Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-01-28
BELONGS To.THE STATE.
We'll Known Columbian MemoriaIizes
the General Assembly.

/
| the General Assembly.
Thornwell McMaster, a we'll known
citizen Of Columbia, has memorializet
the legislature on the subject of tht
completion Of the Columbia canal. H,
has had letter printed and sent t
each member Of the house and senat,
which, while rather unique, is quite
forcible. He paints picture Of grea
industrial development and improved
conditions generally If the canal i!
completed and the water powers OF
the Congaree and other rivers in th'
center Of the state properly developed
The letter follows:
1t is clearly up to the 1919 legisla
ture to do its bit to rehabilitate, fre,
it's canals and open up it's natural ant
undeveloped resources.
| Take back and start immediate de
velopment Of its navigation and power
the falls of Saluda and Broad river!
at their formation of the Congarce
|
Appointment Of five or three com
missioners with power to act and do a.
we did for so years up to 1887, and al
New York state has done ever sine,
1815-build and own it's canals anc
navigation.
| Seven years ago a few men in cen
trail South Carolina told the legisla
ture that this company, claiming pos
session, were treating their leased
property as "a scrap of paper" The!
denied and fought with strong, wei
paid staff of lawyers, politicians ant
newspapers. We always said to the
legislatures committees: Make then
show their books. A few days ago the
supreme court ordered them to show
their books. You will now see thai
they have used your property as 9
pawn to sell the bonds Of five subsi-
diary companies.
Right here I will say that I don't
believe God in his most wise provi-
dence ever intended that such essential
far reaching nature gifts to all man
kind, such as navigation and hydro.
electric power fall Of water, was ever
to be turned over to a few men as a
private franchise. The weakness Of hu-
man nature will every time. produce
the bets get rich quick" damn the
public" capitalize and sell bonds and
stock. We can sell million above the
actual investment and get out before
the innocent purchaser on the streets
finds out that some one has sold him a
watered stock or bond.
Since they sold the bonds this prop
erty was allowed to go to ruin. They
are out. They have made their jack
and don't give a damn for South Caro-
lima. Take it back Immediately. You
can release in the near future $4,000
horse power hydro-electric power
Five thousand dollars worth Of coal
goes to waste every "a hours at the
foot of the hill west Of your capitol
building.
It is the opening Of navigation to
LSaluda and especially Broad river val
leys. Millions of tons Of the only and
best granite on all water transporta-
ton to sea on South Atlantic coast
Other rock up that river are copper
and red hemitate iron (iron pyrites)
ores and others. All water rate to Co.
lumbia. All water rate plus shor,
R. R. rate to Piedmont. The govern
ment wants granite in million ton lots
at Charleston now to develop Charles
ton harbor. If you develop these
shoals, somebody, either the United
States or the state or Charleston, will
develop the tee-Cooper. 1t makes
Columbia and Charleston rs miles
nearer by water. Lberates $4,000 n.y.
dro-electric horsepower in 80 miles OF
Charleston. Destroy or circumven'
delta at mouth Of Santee river. Makes
Immediately available by bettering its
navigation two million acres OF the
best standing timber on earth, nearest
the devastated war zone.
The Wateree, Congaree and santee
valleys hold the largest, most In de-
mand, great quantity of standing ir
the world nearest the war zone. You
can't log it or ship it out by railroad
The Broad and Saluda rivers hold the
greatest in quantity and quality OF
granite on all water transportation or
the Atlantic coast.
It is easily within your power &c
make our great valley of South caro-
lima equal to the Rhone Of France
The Rhone river has only one-1ourtr
more water than the Santee. The city
of LYONS is 24O miles from the Medi'
terranean ocean, Columbia 218 to AT
lantic. France in last five years previ'
ous to the war cut canal 80 miles
Nm stream on Rhone over into Mar
sailes harbor so as to circumvent the
troublesome delta at the mouth OF tne
river. A cotton mill in Lyons, France
pavs and writes bill of lading to Rle
Janeiro, Brazil, cheaper on bale Of
manufactured cloth than Spartanourt
or Greenville pays for freight to Ne"
York or Norfolk.
Appoint a practical commission
elected by house and senate from prac'
t,cal men-not all lawyers; they nave
need of lawyers, let the commission
hire them. But you must have COM
mission that recognizes that there are
other laws in natures great court
house to appeal to instead OF writing
statutes. There is the law of credit
gravity, falls of water, navigation anu
Ia ct but not least, law Of self-preserVa-
ton. the first law Of nature, to appeal
70 now quickly. The world is begging
you to come across" -,
The development Of central sou'i
carolina--the Columbia canal Is the
center key wedge. You must tap tha'
wedee with a legislative sledge nam
mer blow and this knotty log will starr
to split.
All of the irrigating farming propo,
s;t;ons are below Columbia. Thls VII