Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1872-11-21

land Was worth in the county, S5,.
I2l0,092. 1t was now S7,S13,.
82Sr ora gain of two million six
hundred and three thousand sew
en- hundred and seYenty-six dol.
lars; or more than six dollars on
each acre of land Ia tue county.
The decrease, caused by the rail
road, in the cost of the transpor.
tation of farm products and li7e
stock amounted to $l50.000 per
annum. Wheat was worth thirty
cents more in Columbia than in
Lewisburg, and fifty cents more
than at Centerville. There are
100000 busnels of wheat raised
ia Maury county a yeLr, showing
that the people gain actually EACH
year the enormous SUN ot $50,
0OO Un their wheat crop. The
State and county tax amounted
TO 100000, showing that the
Nashville and Decatur road has in.
creased the price of wheat alone
to an extent sufficient to pay the
whole tax. Take the staple pro.
ducts OF the country, and see what
is lost by shipping on wagons. A
farmer near LewiSburg had told
him that it cost him S4.75 per bale
to carry his cotton 10 Nashville
or wagons. II cost only SI.25
to ship a bale from Columbia.
Maury county raised ten thou
sand bales of cotto per We ar, and
hence saved $4,000 dollars on
the shipment OF that staple
The same argument applied TO
Hickman county. Pork in Hick.
man county, where they had no
railroad, was worth two cents per
pound less than in the town OF
Jackson. This is s. 90 lost on
each hog raised. Hickman pro-
duced 5000 head a year ana hence
lost, by not having a railroad,
$4,000 per year in her pork. The
amount that land produced did not
determine its value, but the facil-
tiles ioT shipping TO market reg,
llate it.
Land in Texas Which produced
Is much as Ben. Harlan's was not
as valuable, because there was no
market for the produce it yielded.
Peanuts were worth fourteen cents
A bushel more in Humphreys than
in Hickman county, because there
was railroad to get them to mar
ket on. This makes a difference
Of seven dollars per acre each
year in favor of Humphreys coun-
~. Land might produce three
bales of cotton TO the acre, but if |
it were one thousand miles from
market and had to be carried
here on an OK wagon, 1t would
De worthless. When the n. & D. |
road was first talked about some
people said it would be of no use
% the country. That there was
, good pike to Nashville, and that
ali the mules and live stock were
sent to market. Look what the
'ailroad has done.
Every good business house in
he town has been erected since
he railroad was built; and every
body had market for everything
hey produced.
Columbia, at present, paid one
enth OF the county taxes. Jack
ion, because railroads had made
t SO much larger, paid one fourth
If the tax Of Madison county
md Clarksville for the same rea-
on paid one-third of the taxes OF
Montgomery county. If Colum-
'ia could be quadrupled--and it
;ould-it would pay one-third of
he county tax of Maury county.
f the property OF Columbia
ould be made to amount to S.
100000, which would be the
ase, if roads were built, it would
'ay halfthe county taxes. Every :
'ody was interested in the growth |
= Columbia, because it would re.
luce the county tax aud increase
he value OF all the land in the
ounty. The railroads that. built
Up Memphis didn't cost the State
ne cent. Twenty years ago, Shell
y was a poorer county than
deury, and now paid one-se venth /
f all the tax In the State. Some
'eople said land was too high now
that the taxwas too burdensome.
f they wanted to avoid paying tax
hey could give their property I
way. Tie wished be had $780,
90 of tax to pay. He knew a
ian who was opposed to railroads,
Tho owned three hundred acres of +
ne land near a certain town. He
led. His estate owed about five