Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1852-08-26
Railroad Communication.
Messrs. Berry & Hal1aee::

contemplated Railroad from Rock
Spring to Fayetteville, to which IN
tend this as a sort Of general reply.
As this. is case in which any thing
like analysis v ould be utterly thrown
aBay-and as the cause for which, |
contend will be fully as well sus-
tanned BY a plain unvarnished expo
sition df facts, it appears to me
that | chm controNert every position
worthy Of notice, taken by "JUs1TcE, .
by being brief and to the point
without being either original or pro-
found. He sets out by saying that
'in 1919, salt cost, in Florence, Ala,
first six and then five dollars per
bushel, and that there is now living
in Fayet teville, one man who paid
twenty dollars in cash for one hun
Dire d pounds of SALT "Why, steam, >
says he, ''has brough down the price
of salt in FayetteY Vile from ten dol
lars per bushel, to ffty-fve cents,
and there can be no doubt that its
further use, by co nstructing a Rail-
road from this point to Rock Spring,
will reduce materially, the price OF
this and all other heavy articles Of
home consumptionn.."
But let US be serious, and we will
probably find that the price of an
article, in any market, always de-
ponds so mewhat upon the nature Of
the supply and demand. Perhaps
salt was scarce in the .. S. in 1919,
and the demand great. Perhaps its
manufaetory was t hen in its infancy
and greatly neglected in consequence
of the war with Great Britain. Per
haps it was the foreign article fol
winch ten dollars per bushel was paid
Perhaps the high tariff Of 1876 was
in full force and effect then, and per-
haps this identical salt was subject
to its onerous duties. Perhaps in
your next communication you had
better give usa little statistical intor'
nation upon this important subject
Give us theiamount of salt manufac-
tured in the United States then and
now, and tell us whether it was not
subject TO taxation then, and wheth-
crit is not free now. Perhaps you
had as well say, incidentally, too, that
coffee Was worth twice as much il
the Islandof Cuba in 1919, as it is
now in Fayetteville, and that sail
cost FIVE times more at K ing's salt
works ih Va, then than it does al
Shapard's to-day. If you will do
this in 4 spirit Of III nth and cand or
Il will bet my share Of Railrd ad stock
to a jug Of buttermilk, that the d4al
ignorant people whose votes you art
SO insidiously stooping to q atch, vii
come to the same conclusl on that
did iftd + reading your articl +, that is
that the application of ste I'm, as {
propelling power, has had but pre-
cious little more to do with reducing
the price of salt than the mi tn in the
moon! That hint in the G pnclusior
of y pur pathe tid article, W here you
shed SO many crocodile I'd airs over
the misf@rtunes of the p DOR, anG
where J u so generously inform
them that the county d ourt has
placed it in their hands for once to
rule the rich, provided they will act
with unanimity, contains so many
mark Of the beast, that | must
needs touch it with the spear O.
Ithd riel, as | pass, just to show uE
/ its naked def rmity, and expose its
clov en- feet to public view, for the
satisfaction of poor folks, if nothing
else. Now, sir, ! am a poor man, as
poor as Jobs turkey; l have seer
the tim e, more than once in my life
thatI was not able to pay my pol
tax, and | may see it again, but were
| as poor as IL be dog that licked the
wounds Of the bleeding Lazarus as
he lay at til e rich mans gate,
would not vote for the present tax!
| have not TIM in this to argue this
case VI pom principle, but | maintain
that I'll e law t B authorize and regu,
late co unity subscriptions to- Railroad
stock, was conceived In sin and
brought forth in iniquity-that it is
in some insta noes, taxation without
representation and consequently, ty-
rannical and oppressive in it's nature
and tendency. Now for the proof
In the first place, all the legal voters
in the county are allowed to vote
either for or against subscription
This all right. / believe in extend
ing the electiY e franchise to its ut
most extent. / believe that all men
are born free and equal, and that
they have or ught to have the right