We learn that the friends of the proposed new county, which is to be composed of portions of McNairy, Hardeman and Fayette are untiring in their exertions, and that a map of the survey, recently made, has been drawn, and that parties have left for Nashville for the purpose of getting a bill passed by the Legislature allowing a vote to be taken on the question. As to the success of the movement “honors are easy.” Of course the Legislature will aid the project, as the new county will be hugely loyal. It will be an easy matter for the originators of the project to control the negro vote within the proposed bounds.
As far as Hardeman is concerned; while in McNairy, there will be no trouble in polling a majority vote for the new county, as there is a large number of persons living along the line of the Memphis and Charleston railroad who wish to pass from under the rule of Fielding Hurst. As to Fayette, the chances are a little gloomy; if LaGrange is to be the county site, all right; but if Grand Junction is to have the court house, a “dead mackerel will be seen as well as smelt.” According to the map, and we learn that it is a very neat one in appearance, the whole thing is “mighty nice” one way by powerful funny the other. For instance: The east boundary of the new county is to be in the neighborhood of Big Hill, on the M. & C. R. R., while the western line will join Shelby county – sixty miles away!
This is the nice part of the programme. North and south, the county, should it be formed, will be from four to seven miles wide! This is the funny part of a big thing on ice. Taking it for granted that Grand Junction, the center of the strip, is made the county site, persons attending court will have to travel thirty miles to attend court, provided they live in the east or west end of the county, while those living near the south or north line of the county will not have to go more than two and a half or three miles. To us, this seems to be the most ill-shapen plat for a county within this or any other State, and the inequality of its proportions should kill the proposition if there were no other reasons.
The way the arrangement is to be put through is somewhat dusky. In conversation one of the strongest advocates of the new county said that he thought the whites of Hardeman would, as a majority, vote against the measure, but that the lately enfranchised – negros – could be used! Here, then, is the programme. Irresponsible, ignorant negroes are to vote white men, tax payers out of the county they were born in! Should the county be formed, its northern boundary will be just thirteen miles south of Bolivar and twelve miles south of Somerville, and as a consequence will reduce Hardeman to less than 625 square miles, which cannot be done without violation of law.
The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.), 09 Nov, Page 2. 1867. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
