Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-12-20
From the Nortbside.

From the NOrthside.
EDITORS CHRONICLE ! am
glad to see the subject of country
roads receiving some attention. Let
GAINESVILLE make the bridges free,
and stop charging tariff on every
thing we take to town, and let us
country people mend our ways, and
il will be to the advantage Of both
of Us. Let us look at the economy
Of the thing: The money that 1t
takes to hire toll-keepers would go
a great way towards keeping up the
roads, if rightly applied; for exam
pie, instead of breaking stone by
hand, let some of these steam thresh-
or men buy Blake's stone crusher,
and take the contract 20 break the
stone ut less than one-third of the
present expense, and make it pay,
too. The question will be asked,
How is this money to be obtained
without charging toll, and how is
the interest on the bridge bonds to
be paid ?'' suggest that subscrip-
ton be,takPn up of so much a year
for so many years (say five) in
GAINESVILLE for the bridges, and in
the country tributary to each road
for the roads. But your humble
servant knows little about raising
money except by mixing its three
cOmp0nents together, viz; earth,
air and labor, and he hopes some of
the smart men Of GAINESVILLE can
devise some better means, If they
will but turn their attention in that
direction. l am confident, howev-
er, judging by myself, that money
might be raised i'm the country in
this way. For who would not rath-
or pay one dollar subscription than
two dollars toll, and it would be
about in that ratio. My toll amounts
to about forty dollars year, and /
would gladly pay twenty dollars a
year for it. II anyone doubts the
benefit to GAINESVILLE, just let him
look ut my case. | live niue miles
from GAINESVILLE and nine from
Guthrie; now fully one-half of my
produce is sold at Guthrie, and one
half of my money spent there, Now
let us abolish the tolls and cOncen-
trate our business at one point, and
dry up these little roadside towns,
whiskey holes, and hog wallOws-
in the interest of morality let us do
it, Free trade, quick sales, and
small profits. Keep the dollars
moving is the order of the day.
So much for the veins and arte-
ties of GAINESVILLE; now for the cap
illaries, our dirt roads. What are
we to do for them ? They certainly
need something. A gentleman
said to me the other day, ''AEe need
some more rOdu IaWs." IlIlz may
be true, but certainly II would be "a
great help, if those we have were
carried out. The property-holders
should see to- it that they are carried
ont; it is simple Justice to them
selves. 1 know the laboring class
object to working the road. / have
had them frequently to put this
question to me: Chow is it that !
have TO work the road, when l new
ar owned a horse OF wagon in my
life, don't travel it, its no use to
me ~ Well, that is SO, and looks
very unjust. But what property
have you? 81 havn'tgot nothing"
me replied. Well, what do you con-
slider yOIUSCY worth? About two
thousand dollars, and l ought to
get two hundred dollars a year, or
one hundred and fifty dollars and
my board How many children
do you send TO the Public School?
Three" Who pays the teacher?
1.-THE County," What taxes do you
pay? "Two dollars" Well, that
Is injustice to me; on every two
thousand dollars l am worth, pay
three or four times that amount,
and il does me no good. L do not
send my children 90 the Public
School, l have no friends in the
poOr-house or the penitentiary. /
do not need any Judge and jury to
keep mes ,Aight; you get as much
benefit from it as ], aHd right here
we'll balance things. You have
your labor, we have the land. Let
as each dowhat we can. The one is !
worth nothing without the other. |
You throw ia q few days work to |
mend the roads, so that we eau haul !
our tobacco to market to get money
TO pay the taxes, and 10 pay YOU for |
your labor, and it will all be right |
Sn the end. 1t reminds me of the |
old fable of the hand that refused to |
feed the mouth. because the mouth |
did not appear to pay it back. /
Now let those who are jmmedl- /
ltely benefited see that every handJ
contributes his proper share of work.
II is only justice to Intensely Is, and |
it is good for all to pay their Just .
dues. And you, fellow-citizen, who /
pay no taxes, come now, be a man,
pay what you owe, pay what you
ran. CITIZEN; I
MEXICO wants a telegraph cable .
across the Gulf Of Mexico 10 the .
United States.