The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-05-15
LETTER From MAYOR Brown.

Mr.. Arnell read the following letter from
Mayor Brown. The House, however, had
previously listened to the majority and mi
nority reports, and had decided to take ac-
tion thereon.
aIf action on Ssnate's amendment may
be deferred till next Wednesday, il is our
purpo e, in the meantime, 10 take steps to
test the sense of the people of Nashville on
the question now before the General As
sembly. We are very anxious that the
sense of our people be fully understood, as
aseertained in an unquestionable manner,
before final action be taken in regard to our
police. w. MATT. Brown, Mayor
Mr.. Moss, from minority of the Com
mittes, made the following report:
We, a minority of the Joint Special Com
mittee TO whom was referred the Senate
amendment, by which the cities Of Nash
Vile and Chattanooga are placed under Me
tropolitan police regulations, beg leave to
make the following report;
They would first stste that they have con-
sidered well the memorials and evidence
addueed on behalf of the present city po-
lice system of Nashville and Chattanooga,
aud the memorials to chauga aud inaugu-
rae new system of police Of said places,
and find
ist. That the desire for change is con-
fined to a small minority of the inhabitants
Of the cities of Nashville and Chat anOoga,
in the absence OF any well attested cause OF
complaint against the present system, or
the ffic ency of the persons now intrusted
with its execution.
I'd. That the good of the city of Nashville
has, under its existing charter, since the adj
ministraiion of the police of the city was
turned over by the military authorities, Sc
cured all the citizens as full and amp pro-
lection as would probably be afforded to
them under any other system OF govern
ment.
Sd. That no serious outbreak of any kind
has occurred, and such violations rs have
occurred has 9 been promptly punished I'M
der the present system.
4th. That such violations of law as have
occurred, have been of kind or character
as would probably occur under any system
of munici pal government.
5Ih. That the city Of Nashville has now
for two generations and more been under
substantially the same system of municipal
government, and that during this whole pc
riod no city in the whole Union has proba-
bly, been better governed.
9th. That there is nothing TO warrant the
conclusion that the General Assembly Of the
State Of Tennessee can impose upon the
cities Of Nashville and Chattanooga NUM-
accomplished than has been and still may
be accomplished by such as they have atop
ted or may hereafter adopt for themselves.
9TH. The condition Of the people Of France,
in which it has been proved impossible to
sustain a republican form Of government,
should admonish US of the extreme dagger
of the measure under consideration. In
that country the municipal governments
have, for centuries, been appointed by the
central governments, in Paris, and the SO
quel has been, and is, that these municipal
governments here became considered organs
Of q centralized despotism and the ability Of
the people crushed out in toto. On the 9TH
or hsnd the government of the cities and
towns in England have been permitted to
choose their own forms OF government, and
the result has been that these cities and
towns have uniformly been bulwarks for
TIE preservation of liberty whenever it was
imperilei, through the citizens thus habi-
tusted 10 self government.
We, therefore, cannot admit that such a
radical change should be imposed upon the
cities of Nashville and Chattanooga without
their con ent, in ths absence Of any serious
objections to the present police system.
Gao D FosTEB,
a. ". Moss.