Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-07-22
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Florence, tAla.,) News.

We are informed that the Quar-
terly courts OF Wayne, Lewis, Hick-
man and Dickson counties, Tennes-
see, and of some of the counties in
Kentucky have, as an inducement
to the Indiana, Alabama Il Texas
Railroad, Company to build the
road, granted to the Company an
exemption ffom taxes for ten years
from the completion of the road.
We also learn that the people in
some Of the counties are still at
work getting up subscriptions Of
land to aid in building the road.
This looks as If the project is not
yet dead. But If apathy and want
OF enterprise would kill il or any
other project, the people of this
county have certainly done what
they could 10 freeze ii out. Still we
have confidence in the men who
hayc conceived and undertaken the
construction OF this great line Of
railroad. They are not easily dis
cuuraged, aud hey are men of ener-
gy, enterprise and ability. We see
Judge Wood making his trips into
Tennessee and Kentucky stirring
tofdo all they can to aid in the
work. As long as he keeps at work
and is hopeful of success we shall
not despair. The company have
spent thousands of dollars in work.
ing up this project. They have
paid all their agents, surveyors, and
other expenses, without asking the
people for one dollar TO aid them in
these preliminary matters, and sure
d they would not have gone TO all
this expense unless they meant To
complete the work.
They have been ready and anX-
ious to begin and push on the work
for the last six or eight months, If
the people had come up with the
subscriptions OF land that were
asked for. The subsidy was a small
one compared to the cost Of build
ing the road and ought to have
been made up at once. Ii there had
been a cheerful and liberal response
by the people, TO the proposition OF
President Gordon, and the subScrlp-
tions made upas they oughtto nave
been in three months, there would
have been to-day, thousand hands
at work on the road, and in three
years we would have had one of the
grandest lines Of railroad running
through our country, in the United
States. But the indifference, or
rather the contracted stinginess Of
our people, the death-grip by which
they hold on their lands, the blind
ness to their own future interests,
and the interests of their pOsterity,
their almost total want of enter
prise, have thus far delayed the sue
cess of this great project, and If it Is
ultimately crushed to death it will
DC the work of the people, not OF the
Company. There never was, and
perhaps never will be again, so lib
eral and favorable proposition
made to any people 10 secure a great
line of railroad as that made by
President Gordon to the people
along the line of this road, and it is
perfectly amazing that they do not
make up the land subscriptions at
once and secure beyond peradven-
ture this road which will be worth
Il thousand per cent. to them more
than they are asked to contribute.
We do hope that our people will
arouse to the importance of taking
prompt and active measures to aid
III this enterprise. We suggest that
the Commissioners court of this
county by way OF doing something
as an inducement TO the company
TO build the road, shall follow the
example OF the counties Of Tennes-
see, and make an order exempting
the road from taxation for ten or
fifteen years. This would not con-
iIict with the Constitutional inhibi-
ton of granting aid to the building
of railroads, which we take occasion
here To say, was one of the greatest
mistakes which the convention
made in forming the constitution
and thev made n good many.