The Hickman courier., 1878-04-19

The people complain, and many
times justly, of the burdens Of taxa
ton, federal, state, county, city aud
'own. The public are educated by
political orators ard writers to fully
understand ard feel the burdens from
such sources. We have. at times,
thought that the people of West Ken
tucky were disposed 10 exaggera'e such
grievances. In some shape the people
get gu d pre- gro, for such taxaiions
a., for Instance. the benefits Of law and
government, in he protection Of So
ciety, life, liberty and property
These sources Of taxation, added on
to the hundreds of voluntary iaxation-
that our people impose upon them
selves. the all Of which is taken from
the earnings of our people and sent to
other sections. and the wonder j. that
we are not literally crushed and ruined
/ financially
The tendency Of nearly everything
Is to drain the country communi'ie,
Of money aud dya.c it TO the larger
cities.
Take for Instance the Masonic order
the oldest and most venerable Of all
our institutiops-and perhaps equally
as worthy in all its objects, aims, pur
poses and works, as any. Each mem
Der throughout the State and through
out the United States pays annually
from 81 to 50 per head, sshieh-"H1onn'r
20 TO the Grand safe and National
Lodges in ,he)farge cities, to sa'nry
officers apI other expenses. In tic
AGGREGATE throughout the whole coun-
ty)the Masons pay thousands and
thousands Of dollars, which Of course
is carried out Of the country into he
large cities.
Again. We see it stated, that The
Grange organization. paid the round sum
Of two million dollars, collected annual
.y off of individual members, and sent
ou to their grand State aud National
headquarters Take the Odd Fellows
and they pay like voluntary tax, !
amounting 10 thousands annually .
which drifts to the same conters
Take the Kuigbts of Honor, aud .
hey pay, perhaps, larger aggregate.
because of the life insurance feature
with their order
Take, for Instance, all the different
" orkipemens Societies, of which
here are many, aud they all pay such
az, which is annually gathered W
rom the country.
There are none Of the organizations
f the day that are not 50 organized .
Even the churches, through their
Missionary collections, occupy precise .
y the same situation and relation
Take the Lille Insurance companies.
IRE companies, etc, and Uha, fear
al tax on the country. Trne, the To-
ality draws some return from iusur
nee, but nothing to campare with the
mount drawn from US. If Fulton
ounty, or auy county, could see the
xact figures, that the voluntary tax
aid to all such sources by our people,
segregated annually, it would a'tound
very body, and the complaint as to
axes for government purposes would
ale into insiguidcance
Let any citizen make the calculations +
dding all this aggregate to our county
'ealth, annually, instead of sending
broad, aud how long will it take for
ur county, individually and collect
vely, to grow rich? Herein the
Northern cities have been far more far
eeing than We. They have managed /
0 have all these sources bringing
money into their locality for invest
lent, whereas. with Us it all goes out .
I'd tr m 2.
Now, all these institutions are good /
nd noble, and let no one understand .
he writer as opposed to any Of them.
Jpon the contrary We bid each a God
peed. But if our people would main
ain such institutions IN aud among .
themselves, sending no money off ex~
ept it brings back valuabla equiva-
ent, the means thus husbanded would T.
make us:all rich.
Such things have au almost iuextri
able grasp upon the country, and
hese Institutions are near and dear to
he people, aud in every direction we
ee good and only good flowing from
hem socially and morally, and no one
ould wish to retard their usefulness;
'ut, it is possible to preserve all this
ptact, and then by cooperation to
husband all these vast resources, and
be ssme beuifcent work go on, bles-
ing those that give as we'll as those