The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-11-12
correspondence Of the journal.
IND1ANApoL1s, Nov. 8, 1856.

Correspondence of the Journal.
INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. s, 1856.
EDITOR OF JOURNAL:
| notice, in a recent number of your jour
nal, the report of Messrs. Rathbone, Foster,
and johnson, of your city, in which they say
that there was ''verbal agreement made by
Mr.. Mayor Hopkins, on the part of the city,
and Mr.. 0. H. Smith, President of the Com
pany, on the part of the road, that one-half of
the city subscription should be paid, to be ex-
pended on the first section of the work, or
that part of the road south of the Ohio and
Mississippi Railroad and the sothARmhAiiilg
SecaRd Nas-=lsetsssetle "a thousand dollars, shall
not be issued until the road was completed to
that point, and then to be expended on the di-
vision north of the Ohio and Mississippi Rail
road" l cannot remain silent. and ct ibis
statement 20 TO- ys4D gferzens without contra
d1ction. as it involves the integrity and moral
honesty of both ex-Mayor Hopkins and my
self, in matter in which neither of us had
any interest beyond faithful discharge of our
official duties. He was the Mayor of the city,
and | was the President of the Company; if
he made such contract, it was his duty to
have made it part of the written subscrip-
ton on the records Of the Board, over which
he presided, and he did not,discharge his Off
cial duty by making an absolute subscription
without any condition whatever. If | had
made such contract it was my duty to report
it to the Board for its action; and if did not
do so, failed to discharge my duty to the
Board, as | have reported every contract that
have made in the vacation of the Board, since
have been President of the Company. At
the time this subscription was made, Mayor
4 G
tie work. He presided at our meetings, and
he and myself had frequent conversations at
Evansville, indianapolis, and New York, upon
the subject. On one occasion, | recollect, he
asked me if l thought we should need all the
bonds on the first section and whether the
Company could not meet the interest if the
taxes were not collected in time. ! told him
thought we could get along on the first sec
ton with one-half the bonds, and that we
could meet the interest on the bonds if the
taxes were not collected in time. | certainly
did not consider myself as agreeing for the
Railroad Company, or as doing more than Civ
ing my individual opinion nor did | under
stand Mayor Hopkins as making any PROPOSE
ton, on the part Of the City Council, for my
acceptance or rejection, as the President of the
Railroad Company. Ex-Mayor Hopkins is an
honest man whom highly res et, and if he
says he understood me as making a contract
on behalf of our Railroad Company, with him,
on the part of the City Council, as stated by
the committee, / shall believe he must have so
understood our conversation, although l can
not see how he could have done so. Every
thing that was said between us, was buoyant
and full of hope, as the times and prospects
before US then warranted; and had the times
continued as they then were, the first section
e Il -
this time.
| do not feel disposed to analyze the report
of the Committee, but there are some charges
that [ must notice. One is, that the whole
road was let before there was stock enough
taken to build it, and that it was contracted
Sc XAiilllaSd CaaA Inter Go. TO this l merely
say, that no road that ever was built west of
the MOUNTAINS, had stock enough subscribed
to build it when the work was commenced
every road, of which | have any knowledge
was commenced like ours relying on subscrip-
tons to build the continuous sections, as the
work progressed. How was it with the Evans
vile and Charlottesville road, of which a ma
jorty of this Committee are Directors? How
with every other road in the State? Let the
Committee answer. But the contract was let
to Willard Carpenter & Co.-the Committee
object to that. Did the citizens Of Evansville
object to that unanimous act Of the Board at
the time? Far from 1.-THE contract met the
unanimous appreciation of the city, as it did of
the whole line. The annual election that
came on afterwards, fully tested it; the Direct
ors who voted for it, including those of the
city, were unanimously reelected, and that
Nth the prory of the a0hole st0ch, paid and IN
paid, of the City of Evansville. That con
tract requires, as does the bylaws of the
Board, that the road shall be built in sections,
commencing at the City Of Evansville and
the means of the Company have been faithfully
appropriated to that object. Our policy met
at the time, and still does so far as | have
heard, at home and abroad, the appreciation of
the friends of the work. regret exceedingly
the necessity Of this notice of the report of the
Committee, and but for the deep interest
feel in the success of the work, l should have
remained silent under its injustice, leaving the
responsibility of results. to be charged by the
city and the friends OF the work, to those who
are producing them.
Very truly. o. II. SMITH.
rTup NTr.rpEp on Vorr,S Tho ,.,boIo