Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-10-16
THE KENTUCKY PURCHASE.
Former Efforts &c be Annexed to Ten
nessee-Present Status of the PrODO-

Former EfORts &c be Annexed to Ten
nessee-PresentS Status of the PrOpO-
sitiOn.
From the Hickman (Ky.) Courier, Oct. H.
For several years previous to the war,
the Kentucky counties west of the Tennes-
see river, commonly known as the "Pur-
chase" seriously considered the idea of
being cut loose from the State of Kentucky
and being attached to the State of Tennes-
see. At that day, we are confident large
majority of our people decidedly favored
such proposition. The State of Tennes-
see went so far as to appoint commissioners
to submit some such propositions to the
State of Kentucky, but Kentucky declined
to part with any portion of her territory.
The circumstances of the war, and the evil
government which has since afflicted Ten
nessee, had nearly silenced all thought of
such movement; but the Inauguration of
Gov. Brown, the return of popular govern
ment in that State, together with the rapid
reduction in taxation promised by the pres
ent Tennessee Legislature, are well calcu-
lated to again bring the question before the
public. The burden of taxation resting
upon our Tennessee neighbors is the great
est obstacle to the movement, allowing that
the State governments were favorably dis
posed.
Geographically, the counties west of the
Tennessee river, should belong to Tennes-
see. We are, comparatively, an insignif-
cant neck of land, cut off from the main
body of Kentucky, and our political and
material interests sadly neglected by the
parent government up in Kentucky. We
are too weak in numbers at the polls, too
in 20, nj
Grafton from a State, whose absorbing in
terests are elsewhere, and who scarcely
know we are part of the State, except un-
der general provisions, such as collecting
taxes, and every two and four years per-
hitting us to go through the form Of voting
in general elections. This neglect is at
tributable to want of identity of interest
and to our isolated location from the rest of
the State, and not to want of that gener-
GUS sympathy and philaDthropic magnanim-
ity which ever characterize Kentuekians.
The situation Of these counties naturally
attach them to Tennessee; our commercial
and agricultural interests are identical; our
manners and customs the same; and our
material wants in every respect reciprocal.
The great river courses, the Mississippi,
Ohio, and Tennessee, have mapped us out
as Tennessee territory. A people as clearly
united as are ours with the people of Yves
tern Tennessee in business and social rela-
tons should have common laws and COM
mon officers. The delay and inconveni-
ences, such as the collection of debts and all
other legal proceedings, can in no other way
be remedied. Tennessee in developing the
resources of her territory, building her great
railway avenues, etc, is compelled to stop
at our borders, short of her objective point
the river courses named, and the distance
is so short and our possessions so small,
that Kentucky never can be induced after
wards to lend any degree of encouragement.
1t is natural, that Kentucky so separated
from us, by geographical and political inter-
ests, should be unmindful Of our wants,
and it is also natural that many of our peo-
pie, identified with Tennessee by birth, edu-
cation, association, business and political
sympathy, should desire a closer union.
These facts are especially pointed in regard
to the counties of Hickman and Fulton. 1t
is doubtful if Kentucky will ever part with
any portion of her territory. Perhaps,
Tennessee would swap a slice of her East
Tennessee country for a Mississippi river
boundary.