Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-08-12
DICKSON COUNTY.
shall the County Scat be Removed

Shall the County Scat be RemOVedl
| To the Editors Of the Union and American:
Much interest is manifested in our
midst in regard to moving the county seat
from Charlotte to some point on the
Nashville and Northwestern Railroad. AS
natural consequence, the property
holders in and around Charlotte are OPP
posing the move with all their "might
and main" and are crying out ''Heavy
taxes, Enormous expenses, "Unending
litigation" Unconstitutional legislation, "
etc. They viii endeavor to pull the wool
over the eyes of the honest farmer, with
his hundreds of acres of unimproved land,
whom they well know abhOrs speculation
as well as taxation, who has never learned
TO look to anything outside of the pro-
ducts Of his farm for wealth and prosperi-
ty. AT this day and time nothing so
speedily COnYinces him of the improperly
of public enterprise or undertaking as
the cry That it will breed heavy taxes. "
About three years ago a couple of gentle
men from the State of Pennsylvania
bought the land surrounding the station
on the Nashville and Northwestern Rail-
road, (then called Smeedsville,) divided,
and sold it off in lots, and by
their influence and energy, a fOurishing
village occupies the place which few
years since was almost a wilderness.
They caused about three hundred families
of emigrants to come to the county, and
the price of land to advance from five
hundred to one thousand per cent, en-
abling many land owners, who were re-
garded as bankrupt, to sell their land, to
pay their Indebtedness, and to retain
ample means upon which to 1--we com
fOrtably.
As soon as their influence was with
drawn, emigration into Dickson county
ceased, and the price of land declined.
We need the influence of such men; we
need energy, industry, and enterprise,
and we can get it by moving our county
seat to Sncedsville. These men have
promised that if such a thing can be &C
cOmplished, that they will return to the
county, that they will donate land upon
which to locate the public buildings, and
will raise money by subscription sufficient
to pay for the Courthouse and county
Jail, so that the taxpayers need not be
burdened with greater tax on that
account, than he is now paying. Besides
all this they propose to fill up our county
with emigrants, which will again increase
our land in value, and will cause the land
which now lies in waste and wilder
ness, to be settled upon, improved,
and properly cultivated. They also pro
pose to induce men of capital to come to
Smeedsville and other portions Of the
county, who will establish manufactures.
If the seat of justice is moved to that
point they will fulfill their promise, will
accomplish what they propose, and Dick
son will soon rank with the first counties
in the State. These men have shown that
they are endowed with integrity, tirmncss
and great influence. We know what they
have done, and can readily anticipate
what they may yet do, if they are only
induced to try.
Now, "TaX Payer" who wrote the ar
tiClc published in your issue of the Sd
inst, may think that it will decrease the
value of his land around Charlotte and
his town property, and may endeavOr to
cOntrOveTt the statement herein contained,
and may perseVere in his efforts to retain
the county seat where it is. He is look
ing to his private interest and not to the
public good, while he is endeavoring to
show that the act authorizing the citizens
of the county to vote upon the question
of moving the county seat is unconstitu-
tional. The said bill was passed by two
thirds of both branches of the Legislature
and though its phraseology may not bein
| keeping with the wording of the COnsti-
tuition, CCrJUfim ct Eterdtin2, yet, two
thirds Of the voters of the county favor
ing the move will set aside the simple
word "majOrity" which appears in the
bill, and will do away with the seeming
confliction to the Constitution, and will
deter " taxpayers from instituting any
proceedings to enjoin the removal of the
county seat. In few years he will
find that his property, near Charlotte,
has greatly increased in value, and he
will not have to eXclaim,
''sweet smiling Charlotte, loyeliest of the lawn,
Thy sports fled, and ali thy charms are gone
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