The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-12-08
RIPLEY. ONO, Nov. 8, 1897.

of our comrades ut ,Maysville the
other day you asked my opinion as to
whether the Black Diamond r. R.
.would be built, 1 answered it GER
tainly would, and promised also to
send you my views on the subject at
some length, which I now do.
Judging from conversations had
with many people along the lines Of
this ROAD as proposed, they look at ii
from a local standpoint, which must
necessarily be narrow and eircum-
scribed; and from what IIeare of the
history Of other railroad entsrprisesin
this vicinity, which were entirely
local, the people have good ground for
doubt and distrust. But, while the
local Importance and benefits of this
road to the people along It's line can
not be overestimated, it is in no sense
a local enterprise. If it were such,
doubts might very properly be enter
tained Of it's construction.
It's great national enterprise, a
North and South trunk line, projected
not only in response to the wishes of
the people along the line, but loudly
called for By the growing demands OF
trade and transportation, already ta1-
ing the resources Of the East and
West trunk lines to the utmost.
This question Of 4 North and South
trunk line is not new one by any
means. It has in the past engaged
the attention of some Of our wisest
statesmen and ablest fnanciers.
John G.. Calhoun, as far back as
1886; advocated the construction Of a
road substantially on the lines now
followed By the Black Diamond, from
the -aes northward through Rabun
Can, East Tennessee and Kentucky,
to The Ohio Valley and connecting
with the great lakes. Such road
was started soon after. but in the
greas financial panic Of that period,
the project and the projectors were
swept away,
Later the project of tapping the
rich resources oil the Mississippi Val
Lev and reaching the great lakes was
agitated, aud Congress, in 1S48, and
subsequently, passed acts granting
large tracts of land to the States Of
Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mis-
sissippi and Louisiana, to be used to
encourage the construction of a trunk
line as a great national thoroughfare
from the lakes to the Gulf.
a popular convention was held at
the City &C New Orleans in April,
1851, at which resolutions were
adopted requesting the States OF
Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee
and Kentucky, to aid in the "estab-
lisbment Of trunk railroad from the
Gulf Of Mexico to the Great Northern
Lakes"
Following this request the State Of
Louisiana in 1852 Incorporated the
New Orleans, Jackson and Great
Northern r. r. for the purpose OF
building ga continuous line of com
munication between New Orleans and
the. Nerthern and Western portions OF
theConfederasy to be main trunk
line"
The Legislature Of Mississippi,
March IL, 1852, passed resolution
declaring that the construction OF
such q road sis deemed work Of pub
lie importance and should be encour-
aged by legislation"
The State Of Tennessee passed an
Act, Feb. 25, 1852, authorizing said
railroad to pass through the State,
aad declaring in the preamble that 1t
was ga matter of vital Importance to
this State that connection by rail-
read between the Gulf Of Mexico and
the Great Northern Lakes should be
established"
Under these auspices the great
North and South trunk line system OF
the Illinois Central r. r. grew up.
That part of the trunk line from New
Orleans to Canton, Miss, was con-
structed by the New Orleans, Jack
son and Great Northern R. r. That
part from Canton, Miss, to the Ohio
river, opposite Cairo, was constructed
By the Mississippi Central r. r., in
corporporated by act of the Legisl2-
ture March 10, 1852.
The Chicago, St. Louis and New
0rleans Railroad Company, corpora
tion with special charters from the
States Of Mississippi, Louisiana, Ten
nessee and Kentucky. succeeded to
the ownership Of the above two roads.
The Illinois Central r. R.. char