Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1882-12-14
The Blue Ridge Railroad.

We sec tho House Committee on Railroads
has reported unfayorably on the bill to repeal
an tsAot entitled an Act TO facilitate tho COM
pletion Of the Blue Ridge Railroad, ratified
February Goth, 1890" This Act authorized tho
counties Of Anderson and Oconco and the towns
therein 10 subscribe 10 tho railroad in county
and town bonds at par value an amount not ex-
oeeding ive per cent. of the assessed value of
tho taxable property therein; provided that at
an election held for that purpose a majority Of
tho qualified voters voting at such election shall
endorse such subscriptions and provided farther
that the road shall DO completed in threo years
from tho passage Of the ACT. In lieu Of such
bonds such counties and towns may subscribe
an amount not TO exceed ten mills on the taxa
bic property and for no longer period than ten
years. The samo Act RENTS all taxes due to the
State by tho road, except the school tax and
authorizes the payment Of all past due county
taxes and such as may become due before the
completion Of the road by funding tho Same in
stock of said railroad at par; provided that
work on the road be begun before January |,
1881, and completed within three years The
road was to be built from Walhalla in the dircc.
tion Of Clayton, Georgia, and thence to Knox
vile Tennessee. Tho Act also cxempts tho
road when built from all State, county and mu-
niopa taxes, except the tax for FREQ schools, for
twenty years.
Tho object Of It's trainers and their reasonable
hopo was that such advantages together with the
large proportion Of the work done would induce
capitalists to complete the road to The great
benefit Of every section and every interest Of the
State II seems tha, within the time limic for
beginning tho work survey and estimate Of
cost we're made aud some work done, which
saved the statute from failing in its benefits to
contractors. Since then 10 farther work has
been done, but have never lost confidence
in the completion Of the road. The route has
for forty yaars been regarded the most rrac-
ticable route from the cotton growing sections
Of tho South TO the grain and meat producing
West. 1t passes through an undevciopcd
country rich in mineral resources in timber
and in every facility for manufacturing The
completion Of the road would conduce to its
rapid development and would further stimulate
trade with the west. The road us the shortest
route TO the Atlantic coast would at once do Il
large travel and carrying trade, and seventy
per cent. Of the work being done, We can hardly
SEQ how it would fail TO pay from the start.
TO our own county he benefits of the road
would be immediate and would at once operate
to introduce labor and capital among us and
also to cause its Investment IL prohla6le ma
yn,nery ofsall sksndsSSsrs Rs''S''o "ouId bc 10th
'ESas Safiy step taken by the Legislature to
cripple the hopes Of its ultimate completion.
When tho bill TO repeal This Act was before
tho committee, wo hear, that President Mo
Caughrin appeared before the committee in
opposition 10 the bill and from what he stated
hc hopes md expects tho rond will vet bc
built This, If true, is good news and will bo
GLADLY heard by our people. Ills s,a,cmcn,s
led to the unfnvorablc report Of the committee
and not only niiord some new hope, but The
introduction Of the bill nay stimulate railroad
mngnaics to bc prompt in looking into the nd
VantngcS OF the enterprise md beginning work
on it at some early day. We hone such viii hc
tho case and do not consider the cxcmntion from
past or future taxation any mntcrinl IN Jury to tho
state. IL such exemption effects The purposes do.
signod In the Act the State will be more iInu com-
pensatcd and TO take away ut this lime the induce.
menta offered in tho Act would be unw,sc. Tho
introduction of tho bill, though IL nny bo do
fcalcd, has served to cal out an expression from
tho railroad powers and has thus served GOOD
purpose. II may asoprompt immediate stcns to
build the road
Tho Reconf M,,rdor