The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-02-12
i've Edgefeld Immediately the long de-
irad railroad cnnnectiofi with Charles.

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give Edge6eld Immediately the long de-
sired railroad connection with Charles.
ton, and will add at once to our business.
Mile by mile, as the locomotive advances
towards Abberille, the trade will in.
crease. We are confident that the Alb
beville division, as it:may be called-that
is, the road from Aiken to Abbeville-
can earn sufficient, under the least favor
able circumstances, to pay the interest
on the cost of finishing the line after it
shall have been made ready for the ties
and rails.
There is in Aiken, Edgefeld and Alb.
beyille a strong disposition to contribute
literally to the completion of the pro-
posed road. It is for the interest Of these
counties that it shall be done. The
opening of the road will cause the ada
cent lands to advance rapidly in value,
and the saving in the cost of transporta.
tion of produce and supplies must be
considerable. Charleston is quite ready,
we think, to help Aiken, Edge6eld and
Abbeville, in helping itself (; but these
counties must be ready to help Charles
ton, in helping themselves.
It is proper to say that we haye no idea
that Charleston would furnish the money
for grading the road, but if the counties
which the line traverses can make it
ready for The superstructure, Charleston
can complete it without delay. We pre-
sumo that there will be a meeting in
Charleston, at an early day, to consider
the matter carefully, and to give practi-
cal shape to the current feeling on the
subject. Charleston will certainly do its
part, if Aiken, Edge6eld and Abbeville
will do theirs"
Charleston yet has an opportunity to
achieve an Independent railroad system,
which can be made to reach the base of
the mountains before next Spring, by
judicious action on her part. The Sa-
vannah Valley Railroad will certainly
be graded before Fall from Anderson to
McCormack's. The Carolina and Cum
herland Gap Road is mostly graded
from Edge6eld to Aiken, and also from
Smiths Store to Pickens @. 81. If ar.
rangements could be made to consolidate
these two roads, it would only be neces-
sary to provide for grading from McCor.
ma:k's to Edge6eld, and from Anderson
to Smiths Store, distances of about rs
and 12 miles respectively. The first is,
we understand, heavy work, while the
latter is quite easy. Branch roads could
1 be cheaply constructed to Abbeville, and
from Belton by Williamson to Smiths
Store, which would give every point in
terested in sthe present line the benefit
of the new road. This would be better
for Charleston than to build the original
line, for it would shut off another road
between their new road and the Savannah
River, and it WOULD be q great deal cheap
er than to finish the present line. If
such combination could be made, q
comparatively small amount of money
would secure the line from Pickens to
Aiken, and with it equipped and running,
we have no doubt that in the course of q
few years the necessary meaEs could be
obtained to construct the road on through
the mountains to the West.
The Savannah Valley Road is nearing
completion, and will soon identify itself
with. some independent and competing
line of road. If Charleston does not
secure it, the advantages of this road
will pass forever out of her reach.
In this connection, however, we would
say that Charleston, ifshe wants to relieve
herself of the present railroad troubles,
will have to do more than simply take a
deep interest in the proposed enterprises.
She will have to wake up and show
some life and public spirit. She will
have to put some money into the enter
prise. She can well afford to do 80. A
little city like Anderson has put S62, 500
into the Savannah Valley Railroad, and
by it we are assured of railroad compe-
tition.
If Charleston wants the same advan.
tages she must do likewise, and put up
her money to help the enterprise on.
She may get charters until doomsday,
with the expectation that other people
will build railroads for her, and Micaw-
ber.like she will always be found stand.
ing still, waiting for something to turn
up, which will not turn up. The offer to
take bonds, after other people grade rail-
roads, will not suffice to induce new roads
to 90 to Charleston. There is no mu-
tuality in such an arrangement, for it is
generally uh..rstood that the stock sub
|scribed is donation, while those who
take bonds expect to get their money
back with interest. 1t is, therefore, un-
reasonable to expect that the poorer
communities in the State should make
donations to build railroad to Charles.
ton, while she, the richest community in
the State, and the one most to be bene'
fted by the new road, stands still, and
does nothing but assume the bankers
position-"I have money to lend. Give
me a good security, where my principal
and interest is safe, and you can have
some of it." Charleston, in our judg.
ment, stands very much in the way Of
her own progress when she fails to make
common cause with one of the projected
railroad systems of the State by sub
scribing her proportionate share of the