Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1898-07-07
THURSDAY, JULY 8. 1898.
THE MOUNTAIN ROAD.

The project for mountain road
over the route as surveyed by W.
]. and A. s. Kelley, seems to meet
with general approval, Occasions
ally we and a man. who, seeing no
immediate direct benefit to him.
self, offers objections, forgetting
that what is for the public good,
will eventually be for the benefit
Of ell.
The parties who organized the
SequaChee Valley Coal & Iron Co.
came here in 1890. They have ex.
pended in round numbers say
100000 more than half of which
has been paid out to citizens of the
county, for the real estate pur-
chased for improvements for PROS
pecting. and for various other ex"
penees attendant on the enterprise.
Every land holder has been fully
paid according to his original cons
tract, and received more money
for his lands than the same lands
will sell tor to day. All parties
in the employ of the Company
have bean fully and promptly paid
their wages. So that no one has
been a sufferer by the failure Of
their enterprise except the stock
holders and bondholders.
The taxes paid between 1891 and
1897 inclusive, by the companies
and by nonresident purchases OF
real estate amount as near as | can
estimate to about $4,000, or say an
average of $3.50 a year. How
much could have been realized il
we had never come here. | am
unable 10 say. but it is certain that
we have paid and even Low are
paying a very much larger tax
than ever before was collected on
our town lands. Very little more
money has been expended on our
highways than before. 1t has been
estimated by those more Compe'
tent judges than myself that the
County is at least s., 900 better of
than it would have been if We had
never come here
The parties who now own the
property, desire to continually imA
prove it, and to put 1t in suoh g
condition that in the end thew
may be able to recover some part
of their severe losses. They can
not do this without benefiCing
the whole community. Shall they
receive reasonable aid an encour-
agement in their efforts2 The
most encouraging outlook just now
seems to be IN the agricultural
line, in encouraging immigration
TO and the settlement OF our lands
by action oil wide.a wake. energetic
farmers. There is more imme
diate wealth on the surface thar
under it. But the one thing leads
10 the other, and in these times WI
must take advantage of all our op
pOrtunities.
About a year ago 1 went to New
York for the purpose of seeing anC
talking with parties who were in
terested in immigration and il
finding homes for the better elias
of settlers. One of the most intel
ligemt men to whom | broacheC
the subject, upon my describing
the location, at once remarked likt
this: IL know all about your lands
/ have been up and down Sequa
chez Valley. have travelled owe
your mountains. You have on
of the most desirable spots l havt
found. But your dettstible Dads
You have no way TO get at you
mountain landsl l could not ash
settlers to look at them, for the
must have some way to get to thl
railroads to get TO the markets
Now if you will build a road Of al
easy grade up your mountain,
road over which a pair Of horse
could pull a fair load, and if you
will furnish a building IN which
train load Of emigrants could b
made comfortable for thirty DAYS
or until they could select their 10
cation aud begin the erection 0
their homes, I will guarantee L
settle four hundred families upol
your lands within six month
thereafter. And they will not b
emigrants just brought over, bu
they will DO Swedes from Maine
who are tired Of the long cold win
tiers, or Germans and Norwegian
from the Northwest who wish 4
get away from the billiards, tn
Syolonts and the droughts. The,
A-:tt Ia a utoH class If rifivnna an