Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-08-13
THE RAILROAD CONTROVERSY.

| 10 the Editors OF IN, Union and Dispatch.
| Although a stakeholder in the Nashville
and Chattanooga railroad, and of course
interested in the management Of the road,
! have, during the present controversy,
been only locker TN in Venice" not
satisfied to take what il and has been Of
tered on either side as pure gospel. But
the following paragraph in communica
ton by Friend to Proxy" in yester-
days BanneT, as / conceive, calls on all
men who have interest in the race and
"any manhood or honesty" to take sides.
Here il the paragraph:
You, say Mr.. 3. has stopped paying
dividends? Sohe has, under military or
ders brought about by the efforts of the
Stevenson party"
Now what is meant by this? Does the
writer mean that the friends of Stevenson
and others have had sufficient influence
with Gen. Thomas to induce him to inter
fere in an election of Directors for rails
road? Doubtless it is intended to be so
understood by a certain class, who the
writer believes are ignorant and sufficiently
prejudiced to be controlled by such balder.
dash-but the true reading Of it / suppose
means this--elect Burns & CO., notwith-
and population charged upon them, or the
military-aye the hero of Chiekamauga
and Nashville, will draw his sword, and
with his sword, charge, Cole and Stevenson
put Il. w. Cole to flight and bear aIoft,
not the stars and stripes, but certain sable
gentleman, ap9 sRame-sake of the to be
yanqnished E. ". Cole, ana called "stone
COAL" Now seriously, what is this pre-
tence for military interference founded on
1t has no foundation in fact, but the pre-
tence for such foundation originated in the
conduct Of the present board, and it is this:
Mr.. Burns without any necessity forsuch
course, contracted very large debt to the
government of the United States. and the
military if they are to interfere at all
must do SO to secure that debt. Now. B.
& Co. recommend themselves to the stock
holders as worthy Of further trust and con-
fidence, in this aspect alone, upon the
ground that-we have contracted debt we
cannot pay, and you must keep us in power
to contract more such debts-to further
incumber your property, or the mortgage
will be foreclosed. If there be a stock
holder who is willing to endorse them upon
such recommendation, he richly deserves
to be feeced. 1t is the last resort of des-
perate men, as it seems to me, determined
to hold on to place and power at any cost.
Aye, at the cost Of that self-respect that
should ever characterize one made in the
image of his maker. Stockholders, be
men; do not be inundated or forced into
the support of men of at least cues
tionable truth and honesty, and of GER
tain incapacity by any such nonsense.
Aye, but say the friends of Burns you will
not get your dividends unless you re-elect
"B." And if you do, you will be certain
never to get them unless you get them be-
fore the election, and under a promise to
vote for Burns & Co., as 1 believe. Why
do | believe it? Because if B. & Co. have
contracted debt that they honestly owe
that ought to be paid before You or l get
anything; if they have not contracted such
debt, and use the pretence of the military
now before the election to avoid its pay
ment, you may be sure that other pretences
will be raised after their election. So in
either respect they are unfit to be trusted
l have as little use for Stevenson, Cole &
Co. as have for Burns, Stone-coaI & Co.
l want honest and unsupported men-inde-
pendent of both of them. Select them,
stockholders, from among yourselves Do
not be cajoled by the absurd and in
sulting reply, that you must take one or
the other. This is stuff, if you are men,
but true, if you are creatures in the hands
of bad men. A FRIEND TO HONESTY.