The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1880-03-20
FROM TENNESSEE.
Upton COUNTY.

Upton COUNTY.
Editor Patron. The hardy yeomanry
of the soil tolls daily to enable him to
meet the demands made by the sharks
and parasites of human society, not stop
ping one moment to ask himself the all
important question, whence goes the fruit
of my toil9 In this particular we are un-
+ like the ancients, who afforded us many
examples as incentives to obey the first
law of Nature-self preservation. But
we toll on through the burning rays of
the summers sun and the bleak winds of
the wintry day, not giving ourselves any
trouble as to the channel through which
the proceeds of our labor are to pass. Full
well do we know that the tax gatherer
sits ensconsced in his warm room, like the
lion in his lair waiting for his prey, watch
ing the progress of our crops, and when
housed and ready for market, seizes upon
the fruits of your toll and dismisses you
minus your money.
Now the object of this communication
is to give the many readers of THE PA
IRON few of the many avenues through
which your money passes.
Our standing army of 2 5000 men costs
us $4,000, 900 annually, or 5000 per cap
tia, while France supports an army of
$4,000 men on $Ioo,ooo,coo per annum,
or SIG per capita.
Who receives this money? Not the pri-
Yates in the army, who bear the burdens
and hardships of camp life, but the epau
letted dead-beats that loaf in and around
Washington City. In Congress, when a
| member dies his funeral expenses are paid
by the Government, notwithstanding his
family draws his salary for the full term
1 e.. IL Iox Al L
| sor draws his salary also. The Clerk of
the House of Representatives, in his an
nual report, says the cost of the funeral
expenses for the year ending June goth,
| 1879, were ST. ,366.o7, and the printing of
eulogies on them cost $4,000, with seve-
raj on hand to print, and hence unpaid.
1t is well enough that their associates eu-
logise them, for their constituencies can
not do it, not having time to spare from
their labors, making money to defray the
expenses of those z0inay eulogiums, which
have no meaning, and are only intended
to give the survivors an opportunity to
vent their rhetoric and oratory.
| The expense of the vessel in which Hi
ram S. alias Ulysses S. Grant sailed when
abroad, was paid by your hard earnings,
while only private citizen of this coun-
try, visiting the crowned heads of Europe,
at your and my expense, to learn the Sc
cret workings of despotism, that he may
turn the tourniquet of tyranny with suf-
ficient force during his next Administra-
ton to bring in the Empire" on the heels
of his third term.
John Sherman, in speech at Henriet-
ia, Ohio, said that $Ioc, 100000 had been
paid to the Southerners to indemnify them
for losses during the war, not one tenth OF
which ever found its way into the pockets
of the producer. And Mr.. Thornburg, a
Representative from East Tennessee, said
that not one-tenth of the war claims from
the South had yet been paid, by which
we learn that when these claimants
can obtain hearing in Congress at least
5000, 100000 are to be added to our taxes
Moreover, it is said that the Royal enter
tainments given to Hiram S. Grant were
paid for by the Federal Government, OF
more properly by the hard earnings of the
honest yeomanry of this country. g
Having said thus much on Federal ap
preparations, let us turn our attention tc
State matters. In the State of Tennessee
we have Is Circuit Courts, II Chancery
Courts, q Criminal Courts, and one Su
preme Court, that cost the 100000 produ
prosecutions SI7S 900 per annum.
Thus for judicial salaries and crimina
prosecutions, Sass, s97 per annum for
class 'who toll not, neither do they spin,
which appropriations are made by Their
german cousins in avocations and pursuits
And for the agricultural interests of the
State the same ,Phtlanthyobic Assembly
| appropriated $7,III per annum. Indeed
1 f1,ofG s1xy< oIe F11
! lowship one with another in order to Sc
r cure appropriations from legislative as
semblies in our time.
IL Are not the 7ceaIth- producers of Ten
nesssee under enduring obligations to thei
taskmasters for the proof they thus Civ,
that they remembered their servants in TIN
division of the spoils?
Inasmuch as charity begins at home
we will now pay our passing respects tt
our local government, and see how mucl
better we are than those of our neighbor
who are in Washington City and Nash
vile. The County Court of Shelby coun
ty, September term, 1866, allowed tn
County Surveyor SIS, one Commisione
SIS, another $40, and the third $I2, 70
four days work, when the law says ST. pc
diem for Commissioners and So per dien
TOT surveyor, with ulscretionary power
: conferred on the Court in the case of tn,
Surveyor only. The Code, section 4, s67
: allows for compensation to the Count,
Court Clerk "for receiving and recordin,
tax lists and computing the tax on tn
same for each civil district, to be paid b.
the county, S." And there being ~ dis
tricts in the county, it would be $51, ther
$I7 for copy for the Sheriff or tax col
lector, making sos the compensation al
lowed by law for this service. The Cour
allowed for this service in 1870 $4,000, an,
in 1871 $500.
Again: the law allows SIS for assassin,
(transcribing) the taxable property il
each civil district, and II districts woul,
| be &12S vet they maid for this seruic,