The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-08-25
Anderson Must be Up and Doing.

Mn. EDITOR: I beg to call the attention
of cur people to an editorial that appear
sd last week in the YTmcs-RccOrdeT,
Evansville, Ohio. That is the home OF
Col. A. E. Boone, "the railway path
finder" Some people say they have no
faith IN his scheme. But hers is the edi-
torial:
ave have opened the columns of our
paper upon several occasions to Colonel
Boone's work in the Southland. We have
done so for tho reason that we feel it is
due to any one who will go forward and
lay the groundwork for new railroads,
which means employment for so many
people, not only during construction, but
after they are constructed. That Col.
Boone's work, as outlined in other pages
of our issue today, is one that calls for
herculsan powers we don't deny, but has
not Col. Boone the experience to handle
large enterprises, IS we'll as the people
be interests in his public work IS n n
Col. Boone worked many years endeav-
oring to make GAINESVILLE the pivot point
of his plans. Our peopls hadn't the
proper faith, but time has shown that
they made q mistake, and many eX-
pressions like the following are made:
"We are sorry we haven't q few more Col.
Boone's." q u "We feel that in the
natural course of events each commune
ty that ties to Col. Boone will not only
profit by his presence, but more so upon
the completion Of his different lines of
roads,"
The point I wish to make is this: No
railroad yet has ever been built without
preliminary work being first done; that
such work requires time, money and
brains. Col. Boone has now devoted
nearly three years to preliminary work
there is time /: what ne has accomplished
the brains; and if Col. Boone has not had
any money OF his own some one else has,
who has the sort Of faith that removes
m~ountains-no man furnishes money in
preliminary work in locating railroads
for his health. Col. Boone would not be
spending his own money just for the fun
Of advertising himself. He is not such a
fool as that. I take it that no sane man
or company of men would stay in the
background to furnish the necessary
money to advertise Col. Boone and his
projected road unless they had come rea-
sonable assurance that their investment
would prove to be q paying one.
at New Albany, Indiana, q few days
ago Col. Boone presented his plans to O
large meeting of their business men.
From the report Of the meeting, as pub
lished in the New Albany Tribune, the
following extract is made:
CATER the speeches, the following res
olutions were unanimously adopted:
"ReSolved, That we, the citizens Of New
Albany, do hereby return our heartfelt
thanks to Gen. J. c. ]. Williams, ofKnox-
vile. Tenn, and Col. Albert q. Boone,
of GAINESVILLE, for their interesting and
clear e%lucldation of the plans and purpo-
ses of the projectors Of the Black Diamond
Road from the Ohio to the sea.
"We hereby express u fullest conf
dence in Col. Boone and his associates,
and regard his plan OF promoting said
road solely by private subscriptions, and
eventually completing it without public
subsidies, with favor, and we do hereby
pledge to him and them our best efforts
of cooperation upon that basis.
"We congratulate the people of Knox
Vile and Eastern Tennessee upon the
SUCCESS Of their earnest work, by which
the speedy building of the main line is
cow assured, and hope at no distant day
to report to them equal success upon u
part when our interests as we'll as u
sympathy shall be united by links Of
STEEL"
I might extend this communication by
further QUOTATIONS., Du5 tneSo are Sulu-
cient to show that there are oommuni-
ties that are showing their faith in Col.
Boone's road by their works. Col. Boone
will be ready by the LIST January, 1898, to
take up the preliminary work for his
road this side of Knoxville to the sea.
Working for fun! Somebody is footing
the expenses, all for fun, and notoriety Of
Col. Boone. Not much.
Mr.. Editor, this is q business age. Two
great lines Of railways parallel each 9TH
or, East and West, in the, Piedmont belt,
and Anderson is situate about equi-
distant from each and is at their mercy.
One line already extends North and
South, via Spartanburg to Asheville.
Further East the Three C's is stretching
out by degrees across the mountains.
The next and only practical outlet direct
from tho sea 10 the West is the Rabun
Gap. Nature has opened this gateway to
commerce, and commerce is bound to
utilize natures gift one Of these days.
Will we close our eyes to our opportunl-
ties? II We mean to be on this line let
us pull ourselves together and cooperate
with the people West of us who are do
ing something, and who are going to have
the nearest outlet to the Atlantic sea-
board. J. L..