Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1875-02-03
AN rnPoRrANr suBsEur.
" Yonng America {" ON Roads aud I'm
migration.


migration.
We have flood of correspondents
on the Road Question" The peo-
pie are wide awake. One correspon-
dent says
10 the Editors Of The CSroaiele:
why in the name of High Heaven
don't our Representatives put these
Cunvicts to work on those things that
will improve the State aud one of
these, If not the only one, is Public
Roads. Out OF the great number of
men who live outside of the corpor-
alton aud who are able 10 work on the
road, between the age Of IS and AZ,
nine-tenjhs are exempted. need not
tell you why. The others have to, as
a matter of course, work on the road
at least six days a year whereas IL at
were compelled to work, there wouli
only be one or two days work and the
roads be two hundred per cent. better.
And | know this much, If cOnvicts
can be hired for forty cents, fed for
twenty-five cents, that every man
would toe willing To he taxed rather
than work himself. You will find ou-
jectiOn to this,nO doubt, but please take
notice. The men who will grumble
are not the men who are forced to
work, but those who are either over
age and plenty of property and those
men who are exempted" Like the
men who to-day entertain bitter feel
ings toward the North or South are
apt 10 be feather-bed soldiers, or some
one who has had soft snap and made
money, ard not the hard working,
hard fighting soldier.
My friend H" has shown you
what public roads will do for the State,
and my proposition would be to make
the convicts from each county work
on that county's road. THIS is the
only way we can get back the money
we have spent to arrest, try and con-
Wet them at a heavy cost, and If we
can not get it ali back we can ut least
stop it from going into private, indi-
vidual pockets as it does now, giving
the profits to convict employees, -
and not to the State.
Only one word more and / will close.
Much money has been spent to en-
courage immigration. And, Messrs.
Editors, you have done more than
your share in this, but no man will buy
ldHh Al ilt n hO"S ne 10 btllk ClidiEth
double price. No man will come
here to our State, II refer now more
particular to other sections shan our
own free eastern part, leave State
where he was free to express his own
opinion, although they were different
from the opinion of others, without
the fear of the knife or pistol, and
when the State Furnishes a. well as
making an effort 10 try the peTpetra-
tors of these violences, when men may
know they will be protected by the law,
then and not till then will we get
that immigration that has been 80
long looked and hoped for. The kind
of immigration we wants not 50 much
labor, but capital. To obtain this. every
city, county, and town must Offer
some inducement in the way of help
and money, not double priced lOca-
tons. and II perchance they DO not
have money enough 10 90 on in their
business, not charge them II TO p per
cent year for to lend them little.
No, sir; if we would be prosperous
people, if We would see our State
stand out prominent among the other
States, we must have good pUJHc
schools, good pU5Lic roads and punish
the breakers of the law, so that be
would come-may come, and feel that
he is among friends aud brethren.
You've AMERICA.