Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-05-24
MISSISSIPPI RIVER RAILROAD


The editor of a country sheet called the
Upton OONRty Record has been trying fol
some time past to draw attention to him
self by assailing the Mississippi River
Railroad, and myself az its President. In
his paper of the 10th inst. there is an arti-
Gle Oftwo columns and a half devoted ex-
cIusively to personal abuse of myself and
MISREPRESENTATION ofthe Mississippi River
Railroad. 1 present the following OK
tracts from the article as specimens OF Its
charges and destinations:
1.-The INQUIRY of what has become of the
two hundred thousand dollars voted by
Upton, and the three hundred Thousand
voted by Shelby county is very pertinent
in this matter. Twenty-Five thousand
dollars has gone as q salary TO Mr.. Mitch
eli, and the Executive Board, we learn, al
a recent meeting voted this worthy SUB
iect the additional little sum of twenty
FIVE thousand for extra services. Wha'
those extra services were we are not pre-
pared to say, and not long since he re-
ceived a Check for some seventeen OF
eighteen Thousand more. What that was
for is more than we can conjecture. The
worthy Secretary of this company lwho Is
a brother-in-law of Mitehell) has received
two thousand dollars, yet there is abso-
lutelv not a scratch of a pen on the BOOKS
of the company. What he has done TO
merit this reward can only be accounted
for by the fact that he is a gentle member
of an honest faction. The Treasurer has
been receiving pay for fifteen months,
and vet his duties only began some foul
or six months ago. Now these are only
some of the few items. The great item o.
interest to our people of Upton and
Shelby is, what has become of the whole
five hundred thousand dollars.
Perhaps the following interrogatories
may be answered by some of the Direct
ors, we will ask them at any rate, fol
they are very suggestive: How many OF
he bonds issued by Upton and Shelby
counties have been used? How many
are in the possession of the company
How many, if any, have been turned V
to McCombs2 (who, as we understannd,
has not signed any contract as yet to
complete the work.. Why are the bonds
not negotiated in the hands of the proper
and only bonded officer of the company
Mr.. Cherry, the Treasurer? What au-
tbority has Mr.. Mitchell or any Other
man to remove these bonds from the pos
session of h eLTreasurer without the con-
sent or direction of the Board? vii
thew also tell us why the work along the
whole route is languishing, and why they
nave waited on McCombs for ten months
to sign the agreement? VIII they not
nave the kindness to inform the people
where the County Bonds are, or If they
nave not all or nearly been squandered?'
l have no words to waste upon the
author of these charges, but will dispose
of him and them as they deserve, through
the plain and simple statement of two OF
the most eminent and honorable citizens
of Memphis, to-wit: Capt. A. T. Lacey
and VIM. B. Greenlaw, who are Directors
OF the Mississippi River Railroad;
To the public;
Having read carefully an article IN the
TYptOR Record of date Goth inst, pretend
ing to give an account of the proceedings
of the Mississippi RIVER Railroad, and
accusing its President, A. 5. Mitchell
Esq, Of Incorporating the funds OF
the we feel it incumbent on ms
to state over our own signatures that the
article of the Record is filled with mis-
statements, and is utterly unworthy o.
the attention or respect of the public.
With regard to Mr.. Mitchell's connec-
ton with this road, it is probably well
for his reputation that this article of the
Record gives us the opportunity OF
stating the facts OF the case, Whlch are as
follows:
Mr.. Mitchell was one of the first citi-
zens, after the war, to revive the railroad
hopes of Memphis. He recognized this
company, and obtained all the needful
legislation therefor; he secured q
grant of State aid, which has
never beer used. of 81, 800 900. He
canvassed all the counties on the line Of
the road and obtained county subscrip-
tions to the amount of S650,00 90; he Sc
cured private subscriptions to the amount
of nearly $1,000. The total amount Of
subscriptions obtained by him was over
81. 700, OOO-and no citizen of Memphis was
called on by him for one dollar of aid while
doing this work. He caused surveys to
be made for eighty miles of the road al
his own expense, and the o was ready
to put under contract to Cov1ngton De-
fore there was a dollar in the treasury Of
the company. In fact, a recent settlement
of his accounts with the company, from
the beginning of his connection with il
to the first day of this month, made by US
as members of the Executive Committee
revealed the fact that Mr.. Mitchell spent
of his W money and money raised or
his private credit, over Sl2, 900 in support
of the road and in paying for its sur.
veys, before the coniPany ever had
control of a dollar of its own
Our examination ofgA1r. Mitchell's &C
counts established tb further fact that
except where he advanced it from hii
W pocket, or obtained it on his owl
credit, he has never had the handling o
any money of the company, and could
never have misappropriated any of Its
funds.
With regard to the $500, 900 of bonds is
sued to the company by Shelby n Tip
ton counties, we further assert that MIR
Mitchell has never had custody or contro
of said bonds, and consequently could
make no disposition of them whatever
Not exceeding $4,000 altogether of sale
- - - -AI,1n,aI h- tho Nurf
counties, and work to nearly three t1mes
that amount has been done on the road
within the two counties. of the rest o
the bonds every one is in safe-keeping, by
order of the Board, and will be applied
in the construction of the road they wer'
appropriated to.
1t is not true that Mr.. Mitchell has re-
ceived 'S25, 900 in salary" 1t is not true
that the Board or Executive Committee
have ever voted him SIS, 000." or any
other sum for extra services" 1t is no
true that he ever received a check fol
''Sl7, 900 or SIS, O0O,' or that he ever re
ceived a check for any sum, except in re
payment of money he had advanced tt
the company or in payment of salary
which salary is as low as that of any rail
road President we know who is in active
service building a &Rilroad, and much
lower than most of them enjoy. To sun
up the whole matter, we assert that ne
citizen of Memphis, in proportion to his
means, has ever used his private resour'
ces more literally than Mr.. Mitchell has
to make this road a success; and thai
his whole conduct as President of the
Mississippi River Railroad Company
has been laborious, effective, public
spirited and honorable. He possesses the
full confidence and support of every
member of the Board of Directors, anC
deserves the confidence of all interested
in the general welfare and prosperity o
the country.
THE statement of the Record in regard
to the Secretary and Treasurer OF tho
Company is equally untrue. Neither o
these officers has ever received a dollar o.
paw until they entered on the active du
ties of their respective offices, the Score
tarv on the LIST and the Treasurer on thu
10th day of July last.
The statement of the Record in regard
to the Progress of our work, the number
of hands employed and Our relations will
Colonel McComb are as untrue as every
thing else we have here contradicted
That the public may understand thu
motive that prompted the editor OF thu
Record to make his attack on the Missis
sippi River Railroad, we will state tina
we have indubitable evidence that he of
fered to sell his services and that OF hi
paper, to the company as an advocate o
county subscriptions, but the directors o.
The company deeming it proper that al
money raised from the people should g
into the work of building the road, de
clined to use any ofitin paying the editol
of the Upton County Record for services
not needed. Hence his malice.
Very respectfully,
A. +. LACEY,
WIN. b. GREENLAW,
Members of Elk. Committee.
Ihave nothing to add to the foregoing
statement. 1 leave the matter to the iudg
ment of a just public.
Having no particular knowledge of the
facts in issue, to which the above card re-
lates, we admit it on the claim of Mr.