Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-04-22
THB CITY
THE RAILROAD QUESTION.


Adjourned Meeting of The City COun
Gil and Board of Aldermen TO Con.
slider the Proposed Lease of the
Nashville and Decatur r. abroad.
The members CT the Common Council
and Board of Aldermen met in conven.
tion at 8 o'clock yesterday afternoon, pur-
suant to adjournment, President Hurley
presiding
The attorneys to whom had been re-
ferred the question as to whether the city
possessed the legal right to own and man
age railroads, submitted the following
opinion:
To the Mayor and City Council of Nashville:
The undersigned, to whom it has been
referred by resolution to say whether the
corporation of Nashville has the power to
lease the Nashville and Decatur Railroad
have carefully considered the question, and
examined the authorities which seemed to
US to throw light thereon, and are unani-
mously of opinion that the city, as mu-
nicipsl corporation, has no power to lease
or run a railroad.
Francis B. FoGG,
NELL s. Brown,
W. F. COOPER.
Mr.. Oraighead moved to receive and
concur in the above report, which motion
was adopted.
MIR. Patterson, of the committee to confer
with the County Commissioners touching
railroad matters, said the committee was
not yet prepared to submit written
statement, bat stated that the
conference was of such a character as
to be entirely satisfactory t. the commit
tee, and would, he doubted not, receive
the appreciation of the Common Council.
w. F. Meacham, Esq, of the County
Railroad Commissioners, Just returned
from Louisville, made a statement to the
convention relative to the terms agreed
upon at Louisville, ard TO be submitted to
the stockholders of the Nashville and De-
catur Railroad. He said that Davidson
County has $500, 600 of stock in the Nash
vile and Decatur Railroad: IN its present
form almost useless as an investment.
Speaking as the representative of county
authorities, Mr.. Meacham assured the con-
vention that whatever action might be
taken by the City Council for the best in
terests of Nashville, would be heartily
seconded by the County Court, and the
Railroad Commissioners He said that
Nashville paid more than half the taxes
| collected in Davidson County, and what
! Nashville does on this occasion will hard
", in any event, be Objectionable to the
County Court.
John Thompson, Esq, who had lately
visited Cincinnati, at the request of Mayor
| Morris, for the purpose of comforting with
| the Board of Trade and other citizen of
that city, with the view of ascertaining
| to what extent the aid and cooperation of
that city may be expected by Nashville in
| her efforts to secure the control of the
! Nashville and Decatur Railroad, was pres
ent in the convention and req 1ested to
state the character of assurances received
| by him at Cincinnati. Mr.. Thompson
stated that he had conferred freely with
| the members of the Board Of Trade and
| Chamber of Commerce at Cincinnati, as
well as with other prominent and intelli-
| gent citizens there who were interested In
the welfare of that city, and anxious to
see her railroad connections with the
South extended. From these gentlemen
he had received the most gratifying as sur-
ances of a disposition on their part to do
any thing and every thing possible to aid
| Nashville in the danger now threatened
her by the proposed lease to the Louis
| vile and Nashville Railroad COMPANY of
the Nashville and Decatur Railroad. It
was, however, a matter of regret, said
Mai. Thompson, that the Constitution of
Ohio at present forbids the voting of city,
county or State aid for the construction or
purchase of railroads. Efforts were now
being made, with every prospect Of sue
cess, to induce the Legislature of Ohio to
abolish or amend this law prohibiting aid
to railroads-such efforts having reference
mainly to the general desire for extending
railroad communications with the South
At Cincinnati Ne found more antipathy
than he had Vpected to Louisville and
her efforts tt monopolize interests to
which others may establish a better and
more natural claim. This animosity was
in some measure attributable to the re-
fusal of the Kentucky Legislature to allow
railroads the right of way through that