The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-19
THE BLUE RIDGE RAILROAD.
IL Passes tho House OF Representatives,
and Its Friends arc Confident that &c will
Also Pass the Senate.


and Its Friends arc Confident that sc will
Also Pass the Senate.
The following synopsis Of the discussion
had on the Blue Ridge Railroad Bill in
the House Of Representatives upon its
third reading on Saturday night, Is taken
from the Charleston Neuy and Courier
and will no doubt be read with interest
by all Of our subscribers:
The special order for the day, the
Blue Ridge Railroad matter, was taken
up, and Dir. Carlisle continued the
upon the Spartanburg. delegation. He
some length to ar. Murray's structures
debate against the bill. He replied at
did not propose to bring what had been
enormously called rival reads into the
House and make any comparison of their
merits. He favored allowing the matter
to lie over and come fresh from the
people.
Ar. Haskell deprecated the apparent
| disposition 10 treat legislation as matter
| OF bargain aud sale, and return favor or
opposition in kind. The bill was not, as
It had been called, postscript legislation.
] This was not the same bill that had been
L u
not have supported that bill. He then
referred to the Airline Road, which lie
said, although merely skirting the State,
property by two millions of dollars. Rail-
roads could not come to the State without
far more than c0mpensating for any ex-
emption Of taxes by increasing the value
OF property. The stock of our railroads
was, as had been said, worthless. 1t was
because they had to depend upon the
dfiblets of trade, instead of having sup.
ply from main stream, such as the pro.
| posed road would furnish. 1t was useless
to accuse merchants Of lack of patriotism
for purchasing In Atlanta, The only way
to prevent their doing 80 was to make It
to their interest to purchase III Cha.les-
ton. 80 long as Georgia and North Car
ollna legislated 10 give their merchants
advantages over ours, 80 long would our
people purchase Of them. The Blue
Ridge Road was two-thirds completed,
and it would require much argument to
induce him to believe that there was any
substitute for this need, which all must
admit could be made ut less cost ab initio.
The Spartanburg and AsheyilIe Road,
from its nature, would always be too diff
hcult and too expensive to supply q great
route for egress aud ingress. He again
referred to the Airline Road, which had
converted what twenty years ago was nj.
most terra incogniia into the garden
spot of the State.
MIR. Aldrich said the question under
consideration was IL choice CT two princi-
Piles. His was that the people were
an agricultural people; and that their
home industries should be built up. The
other advocated the conversion OF them
into q commercial people. 1t was pro.
posed to build up the commercial at the
expense of the agricultural. 1t had been
said that no more money WAS TO be
granted-Only an exemption of taxes
but every exemption left an increase oi
the burden on the backs Of other citizens
He was as anxious as any member to see
Charleston built up, but did not want to
see 1t done at the expense of the remain
der OF the State. But he denied that this
road would benefit Charleston except
very. indirectly. Who was the State
dealing with in this matter7 So far as
was known it was proposed that she me-
gotiate with shadow. Even if the road
was completed it would have to own the
South Carolina Railroad to make q
through line, and it was the foreign capi.
talists who were purchasing the stock oi
that road. Whare was the guarantee
that it would not fall into the hands oil
those inimical to every interest Of the
State? The proposed discrimination
against the taxpayer in favor of corpora
hons was unconstitutional and wrong in
every way. II Anderson and OcOnee
wished to aid the road rhey should he al.
lowed to do it, but he was opposed to
giving State aid.
Judge Cooke said he thought the road
o great enterprise, stamped with the ap-
proval OF the wisdom of the State years
ago. The gentleman's remarks regarding
the unconstitutionality Of the bill amused
him. Where had the House respected
the Constitution or constitutional pr;nci-
plesY When it had Systematically over
| ridden the Constitution in other matters,
IL was too iato to feign respect for it now
10 10 the detrlment of this greet enterprise.
1he state, so far as taxes went, had never
received dollar of taxes from the Blue
Ridge load, and having gotten along
without it 80 far, could continue to do 80.
Mr.. Earle had no objection to Ander.
son and Oconee having permission to tax
themselves for this road if they wished.
!his enterprise was o grand one, aud the
State could lose nothing and might gain
great deal by extending the benefits of
taxation exemption to it. He favored
the passage o: the bill with the exception
OF the section appropriating the proceeds
iof q special tax for the benefit of the
road. .
Mr.. ]. J. Hemphill said he believed
the majority of tho House favored the
bill it passed without the section making
the state tributary TO the road
The House refused to strike out the
enncting clause by C vote of 68 to "a on a
call OF the yeas and nays.
Mr.. II. II. Hemphill moved to strike
out che second section, providing for the
State to take stock for tho taxes of the
road. This Blue Ridge scheme had
been very popular about 1861, when
the idea was also prevalent that South
Carolina could whip out the United
States by horself. He thought the com
pletien Of che Blue Ridge Road about az
practicable as that other idea.
Representative Eckard expressed his
disapprovai of tho bill generally.
Mr.. Cleveland said the proposed plan
would be n relinquishment of the States
right to hold the ros,i, for the benefit of
no one knew who. Che legislation pro-
posed would be IN keeping with an of
1t on this subject since the war.
Mr.. Buist favored the bill. He had
heard no strong reasons why the State
should not give the very littie asked for
TO aid this road. This State, under the
leadership of John @. Calhoun, had do.
IIuiru sz,UUr,JUU Eor this. road, and its
IEaofaIatttrA now atnod onJ ,laAoAol -.