Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-10-12
!. offreer.' salaries FIXED, etc.
Board of Aldermen.


dermen was held at u o'clock last, Presi-
dent Hurley in the chair. The following
message was submitted by the Mayor:
NASHVILLE, Oct. IL, 187O.-Fsllow citi-
zens of the Board of Aldermen and Com
mon Council /: Some of you have toiled
with me through the difficulties of 1862 70;
others of you fill the seats of faithful men,
beFs who have retired from the City Conn
Gil. The latter class will, Ihaye no doubt,
equal their worthy predecessors in honest
devotion to the cities true interest. We
may confidently therefore look forward to
harmonious action in carrying on the work
of reform and economy begun in the NUM-
cipal year Just closed. When we entered
upon our labors in October, 1869, we
found the municipal Government a heap
Of ruins, wrested from the hands Of reck-
less misrule by the Chancery Court and
its worthy officer, Receiver Bass So great
was the confusion that debt and ruin
forced us everywhere, with nothing to re-
heve the gloomy prospects, but what the
Receiver had been able to accomplish in
few short months. And the onero1s
duties laid upon him had forced so COM
plete a collection of the taxes as had not
been known for many years. 1t was diff
cult to see where to begin work and still
more difficult to find material to work upon.
But we determined to take the motto ''pay
as you go, for our rule of action.
First. We determine to create no new
debts-that is to pay cash for all services
rendered under our administration; and
secondly to begin as soon as possible
the payment of the debts encum-
bering the city. But as much
of our debt had already taken the form Of
judgments, and as the material absolutely
necessary to the carrying on of govern
ment was being seized by means Of execu-
tons from the Courts, we were compelled
to procure the very ablest legal
assistance and obtain delay where
we could not obtain redress from
pressing demands of this kind. By such
legal expedients as our legal advisers could
suggest, we were enabled to hold our fire
engines, hose and equipments, our
waterwOrks and horses, carts and imple-
ments Of the street department. We were
thus prepared to stand our ground and
fight against a sea of troubles. am
sorry to say that our straitened circum-
stances forced us to see the public schools
adjourned one month before the usual end
Of the session. The drafts of prodigal ad-
ministrations had exceeded the lawful APP
portionnent for that purpose by many
thousands, and though we would have
gladly disregarded this fact, it was not then
in our power to have done so. Paying
further in advance out of current receipts
would have endangered those departments,
the future of which would have subjected
the city to heavy risk for damages. After
the Board of Education had abridged
the session one month, We had some
difficulty in paying the teachers their sala-
ries. but finally succeeded,
There was a vast amount of indebtedness
pressing upon the city, which we could
not avoid paying, such as matUred coupons
on old bonds, Nashville and Chattanooga
Railroad bonds to the amount of 800, 900,
which had matured April 1, 1869, and an
incredible mass of old coupons, some of
them matured ten years ago In our en-
barrassment we obtained authority from
the State Legislature to issue bonds to tho
amount of 100000, to be used exclusive
ly in funding such of the floating debt as
could be settled in that way. OF these
bonds we have issued SI5S, 700; but we
were compelled, notwithstanding the as
sistance of the funding feature of our set
Element, to pay $140,0 in cash. While
struggling against continued pressure of
debts, however, we so managed as to pay
the current expenses of the year in cash.
They amounted to S196,85 Though we
we're fortunate in making such beginning
in the work of retrenchment and reform,
it is not my intention to present it to you
as anything more than beginning and as
an encouragement of greater work still
before us. We have as strong reasons for
economy this year as existed last. We may
sum up as cash liabilities of the current
year:
Interest on funded debt of $1,OSO,
NJ, wv
Nashville and Chattanooga railroad
bonds, matured April 1869, and
unpaid ............... $4,000
Interest on same...... $500
Hadley bonds past due................ 10000
New bonds maturing July L, 1871. 10000
Interest on same. ..................... 2,4OO
Add to this the amount used forcur-
rent eYDeDSe last wear - 196 $50