The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-03-30
System Of Internal Improvement for
Edgefeld County.
Ed0efetd advertiser.

race. She has railroads 1t is true. but they
were built by outside parties. They run along
her borders on AL sides. and they are so loea,
instead Of building 1t up. She has no grnnt
system permeating her centre and sending the
life current OF trade and c~uurslng
through her veins. She IS rs to o large part
of her territory like sorne remote province that
sends Its tribute to a court that IL a stranger
to It.. Her surplus revenues are transported
to distant shores. She has on her western
side a large scope OF splendid territory inter-
sectcd with fire water powers and other
sources OF wealth, that without railroad ia
cllities must remain undeyeloped for Ion.
years to CONC; and she has on her Saluda sid
another still more magnificent section Oh
country that Is practically without proper
railroad facilities. Edgeheld county as a
whole. has for q century been pouring her
surplus revenue and her trade into the lap Of
Augusta, Ga. Our ncighboring city has grown
rich I'm Il large measure ut our expense. She
has hnilt up for herself an unrivnled system
Of railroads and o her manufacturing inter-
ests give promise Of becoming one of the
greatest wonders In the development Of the
New South. All these because she was wise
in the arrangement of her railroad system
and In the investment Of every dollar of her
surplus capital at home-nay. more than
this, she did not wait for the surplus but she
issued her city b0nds'and sold them in the
markets, many Of them to the people Of
Edscllcld, and with the proceeds built her
great canal and thereby laid the foundation
OF m untold, unlneasured and incalculable
source OF wealth to her anu her children and
her chlldren's children.
DO the people on our Savannah side and
on our Saluda side expect TO pay tribute for
ever and never secure my Of the advantages
Of having a railroad at their homes. Do they
expect always to remain in the back woods
and have poor schools for their children, poor
churches In whish TO &orslliL, poor bridges
and few OF these ut best. and worse than all,
n system Of high ways and public roa,is that
ranks them In the scale OF civilization from
nifty to n hundred years behind the progressive
people OF the earth? Ifnot, when do they pro.
pose TO take the first step? Why not take 1t
now?
We suggest for the most careful considera-
ton of Inc people OF Edgefeld county the
l%llowinG pl II for internal Improvement Of
First. Let us extend the Elceheld. Tren-
ton and Aiken Railroad to the brentwood and
Augusta Railrond, across the centre Uf our
western side This mntteT is now in progress,
and 1t Is bound to become an accomplished
fact. Hut the scheme herein proposed will
greatly facilitate the work and hasten its
completion. This will connect rs with
Charleston on the one side, and by W routes.
with the great grannrles of the West. 1t will
property of Edgefield county, and ten to fifteen
thousand dollars to her annual revenue.
There Is no grander railroad project now on
foot In any part OF the South than this ROAD
from Charleston to Knoxville. Senator
Brown, OF Georgia, h has been for years
running the Georgia State Road from Atlanta
10 Chattanooga, says that If We will build this
r0hd he Will guarantee us fifty trains q day.
better qualified 10 Judge Of this matter than
Joseph j.: Brown Born and reared In our
state. rlghton the line OF the proposed road,
and perfectly familiar with the the mountain
country through which 1t must pass. n
trained by long and successful experience in
the actual management of the Georgia State
Road. over which the western business
comes 10 ATLANTIS his position and his expe-
ricnce entitle his predictions to be received
with the authority Of III oracle. and we trust
that he Will live TO see them fully verified.
Second. In order that the people on our Sa.
luda side may he afforded proper railroad IA
GilitleS: we suggest that q new road be bull!
be extended TO Chester. on the one hand and
to Augusta on tho other. This road wt,uld run
though the heart OF the Saluda section and
and ten dollars to fifty dollars per acre. 1t
would add another million OF dollars to the
taxable property Of the county. and bring in
another ten or fifteen thousand dollars addi-
would come beautiful towns, fine churches,
live and flourishing schools and academies.
and all the thousand and one advantages
that follow In the train of railroad civiliZa-
ton; The Saluda people live remote from
half q century been agltating the question Of
a division Of the county. such a railroad rs
this would bind them to the old county with
hooks Of steel,
With the two roads above mentioned. there
would be scarcely any part of our county in
which the people would be more than ten
miles from a railroad. But how is oil this be
dove! The people along these two lines are
POOR, and have not the means 10 accomplish
such huge undertakings. During the present
year railroad building and railroad comb.
nations have made great strides IN the South.
Nearly every day we read of some s,upendous
rnllrNn6 RhInvnn1nnf 10 ncff,oyal t1nk
the North has In vcntcd more than Il hundred
millions Of dollars In Southern railroads
since the war. She has a thousand millions
more that Is ready to come. She has bought
up the old lines, and now she IS ready to open
up new ones In every section where the pro.
dnrtions. trade and give promise
OF six and seven per cent. on the Investment.
According to last years census Edgeheld
tI:an any county In the State. 1t is said
that some one here has Investigated the mat.
ter. a"d.that the census returns show our
county 10 be tho largest cotton producing
niGccnt territory, and abundant resources.
and unparalleled climate, and our unlimited
water powers, we have everything 10 invite
this stream OF northern capita! to come and
seek profitable Investment In our midst.
But the needed help will not come unless we
the initiative and offer 1t Inducements
by laying the foundation of such useful and
enterprise as will guarantee to the
that comes to our assistance fair per
cent upon the investment. We believe that
none Of the projected railroads in the South,
and few Of those that are now in operation,
could promise to capitalists a more certain re-
turn OF satisfactory profit upon the invest
ment than these two roads radiating from the
OF our county.
What then ought our " people do on their
part to induce capital to come here and fur
nish the needed assistance? Whenever q rail-
road is graded through any suitable country
n ri fhA NIrnyQ finS a = ftfrt,tc1,,I fkarn To- IN,
orally no difficulty In getting capitalists to
furnish the work. The grading OF u railroad
IS only about ten per cent. of the whole cost OF
the structure. Tile line Is located, the fran
ch!sc Is secured, ard the road bed made ready,
rs Il general rule. by the people through whose
section the road Is rum. The bonds are issued
BY the company. secured by mortgage, upon
The road; and these are sold readily in the
money markets of the world to raise the
means to iron and equip The road. The only
of capitalists Is: VIII tnn NV
ment pay? It does not ask large profits. bnt
Is content with n safe, permanent investment
affords one of the best opportunities Tor such
investment.
There can be no question CT the fact that the
two roads above referred 20 will pay. and If
first part Of the road hn lone by our own
People, the other will fo.ioW as sure us the
night follows the day.
The grading Of these rwo roads should he
viii benefit every {fnbabitant Of the cnun-
v und every ~inhabitnct should contribute TO
:he work. The money that is invested In
hem adds to the ngsreGntc wealth OF the
Two millions OF dollars In increased
values will bring In from twenty 10 thirty
dollars ANNUALLY In taxes more than
VIC now get. And who gets the benefit OF
these taxes? Not the people who live along
The railroad exclusively, but everybody In the
county. The proportion paid In for county
would be distributed for county pur-
poses among all the peopleof the county, from
one side TO the other. So with the amount
among ali the school districts in the county.
rhe proportion paid in for Slate taxes would
swell the revenues Of the State and thereby
reduce the rate that each individual will have
20 pay. ~
BY the use of the county credit and the ex-
pcnditure of a little money In annnal taxes,
to pay the interest on tie county bonds, we
create a property in Edgeticld county worth
millions of dollars. The City OF Augusta
has issued her bonds and built her great canal
mt now immense cotton factories are spring
ing Up along It's banks like magic, costing Il
Of dollars each, and all built BY North
crn capital. II the towns and cities In the
South had not subscribed largely as corporate
bodies, we would not now have the railroads
that arc In operation.
The county of Spartanburg subscribed one
thousand dollars 10 each OF two or
Ihree different railroads running through her
and her wealth has been so greatly in
! SNsSu tiiSat oi'S '"' t"NN -
The interest on the bonds. rs easily as she did
before the Il. BIT was incurred. With her debt
!lready two or three hundred thousand dol
.ars, she recently voted seventy-iive thousand
luliars more to extend the Greenwood and
Railroad (which is now being built
hro:gh our county hy Northern capitaD to
ipnrtanburg. Chester has built two roads
were mainly SET under way BY county
Shall we stand here Idle all the day long, and
let the thousand millions Of Northern capital
hat are seeking investment In the South, pass
Is by ? Never III all the history OF this coun-
since the saviges began TO reccde from
BUR Eastern shores before the indomitable
Of the pale faces. have the people OF
had such a favorable opportunity to
develop their fine natural resources. II we
AXE the tide at It's food, and act promptly and
,nergetic.lly. we will build up n magnificent
Inheritance for us and our posterity forever.
And now, to reduce the suggestion to O sim
lie point, 1t Is this: Let us get out this winter
he necessary charters for these two roads, and
hen let the county subscribe in bonds enough
% grade them and put on the cross ties. The
balance Of the capital will come from abroad.
The county will own the stock, and with It
nay be able eventually to pay of these bonds.