The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-09-29
Wednesday. Sept. 20, 1885.
The Registers opinion of our Rail.
road.


Under the heading OF "Who will support
Them ?" our city ncighbor and friend. the O.
iun,bia Register raises its warning voice against
the folly of the up-country districts building
any "morc Georgia railroads. That paper,
among other things, says:
at NAV do very well to hold up to rcproach
the working of these conrictS IN the pilos'
rllatc tits IL will not he forgotten That the
most cruel aud brutal treatment these poor
creatures have ever received was upon some
or the new railroads. And what d." these
roads that have been built with convict hnof
ynean for the State:'
In answer to which we would say:
If the notes of partlons, as recorded i'll the
Reyister for the last few months mean any
Thing mt all, VIC are led to tie opinion that the
crucities and atrocities practiced on the new
railroads were tho mercSt nothings when
compared to the crunltics and atrocities Which
these poor creatures have suffered at tho phos-
phate works. Nearly ell tho pardons that
have been granted or late were for the reason
W the broken health in phosphate works.
We do not pretend to give the words, but
Merely tho sense. For our own part, wearc at
ii los to know why phosphate digger should
be more humane than Il railroad builder, and
We all know that grabbing phosphate rocks
from their watery beds in malarial swamps is
not more healthful than the work Of throwing
dirt on Il railroad emhankmcnt in the Salu-
brious air OF the mountains. Wcare inclined
to the belief that the chief reason forthe opin
ion that railroad work is the more cruel, cN-
lists in the fact that the low-country ncwspa-
pcrs were horrifled at the knowledge ot cru
cities on the up-conntry Georgia rail
roads" while the eyes OF the same newspapers
we're shut to the greater cruclties which were
being practiccd in the low-country phosphate
beds that were to enrich luw-country people.
The convlcts whose health is being Systcmat-
ically and continuously destroyed by expos
IRE, unhealthful location, or excessive work,
have received no attention from the press ol
the State. Although the files of the Register
will furnish proof that many convicts have
been returned from the phosphate beds broken
in health, or in a dying condition, yet we do
net recollect to have seen single protest from
either the Register or .Se,rS 0,,d Courier. When
Il few convicts on our railroad, were reported
aS ill-used, the Register and Nc,cs and Courier
created a sensation all over the State and en-
cited an Indignation against such railroads as
were "fllcd with dead mems bones" But when
the phosphate beds are filled with the same
kind Of bones, we hear nothing or It,
Consistency, friend, in this matter would be a
jewel
1T may he wicked In us, and it may be un-
~ It to our low-country friends, but we are in
-clined to the opinion that there has been much
effort to emb;Crass :he Gp-coHntry. Especial
" Is this true Of her labors to build new
railroads, which should answer much need
ed demand.
Under humanitarian cry the convicts
wore taken from our railroads. while the low
couutry kept all the convcts they had, and
could get us many moro as they wanted for
phosphate beds.
The Railroad Commission, VIC verify believe
was created with the especial object Of fur
1her crushing the building Of railroads in the
up-country.
Uudcr the cry that Charleston was being
Disseminated against In tho mattcrof frciShtS
petitions were numerously signed by country
merchants, rs VIC believe, ut the instance Of
Charleston merchants, praying the l.cSiSla-
lure that some action be taken for their relief
lone allegation, by inference, if not In
words, being that the Clydes were charg.
ing more for cotton to Charleston than
10 Norfolk, when the fact was, that when the
e.. & &. Railroad reduced the tariff on
cotton TO Columbia II cents the South Caro-
lima railroad Immediately raised its tariff to
the exact amount wkich had been taken OF
by the Columbia and Grecnvillc. And thus
it was that the city newspapers made it ap-
pear that the charges for carrying cotton to
Charleston were higher than to Norfolk. II
1he Register doubts this let it examine the
,ailrout books for proof. We doubt not that
vigorous search will find It,
The Register says:
"And what do these roads that have bcCn
built with convict labor mean for the Statc?'
Why bless your soul, my friend, it means
more than tongue can tell. In the first place,
the labor of one hund ed convictS for two
ycars-which labor was paid for IN stock of
the road, and which the State 'oldat 10 cents
in the dollar-haS secured to us two hundred
miles of the finest and best equipped railroads
in the State. These roads have qulckencd
commerce aud trade, and have bnilt up and are
building up splendid towns all along their
lines, but better far than all this, the people
are furnished with an outlet to the great n. ar
kets Of the world. They get cheaper frcights
and better accommodations. The State, in
these lines of roads, has secured more than
million dollars worth of property for taxation
for all time to come. The State has had hun
ilreds of convicts for years on the Columbia
canal and what can the Register show for 1t?
The Register says;
"Thcy arc going to do the city Of Charleston
more harm in the long run than the recent
terrible earthquake. They will literally haul
away her trad e, so that, for all that country
threaded by the Central system, Augusta anu
Savannah will become the trading centre anu
shipping port"
Our friend may be correct in the above and
ie may not be. We have seen the statement
that the Georgia Central hauls freight to
Charleston as low as 1T does to Savannah. If
this Is true, then why should we go to Savan-
nah, if it is not for the reason that we can get
better bargains. The law of trade knows no
boundary lines. If the people Of Savannah
can and will give us better terms than we can
yet from Charleston, then, If VIC are not set
OF idiots, We will 60 TO Savannah. Even il
The Georgia Central docs charge more for haul
ing cotton to Charleston than to Savannah,
why cannot the roads which run direct to that
city, carry the business to Charleston as cheap
as the Georgia Central carries it to savannah?
The Register says:
"rhcy want the cOnvictS to build more
Georgia roads to carry more trade away rom
Carolina lnartS and build up Georgia clllcS iI
the expense OF our own.
The right way for the Register TO say this
would be: .They want more railroads to CHI
able them to seek better markets and more
liberal transportation rates than they now
have" We say this: Ir Carolina cities cam
not compete with the Georgia cities, it is our
duty to go to the Georgia cities with our trade
IL - 4, tl,n