Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-12-23

| NJ. n. Parmele, Louis w. Hall,
| JOS Gibson, W. A. Benson,
! L. E. Goodlett, W. T. Gates,
| Jos. w. Allen, Thos. L. Dodd,
! Michael Vaughn, Hiram Vaughn,
! Z. B. Smith, Thomas Chadwell,
! A. w. johnson, Jr., G.. S. johnson,
Jno. S. Bransford, S. Garlic,
Jas. n. McMurray, Thomas McHugh,
| Pat Gilmore, Pat Malloy.
! B. r. Mckenzie ir. J. c. Stewart
S. NJ Jamison, r. G. Stewart
Ed Field n. j. Garwood
W. R. Warren, John r. Martin
| r. g. Gordon, NJ. Conley
| A. w. Southworth, A. Appleton
| II. B. Plummer. L. B. Morrison
! S. j. Slime, j. W. Brooks
| John W. Murray, Michael MRamara
G. L. Howerton, G. B. Forehand
w. r. Wood, Patrick Martin
U. D. Campbell, Andrew Polston
A. s. Marrow, Patrick Mangum
I. s. Blair, J. w. Bush
Patrick Morrow, William Boyle
John Hiraty, i. NJ. Thompson
Mike Carr, Robert A. Young
Cal Smith, A. NJ Guthrie
John t. Blair, H, W. Blair
A. Price, w. J. Ross
r. Patton. NJ. w. Cav
and many others
Messrs. Michael Vaughn, Baxter Smith, Haiden
Dodd, ". H. Simmonds, John White, Thos. L
Dood, Hiram Vaughn, Joa W. Allen, R. S. Hol
Inns, ThOs. Hopkins o. 5. LEISURE, ThOs. Chad
NELL r. N. Kinnaird, j. W. Settle and others.
NASHVILLE, Dec. 81. Conference.-The
have this day received your polite note re-
questing the undersigned to become candi-
dates for Aldermen of Edgefeld at the en-
suing election, which takes place on Satur-
day, the LIST of January next. This is a
position that neither of US have sought,
and only the view Of advancing the rapid
growth and prosperity of Edgefeld has in
duced us to occupy the position and COM
ply with you request. It has not yet been
one year since the first board of this cor.
poration was elected and organized.
At the last election it was distinctly an
nouneed, and understood by the people,
and those elected Aldermen. that the great
and chief work for the first few years of
our existence as a corporation should be
the grading and metaling of our streets,
that the taxes should be kept down, that
non-residents should thus be invited to
become citizens of Edgefeld, buy and i'm
prove the vacant lots, and that the strictest
economy should be observed in the admin
istration of our town government. The
Board Just going out of Office has faithfully
carried out these leading objects. Their
first act was to adopt a resolution that no
compensation should be received for their
services, and their closing act was to re-
commend to the Legislature, now in
session, to amend our charter so
as to inhibit either Mayor or
Aldermen from receiving any pay or
compensation for their services for the
next three years and, under high penal
ties, not to create debt upon the corpor-
alton for which they do not provide
payment during the same fiscal year be-
sides other valuable amendments which
have been adopted by the Legislature.
The great evil of State, county, and mu-
nicipal governments, has been the creation
of large debts and burthening the people
with excessive taxation. We are all now
oppressed with excessive taxation growing
out of an abandonment of thi ssound policy.
We do not intend unnecessarily to increase
this burden. We have examples of this
before US. especially in our parent gov
eminent, and the city of Nashville, which we
should profit by, and whose errors we
SuOulu awful We l6SICI " S6c Il ulSpOSl-
ton manifested by some, to depart from
this true policy, and introduce a
system of taxation on our people
at this time for the purpose of
establishing schools; and the ticket of seven
gentlemen is now in the field whose de-
clared object is TO levy direct tax upon the
people to establish such schools.
While we favor any system that shall i'm
part knowledge and cultivate the morals of
the people, we think the time has not yet
arrived to embark in that system by levying
a tax upon our people at this time for that
purpose, which must necessarily be bur
densome in addition to the present taxa
ton.
We present the following facts, showing
the burden that our people will have to
submit to if this system is now inaugurated.
By reference to the public schools of Nash
vile, it will be found that the scholastic
population of the city amounts to 4, 900. The
city already has its various public buildings,
furniture, etc, for carrying on these
schools. Now the salaries of their teach
ers, fuel, and other incidental expenses,
cost the city $50 per scholar, making $780,
600 per annum. The scholastic population
of Edgefeld is 500. We could make no
discrimination among the scholars all
would be equally entltled to be educated.
The employment of teachers and other in
cidental expenses would cost the people
$50 per scholar, making $1,000 per an
mum We have no school houses nor furn-
iture, and their erection, including the lots
to be purchased, would cost at least 500
600, which. added to the current expenses,
would make $50, 600 to be raised by taxa
ton for the year 1870. To which should
be added the ordinary expenses of grading
and metaling the streets of 81, 900 or 49,
900. This would make a levy upon our
people of S43, 900, which is near four times
as great as the taxes are for the present
year, burthen we think the people are not
in favor OF, and are not prepared to stand.
A proposition was brought forward before
the present Board, in which several of the
undersigned we're members, looking to
tax to be levied upon the people for the
purpose of establishing Public Schools.
That PROPOSE ton was rejected, not only for
the reasons above set forth, but for the ad-
ditional reason that many of our worthy
citizens are still DISTINGUISHED. This policy,
we think, should be adhered to for the year
1870. w. P. MARKS,
ROBERT STEWART,
J. S. WooDFoRD,
PHILIP 0LwILL,
w. A. GLENN,
JOHN MoRRow,