The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1890-03-02
MACON COUNTY.
An Interesting Sketch Of what II
IL and What Il Proposes to be.

FRANKLIN. N. c., February rs.
Editor Citizen :-Should my letters be
of sufficient merit tor publication, ! pro.
pose from time to time to write you oi
the condition OF our country. progress,
etc. To those unacqainted with this To-
cality, a slight description may be nec-
essary. Franklin, our county site, has a
fine situation. Enthroned on the hills
above the Tennessee river, which is hall
mile from the court house, she over.
looks a picture of no little beauty. Hills
and mountains rise on every hand-hcre
regular, quietly swelling until the farth-
est point is lost in the summit oi some
mountain peak-there irregular, scat
tered in wild confusion, as If tossed up IN
some mad war of giants. From hill and
mountain-even at the top-gush out
springs of clear cold water. thus render.
ing mountain and hillside admirable pas.
ture lands for six months in the wear.
Bnt while the scenery is beautiful. tina
which is hidden in the bosom of hill and
mountain is by no means of small value,
as has been proven by work done in
mica, corundum and asbestos, and by
specimens of iron, manganese, copper,
silver. gold and gems found. Between
the hills ar ridges are valleys varying
in width from few rods to more than
half mile, which are highly adapted t"
the growth of vegetables, fruits, grasses,
and all the grains. as well as tobacco
Much of the laud is yet in forest, will
much valuable timber. The character -,
our people is quite generally known;
they are intelligent. sober, honest, ho'-
pitablc and industrious. With all tlcs
advantages. one wonders that we hav
so long remained luggnrd in the onwar
march Of progress Various reasons
may be assigned for this.
The people are very conservative. un
willing to take up new met hods I"
thought and ac' ion, and there has bcc
no influx OF new population to set an cX.
ample, and ininrce it by active compcti
tion.
The population is sparse. in this larry
county there are only about 300 fam
lilies. Men hold more land than they Cd,
hold pr,titably. and. as IN most of thi
part oi the State the system ni labor has
heen very poor. Add to all this the alb
open for produce raised. and we have !;
combination sufficient to convert an en-
crgetic man int" sluggard. The won
der is that our people retain their present
vitality. There is now evidently an u!r
ward tendency. Men have become awar.
OF the want Of wisdom in holding land
that pays them nothing, and at the sam,
time by holding it they are keeping out
those who would assist in developing
our resources, and thusenrich the county.
Were one to inquire here now he would
suppose that every one wishes to sell his
land. The fact is almost every one has Il
surplus to sell. Some wishing to put the
money in busiress. some to improve
what he retains. and a few for the SAX,
of moving to other places to Join rela-
tives already there. Along with this
there seems to be general desire and de-
termination to have railroad facilities.
The past efforts in this direction have been
unfortunate. The Rabun Gap short
line" chartered some sixteen years ago,
given fair promise. but it seems that the
charter found its way into hands adverse
to the road and nothing has been done.
Then again we supposed TIL It we should
secure the benefit of the Western North
Carolina railroad which would pass
through Webster and Franklin, and turn
down the river, again we were disap-
pointed.
A lew years ago the Ashcv'llc and
Charleston road promised us great things
and speedily, with the same result, and
still Others. All failed to do us any good.
Seemingly they were but mere tricks to
play upon our crcdulity. The people
now see this and are alive to the tact
that il we are to have railroad we our
selves must take the initiative. 1t is the
old fable of the farmer who depended
upon his kin folks and ncig ghbors to- do
what he should have done himself. So
we are brought to the point where ac-
tion is a necessity. and we understand It.
Meetings were held in January and Feb
ruary. and suppose will bc held monthly
until something is done. The county
will, ! think. vote an appropriation OF
S75.0OO to 100000. Two gentlemen
have Offered to give privately S30,oO0.
Others will give smaller sums, 50 l sup
pose we can ra,sc from Sl50.OOO to
5000 900 Tor any company undertaking
the road for MS. We are now correspond
ing with some capitalists aud hope for
favorable results. II all else fails we pro-
pose to build n narrow gauge road from
Talulah falls hy Franklin to Sylvia. Dills.
boro. or Nantahala. This VIII place u>
in touch with the busy world. hring our
lands. timbcrs aud minerals into MAJ ket.
and enable us to take our place III the
onward march. Yours, ID.
Wanda Itsu, In (.uilfOrd.