The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-19
The Blue Ridge Route.
Eaitorial IN the Me.gs ana ob,pier.

Editorial in the Ne;rs and Courier.
Good must come oHa Of the revived in
terest in railroad projects in South Caro-
lima. Attention will be attracted to at
tempts 10 steal away the business of the
State and the public, knowing what
movements are afoot, will have the oppor-
tunity 10 counteract them. The time, for
example. is drawing nigh when the
Gree 1ville and Columbia Railroad will
bo sold, and it is evident that there will
be serious injury to the business of
Charleston If the road pass into the
hands of corporations who will work it in
the interest of lines leading ont Of the
State. Charleston will not suffer alone.
1t is injurious to the whole people to per-
NIT South Caroliha to be made mere
wey station. There is as little wisdom in
paying freights and commissions for the
benefit of other points as there is in send
ing raw cotton to New England to be
manufactured there and brought back
again in q manufactured condition, with
tho expenses of transportation, the cost
of manufacturing and the profits of .the
spinners added on. A., bale of cotton
which comes from Columbia to Charles
ton gives to South Carolina interests the
whole of the freight to this city, and the
freight from Charleston TO the port of It's
destination in the North. IF it 20 to
Charlotte or to Wilmington, the money
left in the State is far less. The greater
part of the freight money helps to enrich
other communities. Hostile Interests are
scheming already for the business of the
Greenville and Columbia Railroad, and
it is high time that there should be some
combination Of interested persons to se-
cure the road for the benefit Of the State.
With the Greenville and Columbia Rail-
road and the South Carolina Railroad
out of court and under the same manage
ment, with improved terminal facilities
and better steamers at Charleston, the
business Of the State, coming and going,
can be transacted with economy and with
celerity. We must remember eiways
that, to secure business, Charleston must
be prepared to handle it az cheaply and
as promptly as it can be handled by other
lines. Other things being equal, this can
be done. There is no question that the
alienation of the old Charlotte and South
Carolina Railroad, from, Columbia to
Charlotte, is damaging 10 the State. And
if the Greenville and Columbia Railroad
take tho same course the hurt will be in
creased. Both the Greenville and Colum-
bia Railroad and South Carolina Rail-
road are interested in avoiding any such
contamination.
The Importance Of the Greenville and
Columbia Railroad is exhibited in Re-
ceiver Conner's report of The operations
of the road for the year 1879. It appears
that the gross earnings were $435, ,919,
being an increase of $23,005 over 1873.
From freight the receipts were $685., 1858.
The cash in hand on December 81
amounted toS90,375. Great progress has
been made in improving the condition of
the road, and the people along the line
speak loudly in praise of Gen. Conner's
manager snt. The report will certainly
be highly satisfactory to every one who
is interested in the road and its for
tunes.
Already another corporation is fishing
for the advantages the State hopes to OBJ
tain from its prospective western connec-
tions. The Airline Railroad offers te
take the Blue Ridge Railroad and run it
from Anderson to Seneca City and build
it through Rabun Gap. This is an in
sidious scheme. The Airline Railroad
has little moro i'll common with the rail-
road system of South Carolina than the
Pennsylvania Railroad has. It il q COM
mcrcial enemy, though it has local and
limited advantages for those living i'm
alediaiely along its line. To allow the
Blue Ridge Railroad to go into the pos
session of the Airline Railroad, or of
any similar concern, is to ensure one of
two things: either that it will not be
completed. or that, if completed, other
peoples, and not the people of fSouth Car.
olina, will grow rich by it. The right
thing to do is TO pass some such bill as
that which has been drafted By the An
derson delegation. There will be no OBJ.
lection, we should say, to authorizing
counties to make subscriptions to the
Blue Ridge Road, or to releasing the
road from back taxes, and granting an
exemption from taxation for term of
years. The proposition to grant the road
one hundred thousand dollars year for
Eve years will be opposed. We hops that
this opposition will be overcome. The
only question is aOhether IL is qcorth to the
,State half a million dollars to have the
road completed in three gears, not cent
Of The money to be paid until The road
shdN be completed TO RnorriNei We feel
that it will be worth millions, although
we could not advise that another dollar
be furnished by the State until the work
is done. The State can richly afford 10
pay for results, but cannot afford to pay
for promises. 1t is mistake to suppose,
however, that the deep interest taken in
Charleston in the Blue Ridge Railroad is
the expression Of any feeling hostile to
the Spar.anburg and Asheville Railroad.
What we would give to one road we
would give to any other that offers
similar advantages to the State. With
both roads, and With all Western roads
the aim should be to give South Caro-
lima the benefit of the completed work.
Some misunderstanding cn The sub
ject. of the Spartanhurg and Asheville
Railroad is cleared up in the letter of
Col. Duncan, published to-day. The
condition of the road is shown, and the
objections made by the Pickens Sentinel
are clearly answered. We should beware
of any prejudice that will allow one
T0aa 60 aii:ag0oa;1o aii:ag0oa;1o siio..hie another. III The aiivu-
cacy of the Blue Rio e Road is not hos
tility to the Sparta. 0urg and Asheviile
Haiiroad, aud the friends of s'e two
lines should combine in obtaining such
aid as the State can give.
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