Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-02-21
RErRENCHMENT.


posed and IIs PracticabIIfty AS
serted.
When any corporation is 20 pressed for
want Of means as TO be compelled to give
an enormous per cent. in order to borrow
the means necessary to pay its employees
paltry months salary, il is time that the
corporation should adopt measures Of re-
trenchment which will be fell in the con
duet Of its affairs. Save the souphouse en-
terprise and the appropriations for pau
pers, the present city government has ven
tured very little. While our streets are
rapidly erumbling to decay, and becoming
80 many man-traps, and all proposed en-
terprises that would go TO make ours one
Of the loyeliest cities of the South, are at
dead lock, il would. be we'll il a little
practical economy could be introduced, in
order TO the preservation of what is left us.
As one means Of retrenchment, the aboli-
ton Of the present FIRE department system
would 20 far toward restoring the credit of
the city. Twenty-Five or thirty thousand
dollars is more than Nashville can afford to
pay every year for this sort luxury, even if
We had afrst-class department. The utterin-
competence Of the concern which now holds
the hose is too well known TO be argued,
and bungling volunteer force could hardly
do worse. 1t is, no doubt, fully as good as
any fire department principally made up
Of inexperienced men, can be, bnt it don't
answer the purpose at all, and ia s needless
burden and expense.
There is a strong feeling in favor of the
establishment of a volunteer fire depart
ment, and it has frequently been proposed
Of late, accompanied by assertions of its
utility and effectiveness which bear with
them no little weight when the matter is
considered from all points. The paid fire
department of Memphis will pass from ex-
istence in the coming month, TO give place
to VOLUNTEERS, and it has not been very
long since even the city of New York
dared venture upon the system which
Nashville now sustains Philadelphia,
one of the finest and largest cities on this
side of the Atlantic, is protected by a vol
unteer fire department and no city of the
United States can boast of a more effective
force. Is Nashville so large that she
needs more than Philadelphia or New
York for protection?
We have old, experienced fremen, who
will willingly take charge Of our FIRE de-
partment, and 80 conduct il that its effect
iveness will not be in any way impaired,
thus saving 10 the city an enormous ex-
pense which IL cannot well bear. There
can be no doubt that volunteer depart
ment, thoroughly organized, would answer
every purpose, and the City Council could
accomplish nothing that would do more to
satisfy this taK-burdened community that
they held the interest Of the city at heart,
than by the adoption of measures look
ing 10 this result
Celebration of the 2ad of February by
the Improved Order OF Red Men,
A meeting Of the various tribes of the
Improved Order of Red Men was held last
night, preliminary to the grand ceIebra-
ton tomorrow.
L. NJ. Temple, Esq, was the recipient of
magnificent golden-fringed regalia, rep
resenting his rank in the order. The pre-
sentation speech by Esquire James Sloan,
and the response of Mr.. Temple were
very beautiful and appropriate, and called
forth volumes Of applause.
The following programme is announced
The members Of the Order will meet at
their Wigwam at A. NJ, and be formed in
procession, and will move from the Wig
wan at halfpast ten o'clock, as follows
Around the Public Square to Market
down Market to Locust; through Locust
10 College up College TO Line through
Line to Cherry; up Cherry to Cedar; up
Cedar to High down High TO Church
up Church TO Vine; down Vine to Broad
down Broad to Summer; out Summer to
Elm; through Elm to Cherry; up Cherry
to Ash through Ash to College; down
College to Broad; down Broad to
Market; up Market to Church; up
Church to Summer, and thence to the
First Cumberland Presbyterian Church,
on the corner of Summer and Cumberland
alley, where Washington's farewell address
will be read and an address upon the Order
delivered by L. NJ. Temple, Esq, after
which the procession will reform and pro-
coed up Summer TO Union, through Union
to College, and from thence to the Wig
wan.
The exercises at the Church will com
mence at half-past eleven O'Clock. The
public are respectfully invited TO attend.
JAMES NJ. HINTON, Chief Marshal.
ROBERT PATTERSON,
w. c. KINNEY,