Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-12-02
NASHVILLE AND NORTH
WESTERN RAILROAD.
A Creditors View OF the surround

To the Editors Of the Union and American
Gentlemen: read in your issue of the
28th ult notice of meeting which was
about to take place on the 29th, COM
posed of merchants of the city of Nash
vile, for the alleged purpose of rendering
aid to the President of the Nashville and
Northwestern Railroad.
Judging from the tone of your article,
there were hopes revived in every honest
creditors breast, as well as in my own,
that the enterprise and pride of our inner
chant princes would be aroused in behalf
of the poor and down-trodden creditors,
composed chiefly of the bone and sinew
of the State-men who have credited the
Nashville and Northwestern Railroad in
sums varying from 500 to $500 for more
than eighteen months and that the mer-
chants would not hesitate for a moment
to lend at least the small sum of 800
each to its President for twelve months
When the merchants publicly assert
that the success of said road is of more
importance to them than to any one else,
it is very questionable, from the fact that
they refused the aid mentioned; and such
refusal cOmpels every unbiased mind to
conclude that their assertions Gas well as
the meeting of merchants on the 29th of
Noyember) were intended for some other
purpose-not for the welfare of the city
nor the poor creditors whose children are
crying for bread.
am sorely puzzled to know how those
merchants can complain of the city
of Louisville or the Louisville and Nash
vile Railroad, for aiding each other Is it
not their duty to do so? Is il not wis
dOm2 Have they not shown that they
are composed, or are in possession OF
common sense? They work for the mu-
| tual advantage of each other. instead of
| Gripping the avenues of trade and COM
merce, or bartering it IN order to uphold
parties who did not have the judgment to
do as they did.
1t will be of no advantage to the State
to lease the Nashville and Northwestern
Railroad to the Nashville and Chattanooga
Railroad Company, 1t would be an in
| Justice to the poor creditors who are now
petitiOning the Legislature for redress,
and who are protesting at the same time
against the ratification of the lease to the
Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad Com
pany.
With regard to the recent statistical re-
ports of the Nashville and Chattanooga
Railroad, must say that discredit them
ALL First, they reported on the 1st of
September, 1868, fourteen locomotives in
running order On the lst of September,
1859, they had only five, and yetthey have
the assurance to say that they expended
| $40, 900 upon the engines in that time.
And they furthermore say that the gross
receipts were $4,000 for u months,
while the expenditure for that time was
| 81, 900 more, together with the de-
strHctiOn of nine locomotives, and God
only knows how many cars-with iron
sold and made unseTyiceable.
| The President of the Nashville and
Chattanooga railroad said, in his REMARK
ABLE speech at the Courthouse on the 29th
of October last, that the business of the
| Nashville and Northwestern railroad was
steadily increasing, and that the earnings
We're S35, 900, but should have been $45,-
| 0G0, for the month of September last
| Taking this as an average, for the time
| from lst of September to lst of De-
cember, 1869, the gross earnings for the
10 months would he $4i8, 900, instead of
| 1915, 900, as reported by the President of
the Nashville and Chattanooga railroad at
the Merchants Meeting.
| | shall conclude by mentioning, that the
facts given in this letter were gathered, at
various times, from the officers of the
Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad Com
pany, and any one questioning their accu-
Tacy must be suffering under some hallu-
cination, for they cannot be controverted.
Now, there is one other matter of great
importance at this time, and that is, that,
if l am correctly informed, there is a re-
cent amendment to the lease bill to the eff
feet that all the expenditures of the Nash
vile and Chattanooga Railroad on the
Nashville and Northwestern Railroad
over their reported earnings, shall be
borne by the State; or in other words, an
appropriation viii be made to reimburse
them for such expenditure. This is con-
trary to recent resolutions, and if such ac-
ton should be taken it would be more
consistent to make said appropriation in
favor of the poor employees, who are now
suffering through the dishonest acts OF
former State agents to whom the Nash
vile and Northwestern appropriations
were entrusted. CREDITOR.