The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1890-07-03

which is submitted to the arbitrament
II the ballot next Monday.
Let us try to weigh it in the balance
81 sober, impartial and unprejudiced
common sense, and thus determine
our duty in this crisis, for such | be.
lieve it to be.
We have voted $4,000 in bonds to a
railroad which is now completed
through our county and is in process
OF construction from the seaboard to
the great commercial arteries Of the
Northwest. 1t has already doubled,
trebled, yes, quadrupled the value of
the property OF this town, and in three
years has nearly or quite doubled its
population.
Absorbed as our people have been
in speculation and money-getting, it is
not strange that some most important
interests have been neglected.
1t is our privilege to live in the at.
ternoon Of the nineteenth century
and on the Western continent, and
the world never saw such rivalry, such
competition between towns and cities
as it witnesses to-day. The narrow
streets of Jerusalem and the donkey
paths Of Cairo will not win in the race
now. The single path of our Red Men
is thing of the past. We want streets
for wheeled vehicles drawn by two or
even four prancing steeds. Tall store
rooms located on dirty lanes will not
draw the tradeSman nor his customer
in this fast and fastidious era, and it is
well for property.owners to realize this
fact.
We are asked to say next Monday
whether we will have better streets,
yea or nay. l: is patent to every one
that we are not able to pay tax sufli-
cient to improve these streets in one
year, or in two, so we are permitted to
say that our corporation shall issue
bonds, amounting to $25, 900, and sell
them at par, and by so doing we will
spread this expense over twenty years
and thus those who will reap the great
benefit derived from the enhanced
value OF property will help to pay this
debt. Is not this just? Is it not wist
to do that which, in the natural order
o. things, will benefit us and our chill
dren? Shall we, would it be thu
part OF wise men by voting No." tC
give this town, just springing forward
in the race with new life and vigor
a backset from which it wi not rally
in years? What say you, property
owners? Will you pursue penny
wise and pourdfOolish policy, and
tor the sake Of avoiding few dollar
tax, stop the wheels Of progress and re
duce both your capital and income b.
the hundreds?
And though the laboring man ma
say, II have no carriage; what do
care for streets?" yet his good, CON
mon sense will suggest that what in
proves the town benefits him, afford
ing more work and better wages
therefore, he sa js, 81 will vote for tn
; bonds, for / know full well that GU
town will never amount to much will
out good streets and sidewalks"
But the street bonds, importar
though they be, become as small du'
in the balance when compared wit
} the school-house bonds. Withor
school-houses we will not have school
, | would not say we cannot, but d
} say we will not. Just about in propoI
: ton to the excellence of the schoo
: house and its fixtures and the liberia
: ity OF the expenditure for the schoC
' will be its excellence.
3 We read in our papers OF the VOL
deEful resources OF East Tennessee
4 and we are led to believe that n kin
/, Providence has been lavish OF His elf
: in this part OF His heritage. But whit
were all these resources to the ignoral
4 Red Man OF the forest? For him the
! might as well not have been. Why,
, has required one hundred years TO d
( velop the white man sufficiently f
g him to appreciate in a small degr'
: these treasures, and to-day we stan
i. on the frontier of the border-land
Y discovery, which is being extend(
: farther and farther out into the inf
lite unknown; and the more we lear
! and the more we discover, the great,
r the opportunity for greater and mo-
y rapid progress.
t One brother says, IL should vote (,
S these bonds if they only amounted
i $4,000" Reared as he was, in a lal
J, where the school-house went with, il
# did not precede, the church, and whe
+ village the size OF this and less pr
}, tentious would erect $4,000 schoC
/ building. and then pay a competel
!. man $3.50 to 5000 month to superi
tend the schools, and yet this broth
x considers $25, 900 too much to Apr
4 pirate for school-houses in this gro,
! ing town, where there are alreat
:, about one thousand children who nee
to be in school,
;, A wealthy landholder, to the man
e born, whose property will bring, |
$ reason OF the public improvements {
e ready made, five times what it won
e have brought ten years ago, says
It shall vote against the bonds, for, If '
v vote them, my tax will be $1,000
o Suppose this brVther's tax is increase
will not past experience justify Il
It conclusion that his estate will be i
f creased in value In at least an equ
o ratio? It is we'll to remember that '
Il are only stewards of that which '
e call our own and will have to give q
n count Of our stewardship.
(, But what answer shall we make
n those who would come among us
o we had schools, and to those who ha
n already come and are dissatisfied /
d cause of the low standard OF educ
It ton? Every thinking man kno'
}. that in the contest between brain al
}. Drawn brain has won. No judicio
l. parent is content to let his child gre
n up without intellectual culture. !
n realizes that things are valuable in Il
d world just in proportion as they mi
j. lister to the Unreasonable, eternal al
g infinite wants of the mind.
h But, says another, II would vote |
L. the bonds il | had any assurance tn
h the money would be judiciously a
~ : - 4 4 4 IL.