Year: 1875

| AL mcSbluS OF the DLal6 Executive


Centennial COMMITTEES, yesterday, the fol


lowing address to the people Of the State


was adopted.


| THE Address.


The committee assume, that neither an
appeal to the patriotism of our people, mol
even a well drawn picture (were they eapa-
ble Of doing it) Of the coming Centennial,
is what was intended or expected when
they were appointed. The purpose Of the
committee is simply to organize and make
suggestions, and if possible, stimulate the
people in all parts of the State to prepare
for the nations coming great Centennial.


The Legislature, though the subject was
brought before the present, as well as the last
General Assembly, failed TO make any ap-
preparation for having the Slate represent
ed, and her products put on exhibition.


1t is not the business Of this committee
to condemn this action. Under the cOnsti-
tuition the Legislature alone must appropri-
ate the public revenue. But the failure Of
the Legislature to make the appropriation,
brings abruptly before the people, in their
unorgenized capacity the alternative Of
raising money, or going unrepresented at
the first Centennial Of our nations birth.


Can Tennessee afford to lose this, the
greatest Of all opportunities, to make known
to the world her unbOunded resources? is
a question which interests deeply
the people Of every county in the
State. The purpose and plan Of the whole
American people, as now fully developed
in the coming Centennial, are not, as some
have supposed, merely national jubilee
or celebration Of a great historic event, but
an international, as we'll as national, exhi-
bitiOn Of the comparative wealth Of ma
tons, and especially the discoveries, pro-
ductiOns and growth Of our own country
for one hundred years. Il is now manifest
that every civilized country on the globe
VIII be represented, and that the people Of
all the States and Territories will regard
the exhibition as the test, after one hun
dred years Of preparatisn, Of each others
actual lCeGith, and great natural advan-
tages in producing what man wants in the
way Of food, clothing and shelter, as well
as the luxuries Of life we repeat, II will be
accepted as the test.


Viewing the Philadelphia Centennial in
this light, can the people Of Tennessee af-
ford, as their Legislature did, to fnregO all
participation in the nations great ExpOsi-
tiOn, striking their colOrs a year in ad-
vance Of the great battle for supremacy in
a field which will give to the victor undy-
ing honor as well as untold wealth? We
ask the people Of the whole State to unite
with us in giving for answer an emphatic
No.


Accompanying this address, or very soon
after its publication, will appear a list Of
names-twO from each county in the State
nominated by this committee and COM
missiOned by the Governor. as a means Of
efiecting an organization for the whole
State.


These gentlemen have been selected in
the belief that they will at once organize
in their respective counties, and give to
this committee the benefit Of their counsel.
No one has yet suggested plan which has
been generally accepted for raising the re-
quiTed funds, and upon this point we want
the benefit Of suggestions from all parts Of
the State.


What we want is harmonious action,
with a common purpose. We are apprised
that some portions Of the State are more
destitute from the failure of crops than
others; some have more wealth than others,
and hence all could not, under any circum-
stances, contribute alike, but what we
want is that each community shall do
what it can, and the commissioners Of each
county have been selected with a view of
their exercising a sound discretion as to
what their respective communities ought
to do. 1t viii probably be necessary after
conferring with our friends from all parts
Of the state, to make no general move
ment to raise money until the result Of
our present crop is known, but if a great
work for Tennessee is accomplished, we
must know in some short period Of the
prospect Of raisiT 2 money.


The work Of preparing to put Tennessee
on exhibition must be commenced without
delay-but what space shall be applied fOI?
What agencies to do the work shall be en-
plOyed? What transportation shall be
provided? and what encouragement shall
be given the people TO get their products
ready? are questions which can not be de-
termined until the igGy to raise the means
is known.


Hence the first thing to be done is, to
see and report what can probably be raised
in each county. Therefore we suggest to
the commissioners in the respective cOun-
ties that they, with other citizens who are
alive to putting Tennessee on exhibition,
call meetings for the 4th of July, one in
each county in the State, to consider the
amount which should be raised and the
ways and means Of doing it. It may not
be amiss for the committee to say, that
upon canvass Of the question it is be-
Heved $4,000 would put the resources Of
the State on exhibition fairly and with
credit, and would indeed prove what we
have long tried without much success 70
establish, tO-wit, the great superiority Of
Tennessee over any other State in her
combination of resources. We have %
counties in the State rich with irOn-per-
haps in quality and variety equal to any
part Of the United States; and then in is
close proximity to coal and limestone, sur
passing all other known iron countries.


Now with an opportunity to make these
facts known to the whole world, if the
means are raised, will not an effort be
made? and will not the men who have the
money cheerfully contribute, when there is
so much at stake? The variety and charac-
ter Of our productions, if fully shown,
would, in the enhancement Of real estate,
return to the pockets Of the people the
amount asked, with much increase.


Our very poverty Is the strongest reason
why the money should be raised. We arc
too much in need Of advertising our re-
sources not to do it. We have immense
forests untouched, vast tracts Of land
uncultivated, vast beds Of iron
ore, coal, copper, lead, and numerous
other minerals, yielding nothing, bIinging
No return for want Of capital and enter
prise. If they are advertised capital and
enterprise will come and work them,


Our productions, if put on exhibition,
will advertise our lands, and no class will
be more benefited than land owners. The
great variety Of our productions, the analy-
sis Of our soils, the pictures of our vast
water pcwers, Photographic views Of our
mountain scenery, truthful descriptions Of
our lovely climate, and with all a cheer
full and patriotic spirit under the
stars and stripes, will do more
to bring good people with their capital and
muscle to the State, than private agencies
can do in twenty years. For the
people Of Tennessee to furnish this money
will be most profitable investment-nOt
gift.


It is not too much to claim that Tennes-
sees first great soldier, Sewer with his
volunteers, turned the tide Of the revolution
at Kings Mountain, and there did as much