The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-03-03
To the Delinquent Tax Payers of the
Savannah Valley RailrOad.

the Town and County Treasures of las!
week that the penalty on the Savannah
Valley Railroad Tax has been postponed to
the 10th of March next. This has been
done at the instance Of the Directors of the
Company, in the hope that you would, on
second thought, come forward and pay this
tax without further delay. They have read
with regret the advertisement that appeared
two or three weeks ago urging you not only
to refuse to pay the tax, but 10 combine and
resist its collection at the expense of u law
suit. This is one reason why they have de
sired this further extension of time in
Which to pay, and, In their Judgment, jus.
titles this counter appeal OH their part.
They hesitate not to say that they will dep
recate law suit as niisfortune-not that
! they have any reason to doubt the result
but because litigation will certainly engen-
der bitterness Of feeling and absorb por-
ton of the Company's means, when they
support of the entire community in further
| ing the enterprise, aud need all Of their
means to apply to the grading OF the road.
While they will not shrink from the coll
test, if forced upon them, and while their
means are amply sufficient to conduct it to
| the end. they have no money to spend vol
UNFAIRLY in this way and they ask you TO
pause and reflect whether you will not
probably be adding the expense OF vexa.
tious litigation to the tax itself and the
penalty. There is but one class that always
profit by litigation, while one or the other
of the parties litigunts is sure to lose.
II you resort to u law suit, and your liti-
eation sls,,Id prove successful aud the ell.
terpriSe be thereby defeated, are you sure
that you would be ultimately the gamers
by il? Our community is prosperous and
its trade yearly increasing. For facilities of
transportation it is entirely dependent upon
single railroad corporation. By the inex-
orable laws of trade you who produce the
cotton and consume the goods pay the cost
of transportation. a few years ago you
felt this to be so burdensome that you re-
sorted to the meighboring market of Green-
Vile to sell your cotton and buy your goods.
If the rates are easier now, What guarantee
huve you that they will remain SO? What
guarantee can you have 50 certain as that
of successful competition? Our rural pop
ulation is especially interested in this view
of the matter. for they pay for transporta.
ton as we'll on their cotton as oil the goods
they consume.
A divided people cannot expect to join
i'm the march Uf public improvements.
They will soon be outstripped and left be-
mind by other more enterprsing comm munl-
ties. and 10 stand still in this age Of pro-
gress is really to 20 backwards. Anderson
was once thought to be the key to unlock
the granaries OF the West, and to distribute
their products Suuthwardly aud Eastward
ly, and to be OH the highway from the
North 10 the South. ButslIe has Euiled so lar
10 realize her destiny. a few years ago she
was Offered the opportunity OF purchasing
the Blue Ridge Railroad, with its magntl.
cent promises for the future and its present
utility in connecting us with the Air Line
Railroad; but our people were not agreed
upon it. and the opportunity was lost. The
original cUrporatOrs Of the Air Line Road
were citizens of our Town and County {;
they unguardpdly transferred the charter. to
strangers, and that Road was lost To Us.
Now it is pussible to recover our lost posi-
ton. A short and easily graded road from
here to Easley's Station, for which we have
a charter will place us practically on the
Air Line Road. There is constantly in
creasing probability Of the completion Of
the old Blue Ridge in the near future.
Northern capitalists, it is said, are seeking
to get control of the charter with this view !;
and the projection of the Savannah Valley
Railroad, with its greatly shortened distance
to the sea coast, is mentioned as one OF the
advantages OF this route. AS originally
conceived, this Road was an offshoot of the
old Blue Ridge and there is no doubt that
building of the Blue Ridge Railroad.
But what sort of a Spectacle shall We
present to those whose eyes are turned upon
our route if We quarrel among ourselves
about the small pittance of taxes voted to
grade the Road, and embark in a litigation
over the matter that must retard the enter
prise and involved waste Of q part OF our
small means. This tax is not heavy one.
1t creates no debt, and has been paid by a
large maj ajnrity Of the taxpayers, and is utter
all but general contribution Of all our
people, according 10 the means of each one,
to build public Improvement, in which all
are alike interested. In community like
ours, where none can contribute very much,
this method ut least has the advantage Of
distributing the burden equally; and it is
not right or just that few Of the most ell
terprising should bear the expense, when
all are to share the benefits.
A contract tU grade twenty miles of the
Road has been entered into upon the most
favorable terms. 1t is thought that at least
twenty miles more can be let upon terms
equally favorable. This would insure the
grading of the entire distance for the
amount IF the taxes.
III Abbeville County not only has the tax
been promptly paid, but one of the town
ships not taxed under the charter has vol
unfairly subscribed 5000, and secured it in
manner acceptable to the Company.
Some of The citizens of that county resisted
the payment OF the tax levied for the Green
wood & Augusta Railroad, and appealed to
the law, but their resistance was unsuccess.
iul.
For these reasons, so briefly touched
upon, let us hope hat you, who have not
yet paid this tax, will do 50 ut once, and
place the Company in position to vigor-
ously prosecute the work with their whole
resources.
B. F. WH1TNER,
w. w. HUMPHREYS,
]. W. NORRIS,
Executive Committee.
Anderson, s, c., March l, 1881.