Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-10-31
Louisville ana Nashville Railroads.&c.
ter from Eugene Underwood, Esq.
NASHVILLE Oct. 80. l86

| NASHVILLE. OcL oO, looO
! JoHN Morrow Eso-SI: Over your name as
| chairman there appeared in some of the papers of
Nashville on the 18th inst what purports to be the
proceedings of a large number of merchants, as
sembled on Tuesday evening previous at the Court
House, and organised by calling you to the chair.
This report Of your proceedings does me gross in
| Justice. The signature of your name as chairman
! gives them a moral force which they would not
otherwise possess; as it can but make the impress
sion abroad that these proceedings meet not only
your approval, but that of all those whom you
presided. This presume is the object of their rub
icatiOn Thus those proceedings are elevated above
the mere expression of individual Spleen and pro-
coed to notice what is said of as the expression
OF the meeting which gives to it much more of inn
portance, rather than that of individuals.
In the statement of the purpose of the meeting
reference Is made 'to the many grievances and
uesutS which Nashville had been compelled TO bear
from the Board of Directors in power" and the
desire expressed, "that the merchants assembled
would devise some plan for the emphatic expression
OF tne 1eelng Of Nashville, in regard to the mis-
management and the injustice Of the policy of the
Board OF Directors (meaning the On of the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company, Of
whom have been one since the organization in
Tennessee.) The report says, that the purpose 6
the delegation" Ito LouisYiile) had been to change
their present representation in the Board Of Dlrec
tors, Mr.. Eugene Underwood also in substance,
thar application was made to the Mayor OF LOUIS
VILE 10 vote against me- that he promised to do so
the report speaks Of the deception prHctced by the
Mayor Of Louisville, and the deSpOtic manner and
purposes displayed by the old Board IN the
election " and " thar the Tennessee Delegation
had requested Mr. Underwood to resign" That
before his answer could be received Mr..
Underwood had been called from the city, |
and that going to Louisville. they found that by
the duplicity Of the Mayor Mr. Underwood mad been
Re elected against the express wishes OF the lher-
chants of Nashville &c.n | have taken IRON your |
report the above extracts in detached parts cut IN
a manner | believe do nothing more nor less than
exact justice to its meaning am one OF nine Dl- /
rectOrs Of the Road and there are two others IN Ten
nessee beside myself The general charges OF gTeC-
a1cesr infected and i.SldtS' offered TO Nashville,
and the desp9Gc manner and purposes displayed by |
the old Board in the election apply TO all the Drec-
tory. and to myself with as much force as any. |
am further specially designated and presented to |
the public in such manner, that feel called on TO
VndicGte myself from the implications end infer |
ences which will be drawn from the proceedings Of
your meeting. In doing so, however, feel that l |
have nothing to combat, except general charges |
(which any one may make) without tangible speci- |
fcations. Thus your meeting has imposed an Oner
Gus task to meet and expose underlined generslites,
when if those who asSaIl me, would state their |
specifications, should have no dlfcultyin exposing
the injustice Of the attack.
1t is not my purpose now to defend myself against |
these aspersOns, except to say that the statement
chat the Tennessee delegation had requested Mr.. |
Underwood 10 resign is untrue. 1t is due to can
dor, however, to state that had understood that |
such a request was contemplated by some of the |
merchants of Nashville, but it never made |
On Tuesday morning the 18th of September last, |
Mr.. MiZel q think it was) called at my office door,
and informed me that some of the merchants-Or
of merchants-wanteda an interview with |
me, and nine OclOck next morning fixed for the |
time OF meeting Late that afternoon l received
letter from Kentucky, informing of the danger
Gus illness of one of my children Meeting with |
my friend George Nancy, Esq, requested him to
read the letter, and explain to the merchants the
cause of my absence as l should leave in a few
minutes, to go to my child. In the course of our
asked him If he knew what the mer-
chants wanted with me- His reply was in sub
stance, that he had received the impression that
they wanted me out of the Board, because it was
thought l would not vote for Governor Helm for
President of the Board. left that evening for the
vicinity of HarrOdsbUrg, KY, which Mr. Nancy
knew my purpose. / was prevented from at
tending the stockholders meeting at Louisville, by
the sickness of my child. never spoke to human
being to vote for me. nor had anything to do or
say in reference to the seeming trouble about my
election at Louisville.
Now, sir. perceiving that your meeting adjourned
to assemble again upon the call of the Committee
to which certain unpublished resolutions were re-
ferred, and Of the purpOrt of which am ignorant |
allow me to request you, as Chairman. to make
known to the meeting my desire that the fullest in
yestgatiOa of all my official conduct as Director,
shall take place, and that only request as act
of Justice at their hands, a distinct specification of
each charge and brief statement of the evidence |
on which it is founded. | admit the right of eve
nv community investigate the official conduct of
officers whose action affect such community but
insist Wien meetings for that purpose assemble,
perhaps predetermined to stgmatize the officer with
ntiicting grievances and insults upon the community
which it is his duty to serve with fidelity, the obi
cation of the meeting by every moral principle
known among men, binds them to exhibit their
charges or indictment in such shape as to afford
air opportunity for defence. That this community
nav know my wishes in this respect, have deemed
t proper TO address you through the medium of the
,rcss in which have been assailed by a publiCa-
ion apparently under your name.
EUGE,E UNDERWOOD.