Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-04-12
QUARTERLY MEETING OF THE
COUNTY COURT.
ATragIcaI Interruptioll

The regular quarterly meeting of ths
County Court took place at the temporary
Court House date the Baptist Church) on
Monday, the 18th inst, Judge @. w. Tyler
presiding.
This meeting was attended by considerably
over the average number of Magistrates, the
following gentlemen answering to their
names: Esquires Ewing, Rollow, KilIebrew,
Molloy, Herring, Rogers. Slaughter, d. L.
Smith, W. c. Smith, Cummings, Howard,
| Frederick, Watson, Crotzer, Patrick, Cobb,
Caldwell, Read, Ransdale, Stewart, Ander-
son, g. Smith, Harper, Organ, Trotter,
Mockbee, Martin, MeFall, Wilson, station,
MeCauley, Powers, Vaughan and Wilson.
In aHS4.
The minutes of the meetings held on jan
9th and Jan. 10th wero read and approved.
The petition of g. Faxon for reimburse
ment of over taxation. referred to the Com
mittee ON Releases.
The report of the Committee on Releases
appointed at last quarterly meeting was
then read. On motion for its adoption Esq.
AIcFan brought up the subject ofexempting
ministers from poll tax. He was not op-
posed to exempting ministers actually en-
gagged in preaching the Gospel, but thought
that some criterion ought to be adopted for
determining who were ministers of the Cos
pei; he thought it ought to be limited to
ministers who were pastors of regularly
established Churches.
Esquire Caldwell thought that many min
listers not pastors of Churches needed this
exemption more and deserved it as much,
men who spent their lives in doing the mis-
sionary work of the Church travelling from
post TO post on very slender pittance. He
moved that all ministers who are regularly
ordained and recognized as such in their
respective Churches be exempted from poll
tax.
DIR. Cobb spoke earnestly in favor of this
motion, and said that while he would assent
to any means which might be devised to de-
feat fraudulent evasion of the taxes by pre-
tenders, he would never consent to tax
men who were giving their lives to the pro-
pagation of theGospel.
The motion of Esquire Caldwell was car
rled by vote of IA to Is.
This vote must not be taken as indicating
that any great number of the Magistrates, if
any, were opposed to the exemption of a
working ministry, but many cases of fraud
We're mentioned in the discussion, and
some means of discrimination were deemed
necessary
The Committees on Roads and Bridges, |
Poor House and Jail Commission were then |
read and approved. The Poor House Com
mittee asked an appropriation of 500 for
next quarter, which was granted. Jail ex-
penses were referred to a special committee.
The report of the Court House Commits
sioners was read by Esquire Slaughter, and
it was moved by DIR. Cobb that the report be
received, ratified, adopted and spread upon
the minutes, except that portion which re-
lates to the resignation of the Hon. c. G.
Smith as a member of the Building Commits
sion.
The report on appropriations was read by
DIR. Cobb. He said that the matter of per-
quisiteS received by the County Judge had
been referred to that committee, but that he
had since understood that legal proceedings
had been commenced in reference to that
matter which relieved the committee from
the duty of reporting upon it.
The rates of tax reported as necessary for
the current year are as follows on the 500: