The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1857-07-10
THINGS IN KNOXVILLE.
KNOXVILLE, June %, 1857.

can not, by any manner Of means, lay claim
to the character Of "ar old correspondent" il
will moi, trust, be expected that anything
Of special interest win be found ia the style
and manner of this epistle. II, however,
should be SO fortunate as TO hit upon any
items which Of themselves possess "intersst
or importance" to your readers, ('whose
name is legion -then expect such COM
mendation at their hands as every faithful
laborer very justly demands when claiming
his hire.
desire, in the first place, to put upon re-
cord my views, opinions and feelings about
politics. As you have, possibly. been inform.
ed, "ths is u free country"-where every
man has been endowed by his Creator with
certain unalienable rights-among which is
that to express, freely, his sentiments" las
they are oftentmes facetiously called upon
subjects connected with public men and pub.
lie measures. Having, myself, perfect ap.
probation Of this immense privilege, | shall
now proceed TO exercise the same in the
manner and form following, to wit:
Firstly:-Certan candidates for the Leg
islature have succeeded in getting up tre-
mendous excitement amongst the people
about the Laws enneted by the last General
Assembly creating the Offices of County
Judge, and Tax Assessor. The absurdty
of any effort to demonstrate TO the tax-pay-
ers that the burthensome taxes which they
are now required to pay are attributable to
the enactment Of the laws past referred to, is
well set forth in the admirable letter Of
Moses WHITE, recently published in our pa
pers. The correspondent who is now writ.
ing, is in no wise intimate with "MosE" in
either political or personal sense, but he
"believes and says" that such is his conf
dence in the truth and justice of many of
the remarks contained in that letter that he
would be willing to see them written in let
ters Of gold. He will quote few senten-
ces. 1t is we'll understood that Ms. w. is not
a candidate for any Office. This letter to
which ! allude being designed, simply, to
justify his course in the Legislature, as re-
CARDS the Acts under consideration.
Please pay some little attention to the ex.
tracts which will now follow
Every where in the State, with perhaps
the exception of q county here and there,
the people are murmuring, and demand re-
peal of the Acts creating the office of County
Judge and Assessor. What most surprises
me, however, is that, notwithstanding the
fact that these laws were supported by a We.
ry large majority Of the talented and infu-
entail members Of both political parties in
the House Of Representatives, there seems to
be no disposition on their part to defend them,
but on the contrary are inclined to bow to
the storm, and permit those who have mount.
ed it, to ride into Office. There seems to be
no difference Of opinion in reference to the
failure Of these laws, even among those who
supported them, all are satisfied that al
though they were enacted with desire to
remedy existing evils. that they have failed
to effect any good purpose, and with a most
singular unanimity come out for their repeal.
While admit that the wishes Of the voters
s3ff' t i% demand still think that the
conclusion that they have not only failed to
effect any good, but are positive evil, is to
say the least Of it, premature, as they could
not have been fairly tested by this time, and
that those who voted for them, owe it to
themselves that the people should have on
exposition of the circumstances which in
duced their enactment.
That there were evils existing both in our
mode Of assessment. and in our County Court
system, no one at all conversant with them
will dare deny. That the effect Of the laws
creating the County Judge and Assessor, il
carried out in the manner prescribed, and
their spirit complied with, would be salutAry
| have not the least doubt"
Such is the opinion, nop of every man Of
common sence in Tenessee-prouided he is
not a politician.
Here is passage which think pnrlic.
uarly worthy the notice of your Knox coun.
ty renders:
Again. there is another matter to be con.
sidered in this connection, which is of great
Importance to US as q county. You have
taken stock to very large amount in Rail.
road Companies, and issued your Bonds for
the payment Of this stock. 1t became neces.
sary to have competent person to look af
ter these bonds to zee to the sale of them,
the payment of the interest, and the safe |
keeping OF the sinking fund raised for their |
redemption.
have heard it said that the Chairman |
could have done this as well as the Judge |
Granted, but what interest had he in the |
matteH You could not demand such SER
vices Of him, unless you paid him for it, and |
made 1t his interest as well as his duty to |
give 1t his attention Let US see what part |
OF your enormous county tax proceeds from |
from the pay Of your Judge. Judge Jones,
receives i've dollars per day for his services
during the sitting Of the court which has |
averaged since his election. three days at |
your Quarterly and two at your regular
Monthly Courts amounting in the year to |
twenty eight days, and his pay to $40
The three justices composing your Quarterly
Court under the former system received one
dollar and fifty centsper day each, amount.
ing in the aggregate TO the sum Of four dol
lars per day-and the number Of days was
precisely the same in Knox county, under
both systems. Now for the difference in the
expenses. The Judge's pay amounts to $40
the Quorum Courts to $l26-only $l4 less
than the Judges. Surely this amount would
not be oppressive to the tax payers Of Knox
county.
But you are ready to say the County Court
gave him an additionslsalary Of $1,000, go
they did, and thereby committed your coun.
ty in favor Of the Office, for the Justices Of |
the county know the nature Of the duties he |
performs, and they deemed hun entitled to |
that extra compensation, or of course they |
would not have given il to him. What has