The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1907-09-19
The Opportunity is Here.

The Opportunity is Here.
Opportunity knocks at the door of
Buncomb0 county with gift of COM
peting line of railroad to join the Sea-
board at Rutherfordton, the county's
dreams and fond hope for decade, and
1t remains only for Buncombe county to
accept the gift:
Buncombe will accept. For years It's
people haYe Isbered under the disad-
vantage Of one system monopoly; they
have grasped with eagerness at every
bare prospect of another railway and
disappointment has but added to their
longing and their sense of pressing want
OF competing lines. It has been felt
that the county has needed but now
railway to cause it to advance to wealth
and great population almost at bound.
Now comes the assurance Of success.
The plans for the road were made by
Buncombe smen and approved by the
Buncombe commissioners after careful
investigation and ascertainmentt that the
money to build the railroad was secured.
The people of this and adjoining coun-
ties are really asked only to indicate
|theif good win to the new railroad By
tangible assurance. Buncombe Is asked
to vote 5000, 0,0oO in bonds rather as a
lean, pledge Of its good will, although
legal requirements require IL in the
shape OF subscription to the capitol
stock. But as the glad news story in
The Citizen tells, the stock SO taken
must be secured by first mortgage on
the railroad property in favor of the
county, and before any county, bonds is
delivered the railroad must be in actual
operation to AsheViIle.
And when tho railroad is completed
it must deliver mortgage bonds to a
trustee for the county at the rate of
$4,000 per mile Of road to ensure the
payment of interest on the railway
mortgage and 81 sinking fund to take
up the county'S stock by the railway.
Thus it is provided in effect that the
county bonds will be put loan, a
pledge of interest by the people in the
road, because their interests are safe
guarded by mortgage on the'road at
the rate of S26, 900 per mile, which Incl.
dentally il only one-third that borne by
the average railway. The county will
pay the interest on its bonds and the
the mortgage bonds it will hold will pay
q like interest.
Its case of swapping dollars" said
Mr.. Sawyer Of the Merchants Associa-
tion cOmmltte, which has wrought SO
well for the county in this matter. The
county will get the railroad dollars for
its dollars and she railway competition
to boot; the railway company will get
its railway and the god will of the peo-
pie. The railway runs hazard-the
county none. The county could well
afford for that matter to give a compet-
ing road outright s2Oo,O 900 because
the saving in freights and taxes on the
railway would aurpass that sum In year
or less.
The route otthe railway is indicated
in the news columns of The Citizen. It
will extend from Asheville via Hender-
sonville to Bat Gave where practically
the same road under different name
will form junction not only with the
Seaboard at Rutherfordton, but the new
South and Western. And from Ashe-
vile Q link wilIIextend to the Haywood
county line, where it viii be joined by
the South Atlantic Transcontinental
railroad which will build from Knox.
vile through WAynesville and Brevard
TO Greenville, S c., thus affording Bun.
combe compsting road to the coal
fields and the west. This railway plan
Is not emphasized here, highly impor-
tant though it sbe, because the county
votes nothing to it. It viii be to help
the Appalachion Interurban that Bum
combe is asked. and Buncombe is the
one to decide On it, and it must not be
forgotten that In 80 doingit will largely
assure new line to Knoxville.
Bumcombe will need no urRing,-its
people are intelligent and know that
not the poorest man in-the most remote
section escaYes she payment of the pres
ent high railwsy tolls and that he will