The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1871-10-28
Hsaisper E0uutEes-The ''Pur-
chase VIadfcated.

4 uFENaHe- merely 10 SHOW iht quo
amino which governs our Upper Ken
tucky brothers toward US The Yeomda
Is provoked 70 this spirit and argument
by the intimation that the material in
terests Of the Purchase counties would
be better subserved by being attached to
the State Of Tennessee than as a portion
Of Kentucky, and being thus provoked
taunts US with the charge Of being
spauper counties It seizes upon our
te7y c0Ess OF agTievement and fings Il
back at Us, renarking. that complaint, If
any, should come from the State, and not
from the iPurchase
We propose to show that this very
deficit, which the Teomqn figures, IS
solely attributable to our distant. isolated
location from the rest Of the State, aud
that if we were subject only to the ex
penses which attend Central Kentucky
counties, every county Of the purchase
would be rich source Of revenue. For
Instance. make the comparison between
the rich county of Fayette and the SO
called pauper county of Fulton, (albeit
the Auditors Report of 1869 shows we
are not) aud see how much extraordinary
expense IS ehargeable to Fultoh that
Fayette does not have to iueur Take
the item of mileage which is charged 10
the Yeomass count as county expendi
lures It costs the county of Fayette
only IS co mileage for her Represen
tatiyes, and only IS so mileage for her
Senator, while the county of Fulton pays
s1G9 so mileage annually for each. In
all such things the County of Fulton is
ehargeable with 565 miles mileage where
as the Upper Kentucky counties range
from % to 100 miles Apply this item
again 10 the matter Of carrying prisoners
to the Peni;entiary, aud the proportion
becomes a considerable sum of difference
Itoosts the comfy of Fulton 1925 so
for each prisoner our Sheriff carries to
Frankfort, whereas it costs the county Of
Fayette only sl5 or $50. During the
fscal year from which the Teomdn cal
culates, Fulton is charged with four
unfortunate" under this head, which
forces this one item up to sI,303 90
Add to this our excessive mileage for
kv~a,-7---s--ss,..-., ss-.,-.,s. 1,~s.
an Offset Tor the Revenue defeit.. Mic
the same propor,ionate allowances 10 the
estimates for the other seven counties,
sod the net Revenue received from the
Purchase instead % being sl6,163 81.
would be double that amount.
Besides, these counties are forced to
this extraordinary mileage in carrying
subjects TO the other State Institutions
The reader will, therefore, see, that If the
Purchase counties were only attended
with the same expenses as attend Central
Kentucky counties, our grass proud
brothers could not taunt US as 'paupers I"
The deficit IS the result of our distance
from the State government. They can
also, see, thar If the Purchase belonged
70 Tennessee, our COMMITTEES would be
chargeable with only about one third or
fourth of said expense. For instance,
the county Of Fulton is charged with
Boo miles mileage to Frankfort and could
be with only loo to Nashville and Full.
ton is the extreme county Of the Pur-
chase.
Again the Teoman's estimate is based
on 1870, which Is especially unfortunate
for the county of Hickman. as the large
deficit Is not sustained by previous years,
and probably WI never occur again in
The history of that county. 10 1869 the
lit;le county of Fulton instead of being
paSper, paid into the treasury net reye-
nue. to the amount of s739 30, which
shows that to judge her revenue BY 1870
is unjust
The payments made By the State in
our behalf and chargesble in the bill OF
expenditures is right and proper, and yet
it must be apparent that, if we had a
Slate Government 400 miles nearer to US
rs is the Teunessee capital, instead of
being a mutual tax, the State aud coun
ties would be mutual profit to each
other.
Again, this deficit is attributable to
the failure Of Kentucky to protect taxa
bic property in the Purchase. For in
stance, the value of town lots in Fulton
for 1870 is s165 40. in 1869 it was
s171 1855. in 1868 $3.50, sos. In Hick-
man county in 1870 the valuation Of
same was s236,621, in 1863 S27f,6
This shows constant Depreciation, not
withstanding the business prosperity of
our towns, and which depreciation has
continued for several years-ever since
the Mississippi commenced its fearful at
lacks upon the river fronts of Hickman
aud Columbus. IF Kentucky had have
granted the $4,000 assistance to these
towns prayed for, she would have secured
many times the amount in revenue.
Has her assistance to Kentucky and
Licking Rivers, and other Upper Ken
lucky appropriations prO6ied her as
much?
Again, up to short time passed the
system OF revenue assessment in Ken
lucky has operated .disadvantageously to |
our counties. Heretofore, nonresident
owners of lands were permitted to list
IN the county where the owner resided,
Which caused the taxes on many acres