The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1896-06-26
J. RosenthaI.
Free Pixies.

EDITOR HERALD:-Mr.O O. p. Rut-
ledge in last weeks HERALD advo-
Gates the purchase of Mr.. Rainey's
pixies by the county. Some of his
points are we'll taken, but think he
is in error in the matter as a whole.
The first point is, are we in finan
cial position to pay for this prop
erty? Maury County now owes
over $25, 1000. Business is dull, farm
products low, and no prospect of
an improvement in our condition.
Where can you find well-bal-
anced financier who is willing to as
sumo such debt, while already en-
numbered with debt, and his paper
at discount, and with as poor pros
poets for an improvement as we
have? Should we not be as careful
of Maury County's funds as we are
of our own private purses? Yes,
and more so.
Like Mr.. Rutledge, 1 am for the
people and free pixies, good roads
and better roads; but | am not for
the few at the expense of the many.
If we buy these pixies, and tax
Maury County to pay for them, we
put tax on a great many who will
| derive practically no benefit from
free pixies, and at a time they can
i'll afford to have their taxes in
creased. There are great many
| farmers who own valuable farms
and pay taxes on them, who never
haul the products of their farms
over a pike to market; yet they
would be taxed to pay for a pike fol
the favored ones.
At present, those who have the
benefit of the pixies pay for the use
of them which is just as it should
be. Suppose you ride out on the
poorest pike in the county and eX
anime the loads hauled over them
and then go to some shipping poin
reached only by dirt roads, and note
the difference in the loads hauled
and you will decide at once that the
man who is forced to pay toll is the
fortunate fellow. Take trip ovel
dirt roads during February o.
March, and see if you will not fee
happy when you see Mr.. Rainey'i
half-kept pike, SO that you can re
turn home comfortably, and deem i
a privilege to pay your dime every
five miles.
To-day you can find cOmmunitie.
where the people would gladly pay
toll to get pike. If we tax thes,
! people to relieve those who nov
have the,coveted privilege of pike
haven't they a right to object? Can
we not employ our convicts to bette
advantage in converting these muC
: roads into free pixies, than to keel
up the present pixies as Mr.. r. sug
gests? l am informed that mum
Der of applications have been made
for this gang, and there seems t
really be a scuffie for them from diff
ferent sections of the county. The,
are certainly we'll and profitabl
employed as they are now bein
used. Mr.. r. refers to the heav
tax paid the pixies by parties havin
considerable business to look ate
!. during the year. 1t is presumabl
7 that so much business pays proper
tionally large returns, and the bent
i ficiaries should not want the away
off ud-road fellow, who is M
!, profited by said business, to pay eN
a penses.
have business at points twent
n miles apart and pay toll at three
T Mr.. Rainey's gates, and it pays N
l so that expect to continue it, a
though 1 can get as good or a bette
location half that distance over di
roads. I prefer the pike with i
+ tolls, but don't want the other fe
y low to help me pay it.
d I can see no objection to requirir
= the pike owners to put the pixies l
Q, to charter requirements and keepir
!, them up to the charter. This
L simply business. They certain
1, did not invest their capital in the
II pixies without fully investigate
l. the matter and knowing what WI
20 required of them.
t. Ill understand. the trouble til
probably induced Mr.. Rainey