Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-03-15
WHAr rnr Pnrs,unr !. Dolna-Tnu purr

WHAr THE PREssuRE Is DoiSG-THH Duty on
LASDLoRDs.-In conversation yesterday with .
gentleman whose business calls him intO ell parts
OF he city he informed us that he had already
found fully two hundred houses uHOceupied, fair
proportion of which are business houses, and he
had not yet made complete canvass Of the city.
At this time last year il vas almost impossible 10
find an unOccupied business house family rssi-
denoe. What has caused this heavy secession"
from the business and population Of the city
Rents were enormously high, having been increased
in 1860 shout twenty per the rates Of 1853,
Ostenstly on the ground that the city had voted
tax to pay subscription of $4,000 Of stock in
she Nashville and Northwestern Railroad. The
pressure came upon us ard landlords held up for
their high rents and renters finding they could net
meet them have removed outside the corporate linn
its of the city except in few instances where par
ties have found it cheaper to board. Now we see
the result of this policy in the tenantess houses
scattered all over the city, and many of those who
have. been driven out viii scarcely ever return.
The manifest policy of property holders is to bring
down rents to such point that renters can afford to
live in the city. A city cannot grow in population
and wealth where it takes the, greater portion a
man can make to pay his rents.
We notice in the Louisville Journal of the 18th, a
card signed by ffty-seven leading business firms In
that ctv addressed their landlords in which they
urge reduction of rents under contract and leases
made in prosperous times and under circumstances
entirely different from the present. They say:
We respectfully submit that in consequence Of
an almost total failure Of crops in large portion of
the country tributary TO city, there was great
falling of in business during the last six months
OF the year 1861 both in respect to sales and collec
ITEMS that the political troubles of the country have
produced such depression in commercial af
fairs that we can have no reasonable hope for pay
ing trade during she present and believing
that in no event matters be settled that the
commercial interests of our city will recover their
usual healthy tone during the present year, 70
spectfully ask of you such reduction in the rents
of the respective houses occupied By us a. will be
proportionate TO our reduced business"
In publishing this card the JoSrnal says-asd |
it will apply with equal force to Nashville: 1.-TWO
pay double the price now paid, than they can now
afford to pay the present rates. We hope the land
lords will tbs justice of this appeal and accord
the reduction asked for. promptly and a liberal
spirit. Every business feels the pinch occa-
stoned by the present deplorable state of Affairs;
for months they have been hoping daily that the po
litical horizon would brighten up and allow sun
shine again to revisit them, but their expectations
have been disappointed, and the most discouragng
uncertainty hangs over the future. The burdens
imposed by the suspension OF business and in the
efforts to restore it, Dug ht TO be fairly divided and
mutually shared. There is manifsstly then great
propriety and exact justice in the request which
these tenants have made to their landlords"