Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-06-30

MP. Mcsaf3n.
To the Editors Of the Union and Dispatch.
/ notice in the Press and Times Of this
morning, card from A. V. S. Lindsey,
commenting on the action of the City
Council, with regard to the lease Of tile
ground on which the Reservoir Mills is To-
Gated. l should not have noticed this
card had not an attempt been made in the
editorial department Of the paper to make
political capital out of it. It is proper for
me TO say at the outset, that have no in
terest in said lease, and further, / do not
care what kind Of trade is made between
the city authorities and Mr.. Douglas; but
when an attempt is made to lug private
transaction into political controversy, /
hold it to. be my duty, as a member Of the
Conservative party, TO explain this lease.
The iirst lease was entered into by the cor
poration of South Nashville with the South
Nashville Bucket and Lumber Manufac-
turing Company, the terms of which were
as follows:
The lease was TO run for ten years, and the
company agreed simply TO keep the road
leading to the top of the hill in good re-
pair After this lease had run six or seven
years l became the owner of the entire
stock Of that company, and entered into an
arrangement with the City Council for an
extension of the same for ten years. Owing
to the excitement incident to the war, the
transaction was not closed up until 1865,
when l applied to Mr. Shane, who was
then Recorder, and who was, if | mistake
not, the City Attorney Of the council, with
which / had originally made the lease.
He referred me to the Mayor, Judge Jno.
Hugh Smith, who, by the way, think one
Of the best posted gentlemen ON public
property in the city. He ratified the lease
at an annual rent of one hundred aud fifty
dollars per annum, and the keeping of the
road and street leading to the Lebanon pike
in good repair, and received in pay
ment Of the entire ten years fifteen
hundred de4ars of Union Bank notes,
worth at that time only sixty cents
on the dollar in greenbaeks. And who
were the gentlemen who made this trade
No other than two very prominent member
of the Radical party. / contend that they
made good trade, for they took up fifteen
| hundred dollars of corporation bonds with
the money. Now what are the facts con-
nected with the lease entered into at the last
meeting Of the City Conncil? They leased
eight acres of corporation property for two
hundred dollars per annum, and retain the
right to use the same for the very purposes
for which it was originally purchased, in
addition to which they have their road re-
| paired at cost to the lessee Of mot less than
| three hundred dollars per annum. Nay,
more, they are receiving from Douglas
taxes ON the personally erected on the
| premises, and about two hundred dollars
| water-tax from pipes laid down without a
dollars cost to the city, and which never
enters the pipes leading to town. So you
see the city is absolutely receiving nearly
| eight hundred dollars for piece OF
property which oVerhows every season,
and on which, to my personal knowledge,
| the water stood twelve feet deep last winter
| during the high tide In addition to the
eight hundred dollars heretofore enumera-
| ted, what has the mill done erected on this
premises She has only on yesterday
| saved the poor people of this city no less
two hundred dollars in a single day by
| bringing down the exorbitant price de-
manded for -four by prominent Radical
miller of this city, two dollars per barrel,
which, had not ii been for the liberality OF
| this and former City Councils, this exortion
might have been carried on for an indef-
mite period. A comparison is made with
McClay's mill, when it is we'll known by
every intelligent observer of high waters,
that this mill is two or three feet under
water. when McClay's mill is high and
dry. And to whom, Messrs Editors, is this
lease made to by this Conservative City
Council? Why, sirs, to gentleman con-
nected during the entire war with the Fed
eral army, while Mr.. Mercer, who endorses
this card, was engaged in smuggling
quinine into the Southern Confederacy,
and Mr.. Lindsly, the writer of the
card was at home, remaining in a state
of mastery inactivity. Ny advice to my
old friend Lindsey is to devote the time
which he and his party friends are spend
ing at the hour of midnight, in their
Leagues TO deprive their old neighbors aud
friends of their liberties, land perhaps their
property by their schemes of confscation, J
to the ivestigation of facts before they
thrust themselves in print for the purpose
of making political capital out of munich
pal questions, when | am sure no such
motive ever entered the heads ofthe mem
beers of the City Council, and who, in COM
mon with myself, if put on our oaths, could
not say whether Douglass is Radical or
Conservative Mr.. Lindsey says that he
has notified Mr.. Lellyett that the citizens
interested will not submit to any such pro-
position. Perhaps his association with the
Radical party has induced him to believe.
that his edicis will be obeyed at all times,
aud if not, he will get up rebellion on
small scale. And,:i conclusion, Messrs.
Editors let me say that the time for such
bullying and bragadocia as this is passed, for
neither Douglass nor the City Council will
pay any attention to any such squibs as the
card of Mr.. Lindsey. Apologising for
consuming SO muen of your space,
| am, very truly,
JNO. ]. MCCAIN.
2. S. He estimates the eight acres at
$500 per acre. He must have had the
arithmetic by which the Radicals estimate
the chances of Brownlow's election, when
he made this estimate for as good, or better
property than this can be purchased adjoin-
ing it for $3.50 per acre.
TRAGEDY ON GAY STREET.
A CoIOred HiIftiamaR Shot by n
COmrade.
Last night, at little after nine O'Clock,