Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-06-15
GAS MONOPOLY.

To the Union and American:
On last Thursday evening, when the city
was about to be sold out to the. Nashville
Gas Light Company, Dr.. Atchison replied
to Councilman Perry, after he presented the
petition of the Peoples Gas Light Com
pany, that it was purely matter of finance,
sud that it was important to close the con-
tract st once. Perry replied that he con-
sidered it matter of speculation, and not
finance.
Let US look at it as matter of finance,
and see on which side the Doctor stands.
Was he for the citizens or for the monopoly?
The facts are these: The Peoples Gas Light
Company proposes to sell the citizens, who
elected Atchison, Lindsey g. Co. to protect
their rights, gas for one dollar per thousand
feet less than the PRESENT monopoly is now
selling it at. Now let US see the difference
this makes to the citizens in ninety-nine
years, the time these gentlemen are trying
to sell your freedom to buy where yon
please and on the best terms you can. Ii
your city continues to grow as it has done
in the past, 100000 feet of gas daily would
be small average for the next ninety-nine
years. This makes $500 per day you are
forced to pay the gas monopoly more than
the ew company offers you the same arti-
Gle for. Garry this on for one year-365
days-it amounts to $l46,000! Add inter
est st 10 per cent, and it makes S160, 800; and
in SO years it amouts to ,$15, 1893, 400. How
is that for finances, Doctor? Which side
were you and Messrs. Lindsey g. Co. on,
the peoples or the monopoly's, when you
tried to force the citizens to pay monopo-
ly an amount equal 10 the total value of all
the real estate in Nashville, for nothing. L
say for nothing, because the same article is
offered to the people for that much less, and
you, the Mayor and Gas Committee, come
forward and say no one shall rise the streets
of Nashville to furnish its citizens gas but
one monopoly, and they charging during
the time Of the monopoly over fifteen mil
lion dollars more for their gas than others
offer it at; and they (the
old monopoly can charge as much more if
they see fit And all this comes out of the
citizens pockets, and they get nothing in
return. Is it possible that we have sent
men to represent US who know so little
about what they are doing as to entail q
loss of SIS 100000 on the people, and give
them nothing for it? Or is there a Boss
Tweed or gas ring among us, selling US out
W AANA ADShOkOAJ AO1 - SOh0iOOl1JAOD IL
is time the whole people take this matter in
hand and probe it Ito the bottom, and at
once save the city from ruin. How many
$l5, 100000 losses can our citizens stand?
What will Mas lville ever amount to if such
outrages are permitted to he forced upon
her?
The Doctor says it was important to
close the contract at once. Why was it
important to close it before the people knew
anything about it, or other parties could
bid for the same monopoly? Why, Doc
tor, you could have sold the monopoly for
one hundred thousand dollars, If the thing
had been offered to the public. 1t looks
very much as if Perry was righ', when he
said it was speculation and not finance.
1t is sincerely hoped that the people who
must pay the fifteen million dollars fer
nothing, will at once caa public meeting
and save themselves from this outrage.