Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1868-12-02

Indebtedness, $4,000, and you have
$SS,O00, to which add the $l5.70O ~
paid your Directors for old machinery.
etc, viii give youSl03, 700 ~ loss to your
State for two years and quarter, under
your present lease; yet your Honors are
Obliged to do us the Justice to say the
fault is not ours We are not responsible
for its management, yet you have been
told from time to time, that as soon as
certain things could be done, the prison
would be self1sustaining. We say to you
emphatically, it cannot be done under
your present programme and lease IL
is contended by your minority man that
1T costs less under your old system to run
your prison than by the present one,
which we admit, yet he fails to tell you
why. Under the old system you have
three Directors, at salary nominally
from $50 to SIS per year, instead of three
at $1,000 year. You then had ten
guards, at SIS per month, instead of
thlrty-three, at $50 per month and board
GU did not pay q steward 81 500 per
annum under the old system and board.
You did not pay your Chaplain $1,000
per annum as now, nor did you pay your
physician as much as now-not that we
think the present one gets too much, nor
did any thing cost them as it does now
And that you have not gone back to the old
system, as your Honors well know, is no
fault of ours, for we have profered twice
to sell out to the State, as your commits
tees VIII bear us testimony. Last spring,
to get rid of this controversy, we offered
to show our books, and take what they
showed to have been paid by US, and
turn everything over to the State, thereby
losing the interest on our capital, of say
1882 900, and the entire time and ser
vices of Hyatt, Briggs & Ward, for nearly
two years. This was refused, nOtwith-
standing this minority man was clamors
ing that VIC had made money by the
fire, In the contract for putting up the
new buildings If this had been so, the
State would have received the benefit of
1t by this arrangement, yet you declined
it Again, at your extra session, we
again offered to sell out by you author>
ising the Governor to appoint an APP
praisor, we to appoint one, and the two
to select third, and they to say what
our property was worth, and let the State
take it, yet this was refused. Still we
are harrangued by this minority man to
your HOnors and the public, as being the
cause Of all your troubles with the Peni-
Tertiary, and he aims to criticise others
through US or over our shoulders We
have only to say in conclusion, that we
don't care where he rubs his slime and
filth, so he does not rub it on US. The
creature is too dirty and low for notice,
were itaot that the Governor has given
him position By his appointment, that
might induce persons not knowing him,
to give some credit to his slang We are
sure we risk nothing in saying he would
cheerfully agree to run the entire Pens
Tertiary for the ST 900 yeaI, if you
would only board him, and allow him to
use the money belonging to the prisoners
We are not authorized to say wheSher he
has paid the negro convict who was par
dOned some weeks since or not. He was
reported to have taken the negro's
money, (Sl05) which was a part of his
bounty money, from the safe at the
prison, where it was put for safe keeping,
and used it. The negro was pardoned,
and waited here for over week to get
his money which this Mr. A. G. Sharp
had used, and was at that time at
Chattanooga, where he resides. Such
is our information. The efhciert
steward, who is cOmplimented by this
minority man, can tell, no doubt, whether
it is paid or not, and if so, how it was
done, and as to whether he paid the State
any board all last spring and summer.
The books Of the prison will no doubt
show. We take this opportunity Of ex-
pressing our thanks to the other liiree-
tors for passing the recent order forbid
ding any one to board with the Warden,
for it rid US of a great nuisance. This
minority Director has been very uniOr-
tunate with his associates. The present
Directors are the second set he has served
with, and he has always been in minOri-
tv Of one. The count now stands four to
one. To all the Directors, save this
minority one, as also the present prompt
and gentlemanly Warden and his ascot
ated officers, We return our thanks for
their courtesy and promptness All OF
which is respectfully submitted.
WARD q BRIGGs, lessees.
Nashville Nov. %, 1868.