The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1860-03-15
Communicated.

DEAR BILLY:-

DEAR BILLY:-
The proposed Tax to build a Turn
pike Road to Scwancc has become Il
theme ofp6Iittlc interest to every clli-
zen of our county. There has been SO
much written and sold by able and c&-
pcricnccd men, (aud much to Tia" point
too,y that |, rs u private citizen, iceI
some hcsitancy in connecting my name
with it in any way whatever, But as
NV interest IS involved in the question
equally with that Of every man, W"'n'''
and child in our county, ] reel II my
privilege, ifnot my duty, TO declare my
,cIfloro or against the tax. | have OPP
posed the tax from the bcglnnln9-WaS
honest in all my sentiments, as nearly
all its opponents now are. have i'l-
" inycs ig0tcd it after my o"n way,
and have found that | was in error, and
upon seeing my error, recant and Will
vote for the tax. | now support the
tax because | believe that it Will secure
to our county the Southern University,
(which all men are bound to arknoWl-
rIrc to be one Of the grandcst projects
ever gotten up in our country lhe
uropoScd institution at ScwAncc IS cal
= -,-, L. cal II
ruln!rl to raise the value OF our lahuS,
enhance the price Of our produce, ana
to educate the children Of our country,
and hence the necessity. No rctSon;'-
bic man, upon Il thorough investigation
Of the question, can doubt fora moment
its utility. Our lands now on Cumbcr-
land Mountain arc Of very little value,
scarcely averaging II dollar per acre,
and hcucc you see they bring into the
Treasury very little money. MOVIE cate
that University at Scwanco permanent
Iy, and the price Of those lands will go
40 to ten, fifteen, and twenty-five dol
lars per acre. The lands adjaccnt to
the University will be sold in lots: bust
ness houses and residences will be built
upon them, all of which will be assessed
rs real estate, thereby opening to our
countya perpetual source Of revenue
Those who buy lots and pay from fifty
to one hundred and fifty placing them
at the lowest estimate dollars torthcm,
will build residences and business hOuS-
cs upon them ranging from 50oto lo,ooO
dollars, making an acre or two of land
that is now assessed ut not exceeding
two dollar, and Il half, worth lO,OOo.-
These are incontrovertablc facts, and
the question now is, what will 1t cost
MS to secure this and make our county
one 0fthc first counties in the State, if
not the United States. 1t will cost
twenty.onc thousand dollars, paid in
three annual installmcnts Of $1,000 each
year. ms liA II w w. iN'''' 40 'tiSi
taxes, aud not rs many have been made
to believe, as II poll. But suppose You
take the dark side of the picture, and
allow it rs II poll, allowing there to be
1000 voters in this county, 1t would
cost only tree dollars and fifteen cents
per year, which would only amounts to
ten dollars and 80 cents in the aggrc-
gate--a very small sum indeed to DO IN
vested i'm 4 scheme that in less than D
years from its completion would pay
back in the way of revenue tcn-lold.
But il is not TO he levied ~ II poll
II must and will be levied rs other tax,
and those ofour county who ray taxes
for 10000 dollars, will pay something
like % dollars more than last year
those who pay tax for 5000 dol airs will
nay Sl2 80 morc-thosc who orc worth
81, 500 will pay 81 %, AID those who
are worthsl 200 will have tn pay only
81 % more tax than last year, Mt tho
highest estimate You can put on 1t. 80
q is graduated ON down to u poll, and
the poor man who pays only u poll,
wlllnot have to pay exceeding 25 cents
moro tax than last year, to say nothing
OF tho SAW that our State has releas-
ed us of.
I have made a simple question Oft
and worked it out, and find it rs above
stated, and ! know every mar who will
give it on important investigation and