The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-05-16

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Several hundred prominent citizens of
Hickman county have issued an addI ess 10
the citizen OF that county, IN favor OF voting
tax to build the Duck River Valley Railroad.
We make an extract from it
To the People Of Hickman CorafD
As vote upon the subject OF Railroads il
to be brought before you soon, we desire to
say q few words 10 YOU on TINS subject, and
to submit the following facts and figures for
your consideration:
First. The estimated taxable property in
Hickman County upon which taxes are as
seSsed is one million, five hundred thOuS-
and dollars. The number of voters upon
which pOil-tGX is levied is one thousand
four hundred. Now, the amount to be as
seSSed on this basis in order to pay the an
nuaI amount OF the County subscription,
which you viii be called on to pay, is 81
cents. ON the hundred dollars worth of
property, and one dOilaron the poll, or eight
dollars and 40 cents on the thousand. Our
New Constitution expressly says that no
county or corporation can levy a tax on the
poll exceeding that of the state and County
tax; therefore, the Railroad tax cannot be
more than one dollar. As tax seems TO DC
the great SCare-croW and The argument used
by some in order to brighten the many, look
at these figures and see for yourselves
whether it is not more the Imagination OF
the brain than reality, that you are to be
ruined if you take this vote. VIII YOU or
not be more able to pay this amount when
YOU have two Railroads running through
The county: for II you never get the Rail-
roads you Will never have 10 pay anything
cone running North and South, and the 9TH
cr running East and West than you can the
following taxes that you are now paying
without single EailrOauf
First. The estimated cropOf peanuts this
year, from reliable facts, is two hundred
thousand bushels: cost ofcarryfDg TO Nash
Vile, say ~ cents per bushUl, which is .
cents per bushel under usual rates. This
makes for getting this crop to market This
year forty thousand dollars, leaving out
your cotton, pork, beef, cattle and other
stock which you drive on, which, upon
low estimate, will increase the sum $1,000
more, saying nothing of corn, wheat and
rye which you raise that you can't ship al
all. This makes fifty thousand dollars for
the exports; then there are your imports:
hauling back your salt, sugar, coffee, iron,
and farming implements, &C., which YOU are.
compelled To have, Is To be added, which
Will make your taxes that YOU are now pay
ing without Railroads, twenty-five thous-
and dollars more; making in all the costs of
exports and imports, Sevcnt1-tive Thousand
dollars. This ScYcuty-1Ve thousand dollars
is an annual tax upon your toll and indus
try, and comes as certain and unniStakable
as the seasons of sunshine ana rain upon
which you rely 10 make your living. The
cost OF calTy41@ your peanuts per bushel
from Nashville to Cincinnati is about
cents, the cost OF carrying from here to
Nashville by Railroad we will assume is .
cents per bu>hcl, this would make on this
years crop four thousand dollars; deduct
this amount from forty thousand dollars
viii leave thirty-SiN thousand dollars that
you viii have saved on this erUp.llone; say
ing nothing about what the difference Of
cOSt Uy wagons anu K1llIDdu cotton.
pork aud other produce which YOU would
ship to market. The value of Railroads to
producers is shown by the following Illus
tratiOu from POOrS HALLWAY Manual rTbc
cost of transporting Indian corn and wheat
on ordinary highways viii equal ~ cents
per ton per line. So that at ya!uv of -
cents per huShel for corn. and one dollar
and 4 half per bushel for wheat they will
only bear transportation I25 and $50 miles
respectively. on a Railroad tile cost OF
transportation equals l. cents per ton per
value can hardly he calculated. The cost
OF building the roads upon which YOU are
called TO vote will be from ten thousand to
twelve thousand dollars per mile complete
according to the best estimates,
The terms upon which the county SUBJ
scriptiun viii be taken is that no bonds are
TO be issued until sufficient stock is taken
including this subscription TO grade crsss-
tie, and bridge the road. We have asSIir-
ance of the most reliable character, that the
work upon the jackson and Tennessee River
road tapping the Tennessee River at Old
PerryVille, at which point the North and
South Road running through thls county
up Cane Creek and by Iinewdad Factory
will connect, viii be put under contract to
the Tennessee River by summer if not Soon
err. This branch of the Duck River Valley
RAILROAD will connect with the Princeton
and GAINESVILLE Railroad ON the Northwest
ern tiallrQad al point near SmeedesviIle
or lsiliom's station. MARSHALL County has
already transferred one hundred and fifteen
thousand dollars other Bonds to the main
line of the Duck River Valley Railroad.
i'''T tdiNNih my AllOA%llAtA NtOA-
lars TO the main line. ana il Is Nith Ycu fol-
low-cittzens, to decide Wheli:S r YOU will. I'm.
ger your present {itnl:ulties, OF renoteness
from lIlalfeGt5 nat diit roads and iucIenent
weather which you are now. and have been
exposed, III getting produce 10 market, Join
IN ana peconte one among your sister conn
Ties al the present suspicious moment fpI
heipng TO confer upon yourselves lasting
ana permanent advantages, which YOU. Of
all Others 50 much need, We say in all sin-
certify and truth, that Ii we lot Tho present
opportNhit% escape Us to deliver ourselves
rom the Disadvantages and difficulties that
We are laboripg under that all hope for am
other successful effort IL gone. We are the
last among yea who would desire TO impose
hnrdan upon our county and peAple.
without being fully Convinced that il would
inurc TO the lasting benefit and advantage Of
ourselves and posterity.