Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-07-24

PLY TO PLEASE THEIR PRIEST
DENT, NJ. BURNS. G5
Here is their solemn acknowledgment
sResoiyed, That this Board of Directors
conscious in the integrity Of their oficia
conduct, do most solemnly pronounce til,
suspicious, charges and differences mad,
/ by w. 5. Higgins unfounded in fact, ant
| unworthy of the further consideration o.
tthis Board" a - SIX.
Let US see now If any of these charge.
are founded on facts, within the knowledge
of these Directors if so, thew have mos
solemIly pronounced themselves falsi6ers
If they are founded on facts and they are
Ignorant of these facts, still they are guilty
OF solemnly pronouncing the truth lie
II the charges are not founded on fact then
| am liar of course.
The first charge l bring is known to be
true, In part, by all of the stockholders
present at their last annual meeting name
| iyt that the expedieney of using coal as
| fuel be Inquired into by the present Board,
| and it was known in part to all of these
/ Directors, for il vas published in-ouF last
report. That is one charge founded
on fact within their knowledge.
ID charge. That they paid twenty cents
for coal when they were offered it at fifteen
cents, is a fact which / stand ready to prove
any day and if not within their know
ledge, shows plainly tina. they have not
been doing their duty as directors.
Sd charge. | suppose they know nothing
about it, but others do. have the proof
in my possession.
4th charge. Innes, with transcending
his authority in contracting for the Ten
nessee river bridge, is founded on fact as
solid as the law itself, which law was be-
fore their eyes, (for / quoted it in connec-
ton with this charge.) This, therefore, is
founded On fact within the knowledge of
them all, as plain as two and two make
| four.
9th charge | am ready to prove, and to
| prove it a great deal worse than | state it.
9th charge is known to be true by them
all, or they have no business being direc-
tors. But some of them are excusable on
the ground that they are directors on both
roads; and no man can serve two masters,
saith the scriptures.
9Th charge. That engineers were re-
quired to report more wood than they used
on a ronnd trip, is fact within the know
ledge at least of Arts Brown, A. Nelson
and Bosom, to whom | showed certificates
from engineers Whose words are inst as
good as any director's) proving this fact
yet they solemnly pronounce this I'M
founded in fact
9Th. | charge the officers with threaten
ing to turn off employees etc Is there no
foundation in fact for this charge? We
will see. Last April told the Board that
this state Of things existed, and asked them
to correct it by the following resolution:
Resolved by the Board, That it is not
only the privilege, but the duty of EN-
plOyes of this company, when they see
anything in the management, or in any
way going wrong, which in their best iudg-
ment is detrimental to the interests of the
stockholders, to speak of it to the officers,
directors or stockholders, as the case NAV
be; and, be it further
Resolved, That it is not right or proper
for any officer of this road to turn of, or
threaten to turn off any employee for thus
exercising this right or duty"
Did you correct it? no sirs; but by your
votes said, that if any employee had the
audacity to tell any stakeholder of any
thing going on wrong the officers should
turn them Oh. Again, I said, or charged
that the Board had voted Mr.. Burns $780,
600, and no questions TO be asked him as to
what he did with the money, etc. In their
published statement of their meeting of
the 18th instant, they acknowledge this
charge to be true-tO be founded on
a fact-indeed, they say it is
fact. And now, right under this
acknowledgement, these nine Directors
do most solemnly pronounce (which | think
is the same thing as an OATH the charge
which they themselves acknowledge TO be
true, unfounded in fact, but in plain words
III | understand the meaning of languagej
you have most solemnly pronounced
yourselves falsifers instead of making me
out one. | am sorry that you suffered
Yourselves led or driven so far by your
President, Mr.. Burns | have never ac-
cnsed you with one thousandth part of as
much as you acknowledge aud prove on
yourselves by your own words. 1t is of
your own seeking: glory in your own
shame if you choose 20 do so. | cannot
help it; have tried to get you to do better,
but you would not. But they say ! agreed
to this $l00, 900 resolution. II they mean
by that, that l submitted to it because the
majority voted for it, it is true, for | always
submit to a majority. But if they mean
that | did agree that thing was right, at
any time before or since its passage, or that
| voted for it-then | say it is false When
Burns put the proposition before the
Board, he called for the yeas, a majority
voting yea. He said, passed, 1fr. Secretary,
almost in the twinkling of an eye, and never
called for the noes at all. Again they say Mr.
Burns has not spent any of this money.
| never said that he spent, or did not
spend it, but did say that he stated to the
Board, at the first meeting after he re.
turned, that he had spent FIVE thousand
dollars more than was voted him, and said
further that that was very cheap, that it
had only cost seven per cent. to collect our
debt, and that if we had employed an
agent or a lawyer, it Would have cost 10 per
cent, and kinder limited by him and others
that it cost less to bride Congressman than
employ an agent etc.
Now, gentlemen, Mr. Burns told us he
spent the money you say he did not. Re-
concile IL, If you can. Again, these nine
Direcors resolve that their solemn resolu-
ton be published as the only answer due TO
the communication it refers to.
Now, gentlemen, | do not intend to let
the officers of the road off as easy as this. |
think, and the stockholders think, it is
worthy of a little more notice. They are
grave charges. | put them in black and
white, thereby binding myself to prove
them. Would the ckhulders not have
had little more confidence in your integ-
rity if you had said
Resolved, That the charges which w. S.
Higgins brings against some Of our officers
are grave ones We, therefore invite him 10
produce the evidence If sustained by the
proof, we will hold them to a strict ac-
count, etc.
Again, these notable nine directors say
| have agreed to almost every single propo-
sition passed by the Board for the last
twenty-five months, when in the very com
munication which they had under consid-
Grafton is some three or four propositions,
passed by the Board, which | OPP
posed and did not agree 10. Did You ever
before see or hear Of nine men 80 entirely
reckless as to their character for truthful
ness? Gentlemen, 1 leave you to your
own reflections, and TO the tender mercies
of the stockholders, "a you are candidates
for reelection. Respectfully,
w. 5. HUGGINs.
P. S. I also notice a communication pub