The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1891-10-01

people to build railroads in old settled
counties States isakin toa tariff 60
the protection OF "nfmr mlMuis a
yomsoId
And for the reasons advanced ~hcn
thc stranger asks, Whore is Lcesbors,
anyhow he is told YER lA' Hls"
from P,s-um liclo," M#rstc,.,,
rm sgpujhy rHro.l 70 e,. ot 49,
serve that H. "a D. '+ ~ ~. ",n,
Try" OF tariff IN irtoc ,nI k o>!r'yc
Il law aad,tbcf i.da2s, acs >ta3a.y
bctad1Icd
Pleasantly aside, nbi.b is indus ed
in with the kinliicst feeling, we re-
produce in full The objections Of "A.
D, H. because they are the full "atock
in trade Of those who are opposing
aid to the railroads
The Chucky Valley road without OBJ
jcctive points, indeed If built at all,
it will have connections with the East
Tennessee system at Embreeville, with
the 3 C's at Erwin, with the Buncombe
at Newport probably, with the Knox
vile and Maryyille road and the
Knoxville Southern. An extension Of
the Eastern end line into North Caro-
lima and forming connections with the
important railway systems in that part
Of the State will be only a matter Of
time.
The charge Of fraud, duplicity and
collision, by indirection, against the
promoters Of both the Cumberland
Gap and Chucky Valley project is call
in the eye" and simply an annex to get
votes for the Cumberland Gap road
which has "a particular objective
point, is certainly unlounded, if not
msliciously gratuitious. The men at
the head of these two projects are
gentlemen in every sense of the word
and incapable of comprising concealed
purposes by treachery to the public
and by q betrayal OF the people di
rectly interested in the building Of
the Chucky Valley line. To the ex.
tent that both projects are included in
the bond proposition, there is an in
ter-dependence existing. Here itstops
They are not II united corporation
They look to entirely different sources
outside of the small aid asked from
the county, for the money with which
to build their lines, though the means
employed to secure it may be precisely
the same.
"Neither the State, nor the coun
ty, nor the municipality have the
right to tax the people to build rail
: roads, say the directors. That's no
in it. None but the foolish would
' argue the predicate Of such PROPOSE
ton. But to say that the people have
, no right to tax themselves to build an,
foster beneficial public enterprises, a
$ railroads are universally conceded t,
5 be, is a sweeping denial of one OF tn
l cardinal principles of the Magn
4 Charta of popular liberty for whicI
: "Washington fought and freemc1
s died" Aid to the roads is asked in n
I other way than by the consent of tn
: people,
: But again'say the directors We are
Y hundred years old, and by this tim
e ought to be "out of the woods" and il
dependent of the necessity of huildin
railroads by taxation. This logic
P the weakest Of all. 1t is not mislea(
e ing for its fallacy is transparent. A
: to the requirements of the ciyilizatio
y a country is never "out of the woods
y 1t has to whack through the bushC
e continually. The older it is, the dense
S the population the greater the wants
j the more money needed and the MOI
= railroads required, Railroads built b
n the people and remaining in the
G hands can be controlled by them j
q their own interest and behoof. Railroad
, built by capitalists and operated b
+ them are the huge, oppressive monop'
lies Of which we hear so much. !
fact,it would be far better for the coui
r try if all the railroads were builtby ta
g, alton and owned by the people. OF
n wisest political economists are Of th
a opinion and are constantly urging tt
o acceptance of their views. There ca
n be no legal obstruction in the way,
S the people are taxed to open an
n improve the waterways of nature. A
II these side issues ought to be ignore
10 but we must meet them, if presente
. Let us put the bond question on i
is merits. If railroads are benefits al
g necessities we ought to give the bond
If they are hindrances and evils v
n ought to withhold them. And here
L, II ~ -