Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-02-07
SAC, 900 Appropriated by the State for the
Clifton and Knoxville Railroad.

EDITORS CHRONICLE: By referring to
| the Acts of the General Assembly for 1867
8, there will be found an appropriation for
| this road of $4,000 by the State, of East
Tennessee and Georgia Railroad stock,
owned by the State. The road was then
called the Knoxoille, Sevierville and Big
Pigeon Road. )See page l74-5, secs. 40 land
Al chap. lxxXi, Acts lS67-S.) What we
have said upon this subject has not been
said to tickle the fancy of few people in
one corner of jefferson county. But we
deal in facts and figures, to benefit all four
counties interested and the whole country.
We indeed should feel melancholy if we
knew we had not friend, an interest, or
an idea, beyond our immediate neighbor-
hood or corporation limits. Progress and
improvement are the notices of free gov
eminent and the principles of the civilized
world. And their wheels will roll on over
every obstacle, though their free progress
may be somewhat impeded by n little
mud, labelled Jefferson county.
The article in your issue of January
23d on the cambridge and Messy Creek
Narrow Guage is very good sunday read
ing, but it is like the subject it was writ
ten upon, tits dead letterand dead issue.
Consequently, on behalf of the friends of
the Clifton and Knoxville road, we Will
state, we have no time to waste in reply
ing to dead letters and issues. Neither do
we propose to exhibit little enough sagaci-
ty to be dccOyed away from the object of
our true interest. Owing to lack of so
much fair explanation, we here expose to
public gaze a few more facts and figures
that are not generally known, even in old
Jefferson 1t will be remembered that in
1854, when the railroad tax was levied,
that the part of Jefferson county south OF
Bays mountain, that is now so earnestly
contending for the Clifton and Knoxville
road, paid tax on within - OF S43, 900
worth of property more than the north
side did, through which the railroad now
passes.
At that time they received $50, 900
worth of bonds, to draw 6per cent. interest
for 80 years, which when added to the
principal, makes $4,000. Besides in
1SG7-6S the Legislature appropriate East
Tennessee and Georgia Railroad stock
owned by the State to the amount of S-54, :
600, for the purpose Of building other rail-
roads and turnpikes that would be feeders
to the railroad on that side of the noun
$4,000 that that side of the mountain
has enjoyed the benefit of in the
building and improving of her roads,
while not cent of public money has, so
far rs ! know, ever been spent on the south
side of the mountain. 1t may be crafty
ing to know that $4,000 railroad stock,
appropriated by the State as the law says
SACluSlNClJ III 1lAC pulpO7SC 81
railroad from cambridge to Messy Greek,
was judiciously expended on one-half mile
of turnpike road within the corporate linn
its of one of their villages.
And now a few 1--WE do not charge it upon
the high toned masses) who have enjoyed
the public teat so richly, do not want to
take the old plan of laboring to make
money to educate their children with, but
have got the cheek, after receiving $l94 900
of public funds, TO ask for the remaining
$3.50 stock we have got in the East Ten
nessee and Virginia Railroad, that they
indeed may make Solons of their sons and
! daughters.
Great God and shall it ever be
That we poor mortals have come to this?
We refer not to this matterin any odious
point of view. We helped you roll logs
! eighteen years ago; now you have an OPP
portunity to exhibit that high sense OF
gratitude that should characterize man.
kind. OF all sins, ingratitude is the un,
pardonable one. Apply the golden rule.
| PRO BONO PUGLICO.