Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-01-12

property, at $0,J1c, 1873. DcliiS the
eighth county in the State in amount
of taxable property. I'd: Number
of taxpayers, 1851; of this number
1926 are property taxpayers, and
1886 pay only poll tax, if that.
Sd. OF the 8, 265 property tax payers,
only pay tax on over $50, 000, 900
worth of property; end only Is on
over SI5, 900 worth Of property; and
only 56 on over $4,000 worth of
property; and =, 73O pay on over SO, :
600 worth of property, and under
$1,000 worth of property. Now does
this look like oppression to such an
extent that it cannot and ought not
to be borne, when only So taX-pay-
ers out of 5,6j1 pay to the State as
much rs so per annum, and Il very
large majority pay only So? And
it cannot be said that this county is
an exception, nor that the assessment
is too low or an unfair one, for the
Comptroller's report shows that that
wear the lands in Bedford county
were assessed higher per acre than
those of any county in East TenneS-
see, and higher than any but one in
West Tennessee, and higher than
any but three in Middle Tennessee.
In other words, there are but four
counties i'm the State where the lands
are taxed higher than in Bedford,
and in two of these, Williamson
and Maury, bnt fraction more.
But a more astonishing fact than
all, and which shows cOnclusively
that by far the greater portion of
the personal property of the State
DayS no tax whatever; in the cOun-
fy of Bedford, with a tax list of 1851
tax-payers, only 361 taxpayers on
personal property. Oppressive tax
atiOni Taxation amounting to con-
fiscatiOn! When not half the prop
erty is taxed at all, and half the
people pay no tax whatever, and
the lowest rate of taxation upon the
remainder of any State in the Union.
And right here let me say, to the
credit of the good people of that
good county, and am proud to rep
resent such a people, they pay their
taxes as promptly, and have as few
delinquents, as any county in the
State. Her collectors may prove de-
faulters, but her people never. But
how is it in other counties ? Are
they taxed heavier than in Bedford,
or is it the reverse? Let us see.
Take the rich little county of Moore,
the home of and so ably represented
on this floor by my distinguished
friend, the gentleman from Lincoln,
made up i'm part of territory taken
from Bedford. The territory was
assessed, when a part of Bedford, at
SI5.79 Der acre, and in Moore at
57.97. No richer soil, no better
stock, and no more thrifty and in
dustrious people in the State, and
still how do they pay taxes in this
ace of tax tyranny. Hear the fig
ures, and say whether they can pay
them and live. The Textbook of
that county shows that there are 734
property taxpayers, of this number
ONLY two pay on $4,000 worth of
property, and only four pay on over
s., 600 worth of property, and only
70 on over $1,000, and 1853 pay on the
enormous sum of $500, making the
theaVerage taxpayer pay on SS4O.3l,
or in other words, pay a tax of 1886,
with the rate of taxation at 40 cents.
And still my jealous friend has alb
solutely worked himself up to that
pitch that he graVely argues here,
and has tried to make his people be-
lieve at home that an average tax
of 1886 upon those of his county
who pay taxes amounts to cOntisca-
ton.
And now, Mr.. Speaker, l have
given these two counties aS an Illus
tration of how the assessments are
made upon our property, and the
amount of taxes paid by the citi-
Zens of this State, and present this
showing to any fair-minded man in
the State, and appeal to him to
know If, in the light of these unde-
niable facts, we can claim with
truth, to say nothing of property,
our inability to pay?
No argument Is necessary to sup
port them, they speak with the
tongue of eloquence and the con-
victiOn of truth. They viii ever
stand forth to show the great injus-
ticc and wrong that has been perpe-
trated in their name.
Then we insist that we have
shown that it Is n valid and just
debt, and that the State has the
ability to pay, and the only remain
ing question is, will she do it?
I tremble, sir, when | think of the
responsibility resting upon this Gen
eral Assembly. Some may make
sport of the idea even of payment,
and glory openly in the reputation
of an honest debt that Is made easy
because there is no power to enforce
its collection Others, with more sol
emn demeanOr, and even with con-
victions of right and duty, may OBJ
stinately determine that "Repudi-
atiOuD shall be written in inetface-
able characters upon the chapter of
Tennessee history that we are this
day making, and it may be done.
But, sir, after a most searching eX-
animation for weeks into the char
aCter and history of this Indebted
ness, | stand here to-day as an hum
bic citizen of Tennessee to enter my
solemn protest against the perpetra-
ti0n of what seems to me to be so
great a wrong, the evil effects of
which will permeate the ranks of
our society, and tell for succeeding
generations. / have no hope, sir,
that anything that / may say will
have the effect to avert the calamity
or To change the direction of those
who may differ with me, but ] shall
always nave the proud and happy
consciousness of knowing that what
little influence that l could exert
was favorable to the preservation of
the honor and credit of my State
and people. With the disposition
to give every gentleman here credit
for honesty of purpose, claim the
same charity fOF my own acts.
have striven to do my duty in
this matter, to my country and to
my God, and let the consequences
be what they may, if the fair name
of Tennessee is furnished with the
stain of Reputation, truthful his
tory will reveal that l was no par
ticipant i'm it; but if compromise
4saIike honorable to the State and
lust and equitable to her creditors"
is accepted, and this veXatiOus queS-
ton is forever put to rest thereby,
l want the same truthful history to
record my vote in its favor.
liz, sir, this was debt that had
been contracted in waging TenneS-
sees part of that great struggle that
cOnvulSed this country from center
TO circumference, there might be a
,,I,, ,,ra-aDtnd with some DlaUSa bill