Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-02-03
Straight Line Railroad.
EVANSVILLE, Feb. 2, 1866.
Ihe ciiiuens of ErnnarilLe:

Inc thing IN motl0n. Inc law requires
that the first Board of Directors shall
FIX the time of holding the first and
other annual elections for directors
j. AT the meeting of directors alluded
to by William Baker and others, the
directors present, at my suggestion,
made no order fixing the time of such
election. suggested that it was best
not to do it until subs -ribers could be
procured who were competent and will.
ing to become working directors, and
that in the election the City ought to
have voice and controlling influence
as the party having the greatest interest
at stake. @ @
For these reasons, and no other, the
time for holding a general election was
not then fixed
have taken no step in this m after
without first consulting William Baker
and getting his consent. 5gfEd
: Before anything was done, / told him
/ had seen Mr.. Fellowes, at Indianapolis,
and that having examined the papers in
the case Of Fellowes against the city in
the U S. Circuit Court, and found the
condition the case was in, | had pro-
posed to Mr. Fellowes TO postpone further
proceedings, untikI should make some
attempt at compromise that Mr..
Fellowes had agreed to do go, provided
he Mayor Bakery would sign and send
to him writing, agreeing to such post-
ponement Mr.. Baker signed such a
writing, and ] forwarded it to Mr. Fell
loves. At the same time, told Mr..
Baker, thatmy opinion was, that as the
case then stood, the Court would decide
it in favor of the city, but that did not
know enough of what was done in my
absence to judge of the extent to which
the features of the case might be chang
ed, if the plaintiff possessed knowl-
edge of certain matter which it would
be strange if he should overlook, but
which did not yet appear in the case.
At the same time, / told Mr.. Baker that
Mr. Fellowes had assured me that he
and MIR. Merritt, who owned the Straight
Line Road bed, had it in their power to
release the city from the old subscrip.
ton sued on, and would do so, if we
could get mp new Company TO pur-.
chase the road bed, and that they would
sell it on reasonable terms, and take
stock for half :he amount of the pur-
chase money With Mr.. Bakers
knowledge and apparent approx
al, commenced soliciting sub
scripti6ns to written petitions, ad.
dressed to the Council, asking them
to take stock / found this process
the only one authorized by the charter
Ito be very tedious and lsborious, and
when the Governor ordered a special
session of the Legislature, / called on
/ Mayor Baker at his Office and consulted
him about the pr )priety of getting the
charter amended so as to submit tle.
question of taking stock TO vote of the
people. He agreed with me, not only
that the amendment should be made, but
also as to the form Of the amendment,
and that the application to the Legisla
ture would be more likely to succeed if
requested by the Council, and that it
would be we'll to ask, at the same time,
amendments as to water and gas
works, &c. drew up such an amend
ment as we had agreed on, and Dir.
Baker submitted it. to the Council, and
after amending it, at the suggestion OF
one or two of the councilmen, so as to
eon6ne the vote on the stock question to
tax payers, the Council adopted it unani-.
mousfy, and Mr.. Baker forwarded it to
Indianapolis, addressed to his brother,
Col Conrad Baker, then President of
the Senate. 1t was anne nded, without
my suggestion or participation, BY omit
ting certain provisions relating to gas,
and inserting others entirely different
affecting the past as well as the future
and it then passed and became a law.
had previously suggested to Mr.. Baker
that before this amendment could be
procured and vote taken, the United
States Court would cit, and requested
him to sign another paper agreeing to
another continuance of the case in that
court, that / might send it to Mr. Fell
lows and get such continuance. de
tsigned the agreement and forwarded it
and procured a second continuance.
After the amendment of the charter
became a law, Mayor Baker procured 9
copy certified by the Secretary of State,
and so informed me, and ! then inquired
Of him as to it's effect, and as TO the
kind Of order necessary to be made by
the Council in regard TO an election. He
was not then at his ofice, and said he
would send me copy of the amend
ment, which he did, omitting only the
recital of that part of the charter which
was amended. After receiving this l
called on Mayor Baker, and advised with
him as to the form of the order for an
election, telling him | was not sufficient
| ly acquainted with the ordinances to
know what it was necessary to include
in the order as to the places of holding
the elections, aud as to inspectors and
| Judges, dc. He informed me on this
subject, and / then prepared the order,
rerbatim, as it is printed in the JOURNAL,
and Mayor Baker submitted it to the
4 Council, and it was passed without a
dissenting voice, or an objection urged
by Mayor Baker, or Sne else. i,
will be observed that, thu lar, nearly all
have stated in reference to VIM. Baker
is susceptible of proof by written eyi
dence; and if he denies it, will prove
it. / leave it to the people TO Judge ol
the propriety of his course in nov en-
deagoring to throw all the responsibilit,
on me, and ipjure me By nm
lust and unfounded insinuations tha
/ am acting in bad faith, or doinI
, ANYTHING not sanctioned by him. Il
their card William Baker and other
charge me with holding over the Cit
a threat in reference to the suit pend
ing. / deny that have ever done any sue
, thing. Mr.. Baker and Mr.. Chandler knev
privately what thought as to the resu
of that sase. Whether Mr.. Gwathme
: and Mr.. Heilman did or not. | do no
know; bat they all knew thst had put
3 licly expressed in print my opinion ths
the law Of the case was in favor OF tn
City, while at the same time ! state
: that might be mistaken, and that
q thought it the more prudent course
d avoid the risk by making a compromis
by which We would be able to complei
the road, and get the benefit of th
money already invested in il.
. In the communication published b
K me over my signature in the JouYnt
q OF the frst of February, the very artic
alluded to by them in their "Petition /