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

thy and support to the movements now
being made to unite the great Southwest
with the South Atlantic seaboard,, That
the natural advantages of the City of
Charleston, being hot only directly on
the Atlantic coast, but nearer to Cincin-
natl, Chicago and other Western cities
than other less favored Southern ports,
are 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.
Resolced, That for the purpose of
showing these advantages clearly and
Enthusiastically, the president of this
Chamber be requested to appoint COM
mittee Of Eve to prepare an address to be
published in the Ne,oS and Courier and
other papers.
Mr.. Henry T. Williams seconded the
resolutions with the following very forci-
bic and we'll put remarks:
| REMARKS OF MR.. HENRY t. wIhD1A1s.
take, said he, with pleasure this op-
Portnnity Of expressing my earnest de;
sire that Charleston business men should
put themselves upon the record as anxious
! to forward the completion of great short
line to the Northwest, and also to prove
themselves able to offer inducements of a
solid character 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
| $279, 900 for current expenses and about
| SS50,0 for interest, making total of
about S63O,0OO. The South Carolina
Railroad Company collects about ST.:
100000 per annum for freights and fares.
In the United States S4,56S, ,697 .24S is
invested in railroad properties. In the
face of these figures we are willing year
after year to devote days of work and
nights of thought; and 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 to a few who have money di-
rectly invested therein; whereas the ac
tually interested 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
pen of their agent more than double, by
tariff charges, the total assessment of the
State; can build q wall too high to be
scaled and too thick to be pierced around
any city or county or State; can prohibit
to any class or classes of producers a
remunerative market for the product of
their years labor. These powers will, /
trust, in time be put under judicious as
we'll as judicial restraint. For, as we are
now passing apparently into the second
stage of railroad development, consolida-
ton, we will not long be without the
inevitable result, governmental supervis-
ion. 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 F. 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 call Charleston
old fogyish, and | think this does great
deal Of harm-it affects the character of
the people abroad. This has been due
| in q great measure to the habit of our
own people when abroad to proclaim
everything bad about Charleston that
they can and never say word i'll her
favor. The people of New Orleans,
Savannah, Mobile and 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 fertility
of soil which produces everything which
is needful for the sustenance of life as 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
you 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 first theatre ever built in the
United States was built in Charleston,
| and some of the most distinguished actors
and actresses made their debuts from our
boards. Charleston even in those early
days foresaw the necessity, which is now
upon US, of extending our railroad con-
nection to country which was then the
Far West. 1t 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 South Carolina Railroad stock,
and the interest which capitalists North
and West seem to be taking in our port,
induce me to believe that the time has
come when we may reasonably hope to
reap the reward which those old fogies of
half century ago saw in the future. l
have been recently informed that there
is an effort being made at the North to
purchase the Greenville and Columbia
Railroad and run it adverse to the in
terests of Charleston. I don't care what
competition there is. All we want is the
connection through to the West. The
Cincinnati Southern Railroad is not far
from us. They have already expended
fifteen millions of dollars in making their
connections. The nearest point on the
ocean to them is Charleston, and the cost
by our route is cheaper than any other
connection that they can make. The
road by Asheville would be the cheapest
and quickest mode of arriving at result
The Blue Ridge Road is another route
which may cost more, but in the end may
| result in more permanent benefits and