The Asheville citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1885-1889, 1886-12-31
(For the AshesiI1e CITIZEN.
OUR TRAESYLyANIA LETTER
CHRIsFMAs-THE SMALL boy
BUSINESS CHANGES-RAIL
ROAD MATTERS.
BREvARp, n. e, De. q, 1ss6.

BREvARD, N. c., Dec. q, 1886
Aessrs. Ettitors:-For sometime past
we have foreborne trespassing on the
Citizen, as We well knew that you had
many other matters of public nature
claiming yonr attention. The election
has come and gone. IN which Transylva.
MIA did her full duty. The sbiR snow of
1886" has come and gone, Of which We
had our share. Christmas has come and
is almost gone, and we sincerely hope
the pestifeFous fre-eraker is almost gone
with it-not that we would rob the t'small
4 boy" of to-day, of any of the pleasure
which we once enjoyed, but in our more
mature years NE dislike the things and
wonder why we ever did like them
Jump we must, when the abominable
things sn1denly PASS on the wrong eido
land almost pledge ourselves 10 boycott
the heather Chfhee 90 far "a missionary
efforts are concerned for inventing fire
crackers
! The Christmas tree in the Court House
j Saturday night was complete success.
/ Designed more especially for theF child
rem Of the q d lhedist church, but open to
all. who felt disposed to contribute 10 the
IGulOYHiGuk- Vi Lie OCC<SlOHy Ii
almost the entire village. The recitaLions
and music by the Sunday School were
IR-Very pleasant part of the programme
I We turn from the consideration of such
subjects. they call us fro II the present to
''the long ago" =
The character of the business houses
of our town has ch ange some. Mr.. ]. o.
| Paxton, ex-county treasurer is associa-
ted With &. C. Patton s. Co., Mr.. George
c. NeiiI is with P. S. King, Messrs. Young
and Pickleseimer have succeeded NJ. /.
i ShipInan & Co., hIessrs. Tins1ey and
Lanning occupy the house belonging to
T. II. Hampton. Mr.. w. P. Whitmire has
taken partner for veal or l,woe "till
death US do part" nee Miss Floyd, of
NeWberry, s. c. Mr.. c. E. Farmer has
transferred the bird (not ''of evil omen')
that. formerly welcomed the hungry
traveller to the Eagle Hotel in Asheville,
TO a lofty perch in front of the Eagle
Drug Store. do not thihk that any little
town in the West can boast of business
houses whose financial status is firmer
than that of those in this town. But,
dear CITIZEN, tell us, Notwithstanding
their financial responsibility, how can
they or we, or any of us or any body else
succeed, when we have to drag our
wagons up the Southern slope of the hills
from here to your citv, through mud
/ 1''huh-tleep" and skate at break
speed over the ice that covers the North
ern slope to get our goods here?
The day 70: moraliZing on railroads
! has past The Great West was made
great by railroads The Solid South is
to be made great by railroads. Even
here in our Immediate section, we have
seen towns, as if by magic, spring forth
into cities; unpretentious hamlets become
centers of business, sparse settlements
become closely eompacted ighborhoods
tue log, cabin, more poetic, than COM
portable, supplanted by the neat cottage
l-all this too in sections not half SO
inviting as ouls. Pluck, energy and
business sagacity can transform barren
waste into a garden But indifference,
supine indifference, can make even the
lovely vallles of the French Broad and
!. Mills River uninviting to enterprising,
. stirring men,, God gave US, with lavish
hands, many and varied natural attrac-
tions. He gave us an excellent roadway.
He made us intelligent beings, but did
not and never will build u, q railroad.
Trans, lvania, Mills River and Avery
Creek, thou sleepest, awake and see thy
self-arouse from your lethargic slumb-
ers, and realize that this is yoIr golden
4 opportunity. Highlands is ready to help
.t-Asheville is rea'ly-railroadS pointing
in this direction are ready tn help, if you
will only show q disposition to help
yourselves. Call meeting 0f the good
men along the line. at some central place.
u consult together, secure your charter at
this session of the legislature EIace
IyOurself in condition TO CT operate with
the first company that will offer to retire
your old wagons and carts. "A narrow
gauge road is within your reach. if no.
thing more. for the present it would be
sufficient, If development demands
something uIurc it will come. Organize,
appoint an active, working committee to
correspond with and visit Iessrs Susong
& CO., the Chester and Lenoir Narrow
Gauge, &c Gather facts, cost of con-
struction. grading, capacity, the expense
of coupling. running and Maintaing such
q road. / am fully satisfied that you win
find such road, within your reach.
Make the effort and the very resolution
f that bPgets the effort will carry you
Though. DO not wait for great trunk
line from Birmingham to New York to
pass by your door Il may never come
Take held of what is now within your
reach and if it comes all right, and if not
you are independent. Ponot you forget
, that your rla would run parallel with
4 the great lime vein for so miles, parallel
/. with the gold vein of Henderson and
Transylxania, that it would run at the
base of mountains of the finest iron ore
on Bollston and at Deyer's-I speak
J advisedly, ircn ore equal to thai of Gran
berry or Birmingham and that too in
inexFaEstib.e. quantities. Not only
invite. but bring men here and show
them that these things areso, show them
, -. -