The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1905-02-10
BRANCH COURTS
o0ntributed By 0ommittee an CORRESPONDENCE.
TO the Taxpayers Of Obion County:

To the Taxpayers of obion County:
At large and representative
meeting Of the people on January
80, at which taxpayers from nearly
all districts in the county were
present or represented, a committee
was named which was requested to
place before the people OF the coun-
ty the facts, figures. statistics and
records bearing on the question of
establishing special Law and Chan
Gerry Courts at the town of Obion,
situated on the L G. railroad in the
extreme south portion Of the county.
We Will endeavor to perform this
duty in frank, conservative man
ner, and desire to emphasize the
fact that we consider there is no
politics nor sectioualism connected
one way or another with this issue.
We have no fight to make on any
body or any section, for we are all
citizens OF the same grand old
county. The issue is now squarely
np to and before the taxpayers for
their consideration and decision and
must be met. The question is so
plain that any one can understand
II, and such facts and figures as we
shall hereafter lay before the people
will be from the records and thus
cannot be controverted. Each
voter, it makes no difference in
which civil district he may live,
must decide if he wishes to saddle
big extra tax on himself and the
whole county in order to build up
one town or locality for a lot of
good men IN order that their real
estate may be enhanced in price,
their vacant houses rented and
their Investments doomed.
No more important issue could be
placed before the people, and in
view of the fact that we already
have quite enough burdens to bear
in the way of taxation, it seems to
us that every one who will have to
march up yearly and help foot this
extra burden will think over 1t Sc
riously before voting to do it, AS
matter OF common justice and
fairness is it right that eleven dis
tricts in Obion County should be
made to help pay the enormous ex-
pense of establishing the new courts
in remote part of the county, to-
gether with all the expensive ma
chinery necessary to carry on said
courts? If this is done as matter
Of convenience to some people why
in the name of justice ought it not
10 be done at Wilsonville or Ell
bridge2 Don't we all know that
either one of these two points is far
more eligible from the standpoint
Of convenience than the town of
Obion AS a matter of fact, how
ever, our enthusiastic friends at
Obion have drawn largely on their
imagination along the lines of con
venience, and greatly exaggerated |
the situation on this point.
The districts farthesL away from
the courts, as they now exist, are
thinly populated, and the records
show that a very small number of |
htigants come from that section.
For instance, District No. 9 voted
only 1863 in the last election more
over. we all know that all witnesses
are fully paid for coming to court
with the one exception of those
who attend in criminal cases. AS
to what number, in criminal cases
come to court from the districts
mostly affected by this movement,
and the details OF cost, ETC., we will
lay before the people later on. Now
then, as plain business PROPOSE
tion. would it not be much cheaper
for the county to pay the expenses
of the few litlgants who have to
come from the districts farthest
from the present courts, than to in
crease the taxes of a whole county
in order to meet the convenience Of ;
those few litigants? Surely it
would be. The plain fact is that
this whole scheme is unreasonable, Y
unfair, and does not commend itself
to reasonable men, whether they
live in one district or another. The
people are not easily fooled, and
this is one time they have their
ayes open and no mistake.
w. II. GARDNER,
M :. - 49,. .44Aa