Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1899-12-21
SEES NOTHING AHEAD.

Sequachea, Tenn, Dec. lO, 1897
Editors NEws:--
While reading one Of those pleas
ling fictions of "M. Quad'S' entitled
the Proceedings of the Lime Kiln
Club recently, I was much struck by
the sage remark of Hon. HooPalong
Thompson when he addressed that
body, which reads as follows:
"When de romans went at 1t to
build Rome dey didn't stop to Won
der if dey hadn't better go to grow
in sheep or rsisin' strawberries at
de same time. Dey jest stuck to
one thing, an when dey got frew
dey had town ter brag about"
The foregoing is undoubtedly
ridiculous, yet concealed beneath an
apparent inanity there is a world OF
philosophy, which may be gensralIz,
ed in the case of Sequachee as fol-
lows: You cannot have a town OF
Importance and farm at the same
time.
The citizens of the place have
viewed with CONSERVATION and sur
prise the steady progress which has
been made to turn the place into
a farm. They cannot understand d
why such a course should have been
adopted, or how any good result can
be expected. This is especially true
when when they consider the wond-
erful prosperity enjoyed by this sec
tion and that the owners of the town
site and coal and iron lands are al
representatives Of that party which
claims to have brought this lucky
transformation. Then, too, they can
not understand why with iron a
$1,000 per ton, and coal and iron II
proportion, and labor still down a
the lowest ebb at which incorpOrat,
greed can keep it, that no effort l
made to take advantage of the enor
nous profits which surely must arls
9 from development of the property
1t is a conundrum which the wises
of them cannot solve.
Then, too, they say there has bee
q enough money spent in raising whea
+ and pea hay, (Which the facts IN tn
! case would seem to substantiate wa
- done at a loss, ia buying improves
4, farm machinery of every description
in building levees and fences, and
shutting up roads, to have made de
velopment that would have force
the place to grow--business lots woul
Is have been sold, houses erected, an
Il instead of sleepy place with fe
e. people, it would have been a hustlin
s centre of commerce.
t, AS far as location and natural az
a. vantages are concerned Sequachee
le unsurpassed. Coal is here in abul
n dant quantities it has not bee
e. proved yet that there is none. b.
We you cannot whistle it out of its hidir
" place in the bowels of the mountai
All the materials for building a liv
ly little city are at hand, and 1t on
e. needs the touch of capital to work
II. complete transformation.
Ip From the time when the first 81
q. tier felled his first tree to make
sr: clearing may be dated the first fou
dation of the place, and even t
most optimistic cannot say there
much progress towards the looati
Of city here, yet. What, thereto
It's can we expect if the same policy
"y continued 1t has done little in t
'P' past, and will do less in the futu
as Farming is an honorable busint
d. but IN the face of the wonderful acc
ne mutation of raw material that natr
10 has piled up here awaiting develt
run ment, it is grievous sin against tn,
rh' of our citizens, who, investing tn
va money here under the promise t
oi it would handsomely proft the
va have seen it depreciate in value IN
no' than fifty per cent.
,hI PROPERTY OWNF
rn-