Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-28
THE CITY.
coRroRArIos Abrams :
A Gard from GOV. Brown.

cara from Cow Hropgmsvr ! q
To the Editors Of the Union and American:
have read in your paper. of this date
communication from Mr.. Mayor Morris, to
the Board Of Aldermen on yesterday even
ing, which contains some imputations that
suppose are intended for me. He says,
among other things "But some persons
persons from whom we expected anything
but harshness and severity-hsve inaugu-
i rated a system of persecution through legal
process, or pretended legal process, which
I fear may disable u.s. Now, this charge
implies wicked purpose-a desire to in
jure, through the medium Of legal pro-
cess, or pretended legal process. So far as
it was intended to apply to me, tits simply
gratuitous and unfounded.,f oz--er c.. i
lam incapable ofpersecuting any one, and
never did SO, aud was never before charged
with it; and can account for the use of
such strong language only by the heated
imagination Of the Mayor, wrought up By
ofiiciousi Intermediates, and malignant busy
bodies If could make up my mind to /
'1naugurate system Of persecution"
would be quite bold enough to do it direct
iy and openly, without attempting to shield
myself behind legal process, or pretended
legal process. So far from having any in \
ot,nAhoS tAAS SOA tlthA0AOI, VI l4t1o6 Ia
charge Of il, my sympathies were all with
both And it required but short stretch
Of memory TO recall my exertions In behalf
of the corporation and the Taxpayers run /
ming back into the latter period of. Matt. |
Browns administration. For all these SER
vices l never charged or received anything |
except for the last struggle, which resulted |
N the appointment of receiver. For |
that allnvanna xuaG mazda hxv fhn ~
and was paid.
sympathized strongly in the election of |
the present Mayor, and hoped for him
successful administration. During all this
period I was the owner of no property in /
the corporation, and was under no special /
obligations to it. owe the corporation
nothing, pecuniary, legal or equitable. 1t /
is indebted TO me a small amount, bat |
shall not persecUte it about that
And what is my offense, that has caused
this Illumination from the Mayor, and sun
dry squibs in the newspapers, besides q
deal of street talk q?
IL is my fate to be an attorney, and to
rely solely on my profession for a living.
And it was my misfortune TO have placed in
my hands for collection five bonds on the
corporation, belonging TO man in Balti-
4
ing no chance for payment brought suit,
and at the last term obtained judgment.
l also got Judgment for Judge John Hugh |
Smith on one bond. Upon these judg-
ments executions issued, and I direct
ed the Sheriff to call ON the Mayor to see
what could be done. lie informed me that |
the Mayor could do nothing and that |
there was nothing to levy on. Learning
that garnishments had been run by another
attorney upon other judgments rem
dered at the Same term aud served on
the Third National Bank, in order to reach |
the revenues Of the city there on deposit,
felt that if other creditors made their |
debts by this resort, and did nothing l
would subject myself to censure, and as a |
matter of self protection I directed the
sheriff to run garnishments in the cases 1 /
had not time to consult |
with my distant client, but had felt his
importantly for his money. Judge Smith |
was not In town and / could not consult |
him, and knowing that he could withdraw
the garnishment Il he chose, in a short
time, that no harm would be done by that
All this was done at my instance, and to 4 ,
screen myself from censure in any event, |
and without dream that it would make
any one mad, or that l would be abused |
for it; and least of all that it would be de-
nouneed as ''inauguratinS system Of per-
slt -
Now the funds of the corporation were
already garnisheed by others before l made !
D move. was not the aggressor, if such
a tenn is applicable, but 1 felt myself
compelled by the action of others to do /
what I did, as usually happens in such
cases, and there is not man who has !
joined in this clamor but would have done |
the same thing under similar circumstances,
and required his attorney to do it.
These facts were known to the Mayor
and other members of the corporation,
and proposed to one of the attorneys, in |
view of the alleged inconvenience to the
financial department, to take small cash
on the large claim, and release
the garnishments, upon assurances Of full
payment out of the accruing revenues.
/ will still do this, without regard to the ,
result of the garnishments, the one way 4.
or the Other-and there is no persecution
in this that can see.
But mention L had legal right to do
all did, and it was my duty to doit, and ,
| would do it again. :
Is it treason to sue the corporation, or !
TO try to realize debt out of its assets
IL lHote any magic spell arOunu IL, luab =
makes it holy ground? If it had debt
against me, am sure it would be en-
forced, even through the medium of a =,
punishment, and even if it took the bread :
ont of the mouths of my children. II
But why am singled out in this mat :
ter and censured, as l learn am, in the ,
councils? I suppose some !,
scape. goat was wanted to bear away the /;
misfortunes of the city fathers, and was !
selected for that purpose II
1t may be that there is some personal !
motive at the bottom of it-some malevo
lent feeling of which l am ignorant |
confess my surprise at all that hear about
it hope though, the storm viii suhside,
and that those who ara indulging this petty ,
rancor, will recover and be benefited by
the exercise.
1 have thought proper TO say this much ,,
in my vindication with those who may
never know the facts. As to those who do
know them and still persist in their cen
sures, have no apology to make They
can get right in their own good time or not
at all. Respectfully,
NELL. s. Brown.
NASHVILLE, April %, 1870.
PROPOSED NEW DOG LAW.