Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-04-27
CORPORATION FlNANCIERING.
The City Debt-ItS Alarming
Amount.

To the Editors of the Union ana American.
Sirs: Not wishing to do any person harm
or unjustly impute blame, | take this occa-
sion to correct slight mistake of the print
er in the article published in your paper of
Sunday morning. l am there made to
charge directly that there was combine
ton, whereas L wrote if there was combi-
nation then certain conclusions followed.
| wish this corrected so as 10 let all men
Judge for themselves from the facts and
circumstances, reminding us whether
such a wicked combination as is sup
posed does exist l had not intended
for the present to refer TO our corporation
affairs again, but as | am called on by
your mistake to occupy more of your
space, permit me to add few words 10 adj
dition TO what have already said. | have
referred in my former communications to
various subjects affecting our interests as
people, and in feeble way pointed out as
far as practicable, the remedies in and
through the courts, and have also referred TO
the fact that an effort has been made by
some of the members Of the Common Coun-
Gil to have the whole Thing ventilated and
exposed, but the influence of the Finance
committee ia such thai 30 far 1t
has been failure, to produce any result,
except to appoint committee on the part
of one branch of the city legislature. This
committee is now, az | understand, en-
| deyouring 10 ferret out what they charge
and believe TO be great sWindIe on the
people. How they will succeed God only
knows, but hope when they close thtir ia
vestigstions that they will have arrived
| at such facts and conclusions as will
| satisfy themselves and the community,
| that their expose Of our city fairs 'wil
l be reliable, and that ii all is reasonably
| fair and honest they will 50 state; but if
| on the contrary they shall find that the
fesrs and apprehensions Of themselves and
the people are we'll founded that there is
| fraud and corruption in the management
of our affairs, that they will with equal
boldness state The same, and name the
parties implicated SO that the real people
may know who'll is that is plundering them
of what they have honestly worked for.
| would suggest to the committee thst
it ID pretty we'll understood and believed to
be true that there are checks now in suit
in the various courts of this county 10 the
amount of over THREE HUNDRED
THOUSAND DOLLARS; it is also be-
lieyed from such information a. is deem,
as reliable as can be had, that fail
lone MILLION OF DOLLARS
lin CHECKS are held by those
who have not sued On them at all.
If this belief is we'll founded, it will be seen
that our outstanding debt represented ~
checks is, perhaps, over ONE MILLION
THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND
DOLLARS, to which must be added the
one hundred thousand in bonds due, and also
the unpaid interest and coupons Of on
hundred thousand dollars making gross
debt of at least FIFTEEN HUNDRED
THOUSAND DOLLARS, besides tn;
bonded debt of nearly ONE MILLION
How all these things are definitely M
man, perhaps. can tell, but certainly Ihos'
in charge of our affairs on ht 10 hav,
some data by which they can approach TIL
truth in regard to matters Of such vast i'm
portance. Sirs, it will be Remembered
that ia day or two the sale for city axe
: comes off; and it seems to me that if Their
| is any thing like the state of things exist
\ ing that is made probable by what We do r,
| ally know, that it will be only short tim
f until all those who do not engage in spec
J | ulating in checks will be sold out foe tn
. benefit of few viii our people psImi
this great outrage TO be perpetraied sith
l out any tffo4t 10 resist ii, or will The
at once become aroused and sliv
to the state of things, and in every wa
known TO men froWn down and pat t
3 shame all the plans of the dtsp5ilers
] rob them Of what justly belongs 10 thel
2 and their children? Let every mau feel
5 personal interest in the matter, for whi
Il affects whole community must atieC
/, almost every Individual man in the con
f munity whose interest Is identified, al
. those who intend 10 stay here must pro,
!, per or fall with US, whether they are Whit
6 or black; and especially is this true of ii
poor man and laborer, for when the cit
: prospers he prospers, and when it lsl
: guishes he languishes. So, open your e, e
:, all We small men and laborers, for 90
! are to be plnndered, and not benefited,
It destroying the credit and character
Of your city, but on the contrary to be mat
hewers oil wood and drawers Of water fl
r those who despoil you, JUsTITIA,