Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-06-09

| debt l have steadily refused TO pay, CON
sidering that / had no right under the law
to spend the appropriation for that pur-
pose, and feeling that there were too many
poor laborers on the road to whom this
money properly belonged, if it could be
used for paying any debt contracted before
| the State took possession of the road
To ascertain the wishes of the stock
holders upon general matters pertaining
to the interest of the road, particularly
to the difficulties attending the issu-
ance of these bonds, a meeting was
held, representing largely over a majority
of the stock, at which meeting my actions
we're all approved and resolution passed
that the laborers be paid out Of the pro-
| ceeds OF the first money realized by sale of
bonds. Had the injunction already obtained
by the old board against me been removed
as it ought to have been, this fight made,
as i believe, only to force the misappro-
priation of the bonds and to iniure the
credit of the State, would have ceased ere
this, and the men have been paid as directed
by the stockhOlders ] break my logged
silence" mentioned in the Press and Times
of the 9Th TO pay myrespeets to that paper,
50 universally known for its entire faithless-
ness to both friend and foe. 1t appears this
morning with an edict put forth by some
body, strongly suspected by me az the
Friend of Bummers." 1t is CALLING to
have to answer, or even notice such persons,
for it is said one is known by the COM
pany he keeps, but think of the immacIl-
late Mercer, whipped into line by most
| probably some of the resigned Board of
Finance" to attack me "a he has done. 1t
is a rich joke, and only such one az poor
"Quinine Mercer" could be induced to
perpetrate, and one that he would have
omitted for want of room had he not Issued
his extra" filled with illegal advertise
ments," and had quarter of a column to
spare, which, sooner than devote to the in
terests Of the party who he daily misrepre-
sents and swindles, he must need bark,
| (of course long after) some of his more en-
terprising contemporaries have got through.
And now for the lies contained in that ar
ticle, but il Is needless to say lies, az his
paper is eternally filled with nothing else.
No negotiation was ever made between
Burns and myself looking to his using his
influence to get me the bonds provided. /
would agree TO pay the men; it has always
been understood that no bonds would be
issued by the Governor to Mr.. Burns, and
it ia a matter of fact that a resolution was
adopted at the Stockholders meeting at
WaVerly pledging the men their pay out
of the first money realized by sale of
bonds, and returning thanks to the labOrerI
for their patience in this matter. That
did back out of certain propositions made
me by Mr.. Burns in reference to the
bonds, il correct, but it is a willlull lie that
it was a. stated by the enterprising
sheet" in fact it was just the reverse.
Every attempt at negotiation with Mr..
Burns has had no other object but the in
terest of the State and road in view.
have not acted az Receiver of this road
since September /, 1867, but only since De-
cember 6, 1867, some difference to men of
truth, but so near to what that paper gene
rally comes that it is unnecessary to COM
ment on it. By the by, Mercer, why were
not your masters on Capitol Hill consulted
in regard to listen they know better.
The Receivers reports do not show that
the road has lost the State $50, 900, and had
| the wise heads known anything about
railroad accounts, they would have told
you better, as one of those parties in par
| ticular is known as the "Chief Of the SMELL
ing Committee on Receivers"
| never refused to report gross income
and expenses of the road. On the contra
nv, have filed my monthly reports regI-
larry and, if the brainless fools who seek
information cannot obtain il with the facts
before them, / cannot help it. | made the
extraordinary reply to the board that they
might examine the books for themselves,
-, f,1l larrrr1ara no Iatfar
of the 23d of April, after stating that the
information asked for would be furnished
"a soon AZ Colonel Claiborne returned, who
was then absent, | said Permit me to
suggest that personal examination of my
| books and papers would be gratifying to
me. and feel confident more satisfactory to
Yourselves in getting at what you desire,
aud / shall be happy 10 aid you in any way
to attain the object you seem 10 have in
view, viz: the interests of the State"
Now, was there anything in this that
| looked like an insult TO the Board Of Fl.
nance? Nobody saw any insult ia it, but
one Fletcher, aud be with all his dignity
arose aud I'm my opinion, without
any iuslifCatlon,l moved for my re-
moval. If he had said honestly what
Tor, it would have been because
| dared step my foot In Tennessee
and fight my way through il, while he
| skulked back to Indiana and took fat office
! among the bummers. IL / an Creditably
| informed. Fletcher alone voted on this resJ-
luton. About the first Of May last the
| Board of Finance did ask for certain iutor-
nation, amongst other matters, the follow
ing: what are the monthly salaries OF
the Receiver, General Superintendent,
Cashier, General Freight Agent, and all
other officers, and the iOdgss q each labOrGr,
servant or employe, with the name Of each,
and whether such salaries and wages have
been paid and who remain unpaid" Now,
20 any one familiar with railroad accounts,
il will lee readily perceived that even this
one item Of information requires the name
of every man ever employed on the road
since operated by the State and this Is bat
a small part Of the information they re-
quired. and upon which Col. Claiborne
inv Cashier with his Assistant and my
Auditor. have been diligently at work ever
since | was called upon TO furnish IT.
therefore adhere 20 my first proposition,
that il would have been more satisfactory
20 Mr.. Fletcher or any other person desir-
ing the information from a proper motive
to have examined personally into anything
he desired, and it would have saved the
State a considerable sum in the way Of
stationery, etc. la regard 20 the fast and
loose game, nobody knows better how &c
play this game Than Mercer. lie played u
IA 1850, 1861 and 1862, 10 perfection, and
that game with slight decoctiOns Of quinlns
made him the representative man tin hli
own estiHlatiOnl OF the Radical party Of Ihit
State. As TO tis representations rela
tive TO my railroad ability, that II
so glariogly a humbug coming from