Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-28

II mills tax on the dollar, but upon MS
1t was reduced to Is mills,
and It remained so during bis term of Of. |
Zee. The taxes were too high now and he |
should favor q reduction in the taxes If |
elected. He thanked them for their stten-
ton and gave way for
Mr.. Thos. ]. Halle, who delivered s
lengthy speech.
The following is a brief synopsis of his
remarks: He was q candidate before the
people, not exactly for Mayor, but for the
nomination for that Office. They had come
there tonight to discuss questions imme.
diately connected with the corporation and
its financial policy, and consult as to who
is the best man for the crisis. He did not
propose to find fault with any of the pre-
ceding administrations. 1t was enough
for him to know that the situation of the
corporation at this time is such as to
demand that character of executive
ability which can relieve it of its
embarrassed and ruinous condition. 1t
was not necessary for him to say what
rents should be, or what produces it, but
it was necessary for him 10 show the
people what produces the disastrous events
which we've around them and what would
remedy them. The true principle Of
managing a corporation is never to exceed
your revenue. The bonded debt four
years ago was $590,000, the home debt was
about 1900 with $4,000 cash in the
treasury, with a sinking fund of 500, 900.
The city was then very prosperous and it
required considerable improvement on the
streets and in the various departments of
the corporation. The only fault he had
against the administration that they have
contracted debt without calculating what
the cost would be. He proposed to COM
mence retrenchment first at the Mayor
that the salary of the Mayor shall be re.
duced and should be recommended by the
Mayor himself, and if the council refused
to reduce the salary that he should not re.
ceive more than $1,000 per annum. He
had examined over the books of the
present recorder, but found them kept in
such bad manner that he was unable to
derive any information hardly from
them. He took up the street de-
partment for three years bringing it up
to the first October, 1862 Since that time
he could not tell yet what the expenses
would be. The expense of the street de-
psrlment for the years 1866 amounted to
$2O6, 124 55. In the next succeeding year,
the street department amounted to $276,-
8S2 rs. The same department in the first
ye7r of Mr.. Alden's administr. t on amc u IT.
ed TO $l25, IA 43. The police department
in the two years administration of Matt
Brown cost $l46,3O4 70, and in the first
year of Alden's administration it cost
| $55,000. The workhouse department cost
the fret year of Browns administration
| $35,737 SO. The Water works debt cost
the first year of Mr.. Browns admins.
tration, SIS, AS rs; the second year, $751;
700. The first year of Alden's admins.
tration it cost 81 900. In summing up
the accounts ofall the departments for the
three years of expenditure it amounts to
| $670,554 80 for the first year of Mr..
Browns administration, S737, lib l9 for
the second, and between FIVE and six
hundred Thousand dollars for the first
year of Alden's administration. He main
tanned that the Mayor should not be al
lowed to receive, if he was dis
posed to do SO, more than he could
fairly make at any other avocation. If he
should be 80 fortunate as 10 receive the
nomination, if the people expected and
| desired the corporation to borrow money
to relieve itself Of the difficulties, be
would ask them not TO vote for him. He
never would issue bond of this corpora
ton for 500 and let it go for $50 and
then pay the interest on the 500. He
would make the corporation yield reve'
nue. beyond the expenditure of its taxes
Mr.. Beech says he is in favor of funding
| the debt. The corporation of Nashville
is not insolvent. The affairs Of
this city can yet be managed
| 30 as to redeem it from destruction, by
| proper management of municipal affairs
| without borrowing dollar from anybody
Instead of this corporation being an in-
solvent institution, she owes large debt
| and she has q large amount of profits
which is worth great deal of money. Can
any man estimate what the Waterworks
department, which was erected for the sole
| purpose of protecting the property Of the
| city, is worth to the city of Nashville;
Receiver Bass will by the first of October
have collected about 5000 600 which will
60 to great extent in the payment of the
| checks that are outstanding against the
corporation those that are found tc
be valid. In regard to these checks he
said that he would not buy one of them
until he could find out whether they are
valid or not. The property of Nashville
the next year will bevalued at $17, 500, 0OO
and at twenty-oue mills on the dollar, II
will amount to $350,000. He calcu-
lates that in 1870 they would receive
| from the water-tax $4,000, the mar
kethouse $4,000, and amounts from
| the other departments which will amount
to in all S498, 300 of revenue, to be de.
rived from the action of all these depart.
| ments after the commencement of the year
| 1870. He proposed to reduce the expen.
ditures Of the corporation on this line
of policy: he had estimated the
streets to cost S24, 500 during the
next year but does not intend in that cal
culation TO build any streets, but to keep
them clean and repaired; that the water.
works department shall be carried on with
SO 600, and miscellaneous department
with $4,000 fire department S23, 900; POI
lice department $4,000 dollars; Hos
pital 5000 dollars; school department
S45, 900 instead of S6S,OOO which it cost
last year. The whole expenses covering
the interest will be $25S, 900. Thus the
revenue will exceed the expenditures
$24O, 800 which will go to pay the debts.
After being informed Of the length of
time he had occupied in addressing
the assembly, he after some other
remarks, closed his speech, and
was followed by
Mr.. John Lellyett in short
speech. Owing to the lateness of
the hour, we are unable to give any syn
opsis of his speech, but will do him justice
at the next speaking. The meeting dis~
persed at late hour.