Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-05-03
LETTER FROM ASHLAND. CITY.

winch, with your PERMISSION, L now
propose to do.
First, the assessed value of real es-
tate for the year 1872 is 962, 700, which
is very low estimate; am certain not
half, and perhaps not exceeding one
third, of the market value of the land
as | have noticed some tracts Of land
valued as ten dollars, that could not be
bought for three times that amount.
For the same year there was only as
sessed for taxation little over $50, 600
of personal property. The amount of
taxes assessed for that year for county
purposes was 81, 492, besides privilege
taxes.
There are only three tipping houses
in our county. This. by the way, is
good sign for the sobriety of our peo-
pie. Our county debt is about 81 200,
to meet which we have town lots un-
disposed of, and balance of purchase
money on those heretofore sold, 5000;
and past due taxes, unsolicited, say
81 800, which puts our county on safe
financial basis. Three years ago county
warrants sold for fifty cents in the dol
lar. They now pass as currency dollar
for dollar.
Education seems to be ina anguish
ing condition We have no organized
system of public instruction. and only
few private schools, and they not as
well patronized as they should be. 1t
is to be hoped, however, that the time
is not far distant when we will have
comfortable school-houses, and well
conducted schools in every neighbor-
hood in the county, which we feel will
be the case if there is not retrograde
movement in the school question. The
State tax for school purposes together
with that levied by the County Court,
40 cents on the hundred dollars, one
dollar on the poll, and tax on all
privileges equal to the State tax will
raise fund sufficient to greatly increase
the educational advantages heretofore
enjoyed by our people. The County
Court, at its April session, whether
wisely or not remains to be seen, de-
ierred the election of County Super
intendent until July.
Our church facilities are greatly in
advance of our school facilities, there
being one or more houses of worship
with regularly organized bodies of wor-
shippers of convenient access to al
most every neighborhood. The Meth
dist seem to be more numerous than
any other, or at least we can call to
mind more churches of that than any
other denomination, while Baptist
Primitive, Missionary and Free-will-
Cumberland Presbyterians and Re-
formers are scattered around so as to
make diversity of religious creeds.
As general thing our people occupy
that position which Agur had in view
when he prayed that he might have
neither poverty nor riches" being
neither the upper nor lower crust of
society, but maintaining the happy
mean that is preferable to extremes in
all things, possessing all the virtue,
honesty and integrity of both without
the vanity of the former OF the vices of
the latter. They are hospitable and
kind, never saying to friend, if you
ever pass in a mile of my house stop
and stay all night" but they say,
come to my house, and l will give you
the best | have, and if you go they
will be as good as their word, as we
know from experience. They are a
hard working, Industrious people, make
what they use. live at home and board
at the same place, and it is a rare
thing to find any man, young or old,
loafing around without any definite OBJ
iect in view. They live pretty much
in primitive style. And while at
church you would not see so many
gew-gaws and as much fashion dis
played by the ladies, noras many gold
headed canes, or lavender kids, or
stOve-pipe hats, or make believe gold
fob chains sported by young gentlemen.
as you would see in more fashionable
localities, yet they ride good horses,
and their devotional exercises are not
disturbed by the specters of unpaid
merchants bills fitting athwart their
mental visions.
la the matter of agricultural opera
tons they are decidedly primitive
Those improved and labor saving i'm
plements of husbandry so common in
some parts are almost unknown among
us. The thresher and separator, i'm
. provements on the threshing floor and
fail, make up our greatest advance
ment in that line. The people still
cling tenaciously to the one horse pillow
and the OK cart, carrying us back to
our boyhood days, when double pillow
or horse or mule team drawing a
wagon was a sight more to be won
dered at than a steamboat or locomo-
tive of the present day. Since the es-
! adjustment of a tobacco market at
this place and the erection of Touring
mills, there has been considerable in
crease in the annual productions of
wheat and tobacco, and now there is a
considerable amount of each of these
commodities raised for expectation
The amount of bacon shipped from our
county is an item of no small consid-
Grafton, and in addition, the quantity
of timber, such as boards, slaves, hoop
poles, sawed lumber, and cord wood, if
correctly and fully counted up, would
amount to quite snug sum. Besides,
Cheatham county is noted for the great
number of -four and whisky barrels
made and exported.
One great drawback to the prosperity
of our county is the wretchedly bad
condition of our roads. We have only
one turnpike in the county, and. the
dirt roads are so bad that when the