The Sweetwater enterprise. (Sweetwater, Tenn.) 1869-187?, 1871-11-09
Nashville Correspondence.

AS a line from the Capitol, where all
reyes are turned to see what the servants
OF the people Of the great State of Ten
nessee nre doing, may interest your rea-
ders, | have thought it proper to drop
you u short letter for their perusal.
This is the close Of the fifth week, and
much hasbeen done in cleaning up small
matters and preparing for matters of
more Importance and greater magnitude
such as the question of taxation, the pen
itentiary, rail roads &c. But the most
important of all is the tax question, on
which the Legislature is much divided.
Some Of u worthy Governors Demo-
cratic friends strongly oppose him in his
views Of the matter. He only wants
a sufficient tax levied and collected as
will be required to pay our State expen-
SEES, judges, clerks, %jailors &c, and some
debts which have accrued on account of
loans, &c, which amount to some two
hundred and six thousand dollars, that
falls due next month, and for which the
bonds of the State stand pledged.
L have been one of the people that have
thought Il low tax to be the best. But
| now begin to think the tax should on
ly be reduced 10 or II cents on the 100
dollars. In this cast we will be able
to collect revenue sufficient, in 1872, to
pay off u large amount Of the warrants
now out, which amounts to several hun
dred thousand dollars. This money
would nearly all be paid out to our
State and county oh4eers, witnesses, &c,
going back into the hands of the people
who would again put it in circulation.
If the present Legislature fails to levy
a tax sufficient to meet these expenses
the next orfe will have to levy q higher
rate than is now in force. Therefore
the present General Assembly had bet
ter take its share of the responsibility
and levy a tax sufficient to run the Gov
eminent, paying 40 interest ON the State
bonds, letting the holders wait until we
are more able to pay such interest.
When we make n or two goou crops,
then we can begin to think about pay
ing this Indebtedness, and, even then, it
will be very hard on us, for our bonds
were bought up at from thirty to forty
cents on he dollar in gold.
There is a strong feeling existing in
the minds Of a large number of Tennes.
seeans, for repudiating many of the
bonds that they charge were unlawfully
issued and sold.
There is considerable division among
the members on tie subject of repeating
the ten per cent. interest law. The large
cities and towns bitterly oppose its re-
peal. They ask that the law be tried
two years longer, and then if it is not
right and does not prove to be q good
law, repeal it.
There will be a change in the manage
ment of the Penitentiary, which will
make it u selt-sustaining institution and
a source Of revenue to the State instead
Of an expense.
The new issue Of the Bank of Tennes-
see, known as the Torbett issue, is be-
ing much talked of, and our best lawyers
here say that the State will finally have
to receive it for State dues.
The act for repeating the law, allow
ing pay to our mountain hunters for
Wolf scalps, failed yesterday, and Mar
tin Dotson, and other hunters, will re-
ceive pay for all they send in.
A resolution passed the Senate yester-
day requiring the Treasury to pay no
more warrants until money enough ac-
cumulated to pay the borrowed sum of
over two hundred thousand dollars.
If it passes the House State Warrants
will still decline, and / am Of opinion it
will become II law.
Your members are watching the inter
ests OF East Tennessee, and your imme-
date section. CUMBERLAND.