The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1877-12-19

The Government ought to suppress:
the illicit distilleries or permit Mr.
| Greene to make and sell without any
taxation whatever. This DistillerJ
furnishes a frst-rate home marke
for the surplus grain raised in Lee
Valley as an evidence of this corr
is worth as much there to-day as i
is at the depot at Rogersville o.
Whitesburg.
Next we called on Col. w w
Willis, and spent one night will
him. He owns a very large landed
estate in this valley. His soil i.
rich and produces bountiful crops
If there was any market at all fol-
land in this country the Colone
ought to sell off ten or twelve thou
sand dollars worth, and use the mon
ey in putting the remainder in a
high state of cultivation, getting &
good set of choice grass and pur
chasing fine blooded stock. His
wsuld be a splendid place to raise
Durham cattle and blooded horses
There are many other citizens
along the. same valley who have
first-rate farms--some of them in ex
cellent condition, showing that the
owners are industrious frugal, mer
and coed farmers. Whenever mon
ey again becomes plentiful and
business active the land in Lee Val
ley will be very valuable.
The subject of good reads across
! the mountains is one which these
people are vitality interested in
The present make-shift for a turn
pike is a humbug and failure. On
the south side of the mountain il
does very well as dirt road, for its
bed is sand and never gets muddy,
but the moment you pass the top
you strike rich ground-black soil
and when a rainy spell comes no
human or horse has ever been able
to reach the bottom OF the mud.
Some of the citizens of that valley
have joined in with those further on
towards Kentucky in an endeavor to
Macadamize the route across the
mountains, and for this purpose have
organized company and are selling
shares at one dollar a piece. A
ticket can be obtained by applying
to Col. Greene. Some ten or twelve
thousand have been disposed Of, as
wei 1t certainly is TO be hoped
the gentlemen engaged in the enter
prise will succeed in raising means
sufficient to construct a good road,
for it is badly, badly needed.
We heard but little talk among
the people about politics in any way.
They all complain of the hard times
and the scarcity of money. They
are all anxious for Congress and the
Administration TO do something to
relieve them from their present en-
barrassment. They complain fierce,
ly that-a few men in the Union have
grown rich off of the land-holders
and the laborers, and they are look
ing forward anxiousIy to the time
when the present oppressive policy
Of the Federal Government will be
changed.
As to State politics, there was but
little said. The people seem will
ing for their Representatives to
wrestle with the bond-holders and
to make the best terms with them
they possibly can. They are more
concerned about where the money
is to come from to pay their taxes
in the next sixty days than they are
as to whether the bOnd-holders shall
get a new hand at 60 cents or so
cents.
There is some talk occasionally
about the elections for Judges and
County officers next summer, but
only in a quiet way. Nearly every
body is opposed to mixing up
politics with our local and judicial
elections, and every man we speak
to upon the subject objects to a par
ty Convention to nominate a candi-
date for Judge and Attorney -Gener-
al. In this idea, we cordially agree
with them and hope no such Con-
vention will be held. Let all the
lawyers who wish to be Judges come
out in gang and run for it. The
man that gets the most votes will be
elected, and the people will be just
as apt TO choose an upright. able
man, as partizan Convention could
do. About one-half or two-thirds of
the young lawyers in the circuit and
some Of the old ones. are candidates
for'Attorney-Geleral. They ought
to be permitted to run the race out
to the end and not be clicked off by
a caucus.
Perhaps it wo Id interest our readers
to know the origin of Clinch river and
Clinch mountain. We briefly explain.
In June, 1861, Colonel Grant, with some