Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1853-12-20

common schools had been perfect In all its details
the common school fund has been heretofore wholly
inadequate TO put it into actical and efficient ope-
Grafton throughout the State. AT the present peri
Cd and for long time past our common schools have
been doing little or no good but on the contrary.
have, in many instances, and III different parts of
the country been rather III the way than otherwise
preventing the people from getting up and having
schools upon their responsibility. and at their
ownexpense. The lime has surely arrived when
the Legislature and the people should Law hold of
this important subject with strong and unfal,ering
hand. All v ry readily concur in the opinion that
something ought to be done TO promote the cause
of education and still there are no effective steps
taken, All who entertain any personal or State
pride must feel deeply wounded when they are
told by the recent census that Tennessee, though
the fifth State inthe Union. in many of the great
elements necessary to make her one of the proud
est and most respected stands last and lowest on
the list Of education save one, of all the States
composing this confederacy. The great difficulty
that seems TO have been in the way and the excuse
for doing nothing than we have done. il. that
we have had no MEANS and that our school fund
was too small to do more than we have done. If
are sincere in what we profess for the cause of
education, we should, without hesitation provide
means TO accomplish it. There is one way. if mo
other, that the children of the State can be educa-
ted which is obvious TO ALL and that is to lew and
collect tax from the people Of the whole State
or to authorize the county courts separately TO do
SO IN their respective counties, such manner as
may be deemed by them most acceptable to thence
pie, sufficient in amount when added to our present
school fund.- to give life and energy to our diving or
dead system of common school education. We
should at once make such additions TO our school
fund as will make it large enough to vitalze the
cause Of common schools, and thereby make its in
iuenee felt in every family throughout the State.
While there are millions being appropriated to
AID IN the various works of internal improvement
can there be nothing done for education? While
we are erecting magnificent State ediGces with
inches and rotundas accommodated to the reception
OF fine statues and gorgeous paintnes-the exteri
or presenting all the grandeur of carved and mas
slve columns which architectural ingenuity can in
vent or display-the base of the building to be fin
lshed with suitable terrace, together with fuublic
grounds, handsomely enclosed and laid out in prom
enades, as taste and extravaganza may suggest and
then to be studded over with monuments and works
OF statuary, in imitation Of oriental splendor and
folly, and which will, in ALL when completed in
corresponding style TO the main structure, cost the
people of the State not less than a million and
hall or two million of dollars-I repeat the maui
ryr while all these things are being done by the
legislature, and that too at the public expense co,,
there be nothing done to adrGnce the qreat cause of
education?
Upon the increase and diffusion of education
among the great mass of the people, and the ele-
Walton OF labor, depends to very great extent the
perpetuity Of our free institutions | feel that I
cannot too strongly and too earnestly press the I'M
portance of thssubeet upon your consideration
Let US now, II possible, commence the work in good
faith, and carry out the high behest Of the consti
tuilon ana the rising generation will realize the ben
etits that will necessarily flow from it. 1t will de-
velope; IN its benign operation the intellect of our
children and qualify them for all the useful pursuits
Oh lie. III VIII be worth lar Eore to them than the
accumulated wealth of worlds combined
In concluding my remarks upon this imnortsnt
subject, will call to my aid the language of apotb-
er, which much more forcibly expresses the yalue
and Importance of education than any thing that
may or can be said by me: Education is comnan-
ioh which no misfortune can suppress-no cline
destroy-no enemy alienate-no despotsm enslave
AT home friend; abroad, an introduction; in soli
tude Solace; in society, an ornament 1t lessons
vice, 1t guards virtue it gives at once grace and
government to genius. Without it, what is man? a
splendid slavel reasoning savage! vascillatino be-
tween the dignity OF an intelligence derived from
God, and the degradation of brutal passion"
The cause Of education iSnow submitted TO the
Senators aud Representatives of the people. to be
disposed OF as they, in their best Judgement NAV
deem most conducive to the public good.
TAX ON MERCHANTS
1here Is some complaint with the mercantile in !
ierest, m consequence of the unequal and discrim-
mating operation OF our revenue laws regulating
merchants license. The complaint is not with |
put some foundation and good cause on their part.
The law, as 1t now stands requires all wholesale
md retail dealers in merchandise in this State TO
1rst pay INTO the Treasury of the State one-haf of
9ne per cent on the invoice cost of all goods vend-
ID by them. The main cause of complaint. as I
understand it is that in the first place. the whole
ale merchant, by the revenue law is REQUIRED TO
lrst pay into the treasury the half of one per cent
II fifty cents on the hundred dollars. After the
AK is paid by him into the treasury the retail mer
hant then purchases the same goods of him and
axes them TO another establishment in or out of
he county where purchased, as the case NAV be
nd vends them again; for which he is required TO
sy one half OF one per cent, or fifty cents on the
undred dollars into the treasury; which is one
ent. paid TO the State for the goods thus sold By
MS process it will be perceived that the State laws
double tax on the goods purchased from the
'hoesale dealer within the limits of the State
he business retail dealer has no difficulty in I'M
the operation, and finds it to his in
rest to go beyond the limits of the State to make
g purchases, and thereby save the one half of one
ar cent in the purchase Of his goods or fifty cents
every hundred dollars 1t must be obvious toll
business men, that if the wholesale dealer is re-
Tired first to pay the tax into the treasury that
hen the retail merchant buys ofhim he must pay !
back, and then when he makes sale of the goods
must pay a like amount into the treasury: which
practically compelling the country merchant to
" double tax to the State on the same goods; s
hich, matter of course makes it his interest Il
90 beyond the limits of the State to make his Il
rchases, and become the customers of the foreign
loleSae dealer, instead of the wholesale dealer at
me- and to that extent operates against our own G
cities and commercial men. u
1t is most manifest to my mind that the practical O
ect OF the revenue law, as it now stands reguat- IL
merchants license is to discriminate against the "
archant at home and in favor of the one abroad u
e subject is therefore, submitted to your consit- pr
tOn, with the hope that the law will be so modi- III
i to place the mercantile interest of the State u
an equal footing and in field Of fair compet- e
n with like interest Of the other States Of the Fl
lion. tn
BANKS. III
The Bank Of Tennessee is represented in report ou
de by the President of the General Assembly III
the 10th day Of October last as being in sound Gu
prosperous condition. While the Bank is I'M co
going an investigation by committee appoint ue
by the Legislature for that purpose will refrain Oh
n expressing any opinion in regard to its pres n'
condition, or making any definite recommen- $40
ion as to what course the General Assembly DO
ht to take in reference to its future manage pa
at more than, however, barely to suggest that Gel
present would be very suspicious time to put ca
principal and all the branch banks into gradual ms
idation; giving ample and reasonable time to all III
sens who indebted to the institution to make WI
ngements for paying the amount they owe =
process of winding IL uD at the Orpsent time Iii