Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-12-11
SHALL WE LOSE OUR OPPORTUNITY

Tennessee stands to-day before the peo-
pie of this country as the most promisi ng
of the Southern States. Her vast unde-
veloped mineral wealth has been widely
discussed and is everywhere conceded. We
believe that heretofore the exclusive sec
tional spirit manifested by many of her
people has paralyzed her industrial inter
ests. Ithung over our people as the fatal
pestilence that occasionally lays its destruc-'
tive hand on the crowded city or filthy
camp. 1trepelled men who conceded what
our prosperity might be in the future, but
who feared it might be long coming. But
since the fell spirit of Bourbonism
was driven out at the last cleo
ton the clouds have cleared away and
we are greatly encouraged to believe they
will never again darken our prospects. AS
a people we have thrown off the poison
Gus political malaria and we stand to-day
stronger, more hopeful, than ever. Very
few of our readers, perhaps, realize the inn
portance OF this change, but we are in po~
sition to see it and appreciate it every day.
Our exchanges, the whole country over,
speak more kindly and favorably of our
people. They see a change has taken
place and they comment upon it as hope
full of our future. People who have been
looking here for homes but who have been
waiting for assurances for the future, now
feel more determined to cast their lot with
as. The CHRONICLES articles about East
Tennessee are read with renewed
interest as was stated in the letter publish
ed yesterday from New York. We received
during the last half of November and thus
far in December four letters from the
North, subscribing for our WEEKLY and
enquiring about our lands and climate, to
where we received one during the late
political campaign. There are three times
as many strangers in East Tennessee pros
pecting for homes as there were before the
election. All this is encouraging and we
are glad to report it,
But there is one danger we must now
avoid. These people who are looking for
homes in East Tennessee know the value
OF lands and they will not pay fancy
prices. We want to see our people get fair
prices for their farms and know enough Of
human nature to know they will ask it.
But we know, too, of men, large land
holders, who advance their price every time
a stranger comes in sight of their farms.
This is not only not business like, but it is
absolutely suicidal. Every sensible man
knows we have too much idle land. and
if we could force it to be sold at fair prices
1t would not only be better for the public,
but 1t would be far better for the owner.
There are men about Knoxville and other
points in East Tennessee who have held
real estate for fifty years, waiting for high
prices, such as they might expect if the
city had forty thousand people, or East
Tennessee had million. They would wait
fifty years longer for such prices if every
body would pursue their policy. The
time for us to grow Is here. The time for
our population and our industries to null
tlply is at hand, prOuided we act like sensi-
BILE people. The farmer does not harvest
unless he sows; and we can not prosper
unless we encourage immigration by offer
ing our land at reasonable prices Public
sentiment can do much in this mat
ter We know of men going away
from East Tennessee because they are
dT'uen away by high prices. We know
the value of land and we know the prices
demanded from them are too high and
more than would be asked of neighbors.
Now, If our people can not see that such
course is ruinous and wrong, we have not
yet passed the point where We begin the
onward march. If we improve the oppor-
tunity now offered, East Tennessee will
increase its population this winter by
thousands and lay the foundation for a
prosperity as great az any predicted in
these columns.