Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-05-08

EDe fM3lNufaGtUEAm& A8t8OhABA AAAe n.S
IN GaIIaszn- Ootson- W ooE-FH E1ners
Iheir Presperity The Beauty Of
their Residences and GrOunds-Ex-
ubernmt Grassss-Fine StOck-Rare
EHouexa No COtt0n-PeOpIe Ripe for
SehOOIs-Prfvafe, NO Public Schools
-Improvements Going on Negro
Farmhng- hospitality Of tIEe PeoEfe.
The people of Sumner county are
awakening to the necessity of providing
additional means of transportation for her
products. They have recently voted $780,
600 for the Cumberland and Ohio road,
and, as Barren county, KY, on SATURDAY
| last voted 4 like sum there Is no longer any
doubt as to its being built at an early day
as far As Gallstin. AS to the direction it
will take after getting to that place depends
j altogether upon the relative subscriptions
] in the counties of Wilson and Rutherford
on the one hard or Davidson on the other.
If the merchants and business men of
/ Nashville feel that such road viii multi
| ply their sales they will doubtless exert their
energies to have the road terminate here.
/ If onAhe other hand the counties of VIII
! son and Rutherford bid high to have the
road intersect their counties, giving Nash
vile the 90 by, and open up TO the world
their immense timber and agricultural re-
sources they can have it continued. At all
events Gallatin is sure TO be benefited.
Nor is this the only road likely to ira
verse the county Of Sumner. The Ovens
boro and RusSellyille Road, passing
through Cross Plains in Robertson county,
win intersect the Louisville and Nashville
Railroad at Gallatin, and prove of an i'm
mense benefit to the whole country through
which It will pass, inasmuch as it will open
up inexhaustible coal fields in Southern
Kentucky, and insure for Gallatin what
she already promises to be without it, the
position of one of the best manufacturing
towns in the State. Her success in manu-
featuring is already wonderful, when it is
remembered to what extent she suffered
during the war under the atrocious and
bloody rule Of Gen. Payne. The cotton
factory, under the energetic management
of its chief owner, III. Fitzgerald,
is turning out about 3,50O yards of
heavy sheeting per day. 1t employs about
one hundred operatives, and consumes
about 1,600 lbs. of raw cotton per day.
Eighty-four looms and four thousand spin
dies fill the air with their clacks and buzz
zings, and make the scene one of great vi
tally and energy. The very atmosphere is
pregnant with industry, and the operatives
catch insensibly the quiet movements of
the machinery, they manage. The most
inveterate sold fogy" cannot look upon
such busy scene without shaking off some
of the rhine that has encrusted and frozen
all his actions and thoughts.
Mr.. Fitzgerald says be finds no difficulty
in getting plenty of labor at ordinary pri-
ces, Good weayers get six dollars per week,
and ordinary spinners four. We observed
a few young negro boys managing the
spinning mules, but they are not so atten-
tive or reliable as the white boys, and
are more disposed to waste their
time in talking. An addition of
twenty Mason looms has recently been
made to the establishment, which, by their
celebrity Of movement, are capable of doing
at least One-fourth more work. The whole |
establishment is driven by an engine of one |
hundred and twenty horse power. 1t oc-
cupies an immense amount of room, |
large amount of which could be saved if |
the engine recently patented by Mr.. Freyer,
Of Nashville, could be substituted.
In addition to this manufacturing estab- |
lishment, Mr.. Nicholson has wool factory |
that is working up into the best jeans and |
cassimeres large quantity of wool.
rapidly from the effects of the war as is evil |
denced by the neat and tasty appearance of |
their farms. We remember no place in the |
State where so many fertile farms in high |
state of cultivation can be found as in the |
semielliptical valley in which Gallatin is |
situated. The best fences, the richest |
clover, the most luxuriant blue grass, the |
best stables, the neatest farm houses, the |
purest living water, the most beautiful |
Woodlands carpeted with a green sward, |
over which roam improved breeds of cattle |
and sheep and goats and other domestic |
animals. All these things may be seen
upon each of the nine turnpikes that enter |
Gallatin. In ride of several |
hours no CHASTITY gullies met the sight; no |
dilapidated buildings, no rotten fences. |
Flower gardens filed with the choicest va
rieties ofplants and The rarest exotics, which |
loaded the air with their rich perfumes, |
were to be seen on every hand. Every |
thing pleased the eye and denoted thrift, |
prosperity and contentment. And the rea-
son of all this is plain to be seen. The |
people of Sumner have not contraVened |
the established laws Of nature by an insane
attempt to raise cotton. The farmers rely |
upon stock, upon hay and corn and oats |
for their crops. And although they may
not handle as much money during the year
as a cotton planter, they will retain more !
in the end.
The people are ripe for a good system of
public schools, and sufficient tax for that |
purpose was levied and its operation post
poned through some cause until the follow
ing year. The most intelligent men feel the |
need of such a system. The attractive
scenery which environs the city has but |
few charms to an industrious and intelli- |
gent man unless his children have the bene-
fits of mental culture. This is all that Sum-
ner county needs to be one of the foremost
counties in the State. There are many ex-
cellent private schools of high order in
operation. Not less than seven are kept up
IL the town Of Gallatin, two Of which are col
cred. But they may be ever so good,
yet they cannot supply the want felt
by the Industrious but poor man.
Instances Of their necessity occur nearly
every day, some Of which were graphically
related to your correspondent by promln-
ent citizen. The best men will not 90
where there are no schools, and the sooner
this fact p realized by our people the better
for them.
A great many houses have been erected |
during the past year-mOre indeed than the
twenty previous, and lots recently sold sAow
a considerable increase in the value of real
estate during the past year-a refutation of
the hurtful dogma that heavy taxes diminish
the selling price of property. The truth is,
good live tax, properly expended in multi
plying the means of intercourse with the
world and in the elevation and instruction
of society will not only enable the
taxpayer TO meet his taxes more readily
and promptly, but will increase the value
of his property. The negroes of Sumner
county are making some movements in the
right direction. Many of them have gone
earnestly to work, and are becoming peace
ful, worthy citizens. A farm containing
fifty acres, owned by Alilas Randolph, and
situated just in the edge of town, is model
of neatness and high culture. BE has
made quite a reputation as a successful
farmer, and one year made forty bushels of
wheat to the acre, when the best farmers
in the country made only fifteen. Such
thrift and industry as this deserve
to be encouraged, and the negroes showed
their good sense by electing him President
of their Agriculture. and Mechanical As
sociation-the grounds for which are ad-
joining his farm.
Cboneprv Co1lrt ia now in session