va SuhxlGStOuJ telucE OUT COIulnl byUIpa-
thy and support TO th ,,novemeniB now
being made to unite the great Southwest
with the South Atlantic seaboard,, That
the natural advantages Of The Oily Of
OhnTlestonl bclng hot obly directly on
the Atlantic coast but nearer 10 Cincin-
NATL Chicago and other Western cities
than other less favored Southern ports,
arc so great that it can be shown TO the
great railroad lines seeking an outlet TO
the ocean that their interests lie in this
direction.
Resolsed, That for the purpose OF
showing these advantage. clearly and
Chamber be requested to appoint a COM
mittee Of. fivo to prepare an address to be
published in the Ne,os and Courier and
other papers.
Mr.. Henry T. Williams seconded the
resoluueas With the Lowing very forci-
bic and we'll put remarks:
REMARKS OF Mr.. HENRY T. wIhnfAAs.
/ take, said he, with pleasure this op-
portnnfty OF expressing my earnest de-
sire that Charleston business men should
put themselves upon the record as anxious
TO forward the completion or d great short
line 10 the Northwest, and also TO prove
themselves able 10 offer inducements of q
solid ct aracter for its rapid building.
| In our community too little thought,
by our people at large, Is devoted to our
railroad connections and management.
| Our State government collects about
| $21B,900 for current expenses and about
$3.50, 600 for interest, making total ni
about $630,000. The South Carolina
Railroad Company collects about Sl,-
| 0OO, 600 per aunum for freights aud fares.
In the United States e4,t68, ,6g7, ,249 is
invested In railroad properties. In the
face of these figures we ale willing year
after year to devote Gays Of work and
nights. of thought, aid at the end the
exclusive use Of one day to the State
election, While little heed is paid TO the
election of the officers and TO the man-
agement of the railroads by the people
at large, interest in these matters being
confined % few who have money d.
rectiy invested therein. whefeas the ac-
tuaily intefested class comprises every
man or woman dependent upon business,
whether agricultural, professional or
commercial. In addition, while the
State tax is levied only by the Legisla-
ture with the consent of the Governor,
the railroad can by the scratch of the
L PSh Va thOh tlBCnt IlVI0 tIau DF
tariff charges, the total assessment Of the
State, can build a wall too high to be
scaled and too thick 70 be pierced around
any city or county or State; can prohibit
to any class or classes of producers q
| remunerative market for the product of
their years labor. These powers will, I
trust, in time be put under judicious "a
| we'll as judicial restraint For, as we are
now passing apparently into the second
| stage ofraiiroad development, consolida-
ton, We will not long be without thu
Inevitable result, governmental supervis-
ion. u Looking to the bright
side of what railroads can do for us, we
| find them able to place in our hands the
| means to make our city the emporium of
the South Atlantic, the doorway of the
| Northwest and the distributor Of the
products of the West Indies and South
America. This can be accomplished by
combination, by money and by work.
MR.. CHARLES T. HANcKEL
| also seconded the resolutions. He said |:
| The past proves very conclusively that
Charleston has never been otherwise than
| alive to the necessity Of securing direct
| railroad connection with the Great West.
1t has become popular to cell Charleston
\ OAA IVY 1911 S@io bbtnA tulb QUc6 u REeut
deal Of harm-it affects the character of
the people abroad. This has been due
in great measure to the habit of our
own people when abroad to proclaim
everything bad about Charleston that
I they can and never say q word in her
favor. The people of New Orleans,
Savannah, Mobile aud other cities adopt
an entirely different policy. They are
always full of the most extravagant praise
of their cities when abroad, and conse.
quently better opinion of those places
is fostered. The fact is that we have the
best climate in the world and a fertility
Of soil which produces everything which
is neediul for the sustenance of life Us for
luxury. Charleston has, as every one
knows or ought to know, innumerable
advantages over every other Southern
seaport AS to our not being alive to the
necessity of extending our railroad con-
nection Go back TO the time when
there were no railroads in existence, and
yon will see that Charleston has always
been foremost in every enterprise of the
country. She was once the chief port of
the country, and may with effort yet re-
cover her lost Importance. She was
always foremost in the matter of amuse-
ment. The frat theatre over built in the
United States was built in Charleston.
and some OF the most distinguished actors
and aetreaaes made their deA.:.s sso;s; :;;ir
boards. Charleston even in those early
days foresaw the necessity, which is now
upon ts, of extending our railroad con-
nection to . country which was then the
Far West. It was then wild new coun.
Try, but we stretched out our arms to that
country, and invited them to come to us.
We have been waiting many long years
for this to come about. The late move
ment in Soath Carolina Railroad stock,
end the interest which capitalists North
and West seem to be taking in our port,
induce ME to believe that the time has
come whom we may reasonably hope to
reap the reward which those old fogies of
half a century ago saw in the future. I
have been recently Informed that there
Is an effort being made at the North TO
| purchase the Greenviiie ard Columbia
Railroad and run It adverse to tho in.
terests Of Charleston. don't care what
competition there IL. All we want is the
connection through to the West. The
Cincinnati Southern Railroad is not far
from us. They have altsady expended
fittesn millions of dollars in making their
eonnections. The nearest point on the
ocean to them 10 Charleston, and the cost
by our ronte ID cheaper than any other
connection that they can make. The
rnad by Aaheville would be the cheapest
and quickest mode of arriving ut O result.
/ The Blue Ridge Road Ia nnnthay rns,t..
which may coat more, but In the end may
/ result in moro permanent benefits and