Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-09-09
THE MAYORALTY.



Kercheval and Norris I'm tfie Seventh
t ward D
According TO shnouucement, Mayor Kerr
chevsl aud K j. Morris, Esq candida.es
II the office Of Mayor for Il ensuing twelve
months, last evening addressed the people
of thu Seventh ward, st the intersection OF
Centre ard Msrket streets.
Mr.. Morris spoke hrst, occupying the
stand for about an hour, in which he pre-
seuted bill of ind c. ment against Mayor
Kercheval, the principal POINTS OF which
have been published il the city papers, In
their report of the speech Mr.. Morris made
on the Square last Thursday night.
In replying, Mayor Kerchevai began by
saying tha' be bad been led to suppose
from the published reports OF his oppo-
men 8 speech Sfl&st week, that he would
be skinned alive If he dared come against
him, bat be was agreeably surprised to find
that his competitor had dealt with him very
gently indeed.
He thought he had discovered the eighth
wonder Of the world in the person OF his
competitor, who kept insisting that he
didn't want the Office of Mayor, and hat in
accepting it be would sacrifice his business
interests to very serious extent, but yet
announced himself candidate for that
Office at the first suggestion, and seemed
to take very active interest 10 the canvass.
There may have been q time when she
Office sought the man." but tha' time is
past, ard now days the man hants the
office.
BE said that be frequently had occ lsiop,
as member the City Council last yea, to
visit the Mayor (now his c0mpetitor,) and
it was his experience tha5 he very seldom
found him in his eff 70, but usually found
him at his business house deeply engrOssed
in private business. AS for himself, during
the past elven months, he had applied hin
self closely to his official duties, remaining
at his Office until six O'Clock in the evening.
Mr.. Morris having alluded TO the mis-
management of The Alden administration,
casrging that his competitor had voted for
and supported that administration, the
speaker said that although that
was q matter which bad no connection
whatever with the su jsct now under dis
| cussion, be would say ne never vo'ed for
| Alden, endorsed his administration.
Referring to the higa wster tax, Mr.. Ker
cheval id he was decidedly in favor Of
that tax bsino reduced, a d that the incom-
|
half, and tnen it would bs high enough.
Last yer it cost about SCI, 600 to run the
Walerworks, but this ear the cost would be
some vat in exc IS of that, as thousands
upOn thousands of feet of water pipe had
been laid down il STREETS where the 'esi-
dents had petisiOned for ii in vain during
Mr.. Morris three years administration.
| He thought the wsleEtax very Cumbersome,
| Il. -.
made between poor snd rich, h, former
having to pay just as much as me latter (,
when the re pecti7e families were Of the
same size.
His competitor had Sid he would en-
courage the establishment of manufac Jories
| by allowing them water free charge. Ia
citation to that, ne wonld soy that during
bis comp I'll or's administration, the matter
If furuishin- wster to the cotton factory
came up, and the Guy council voJe To
charge that institution double tax for water
| because l. was outside tha Corporation, AID
MAYOR Morris Of.red no objection to it.
| As for rep4liiI G sidewalks, the civ ordi-
nances provide hat be work shat be done
by the properly owusr, and When, after b.
| ing duly motif 9, said property owner fails
TO pu his sIdew ks ia repai,, or lay down
new ONES, the work is pssd for by the city
and assessed against The property thus i'm
proved. The spsakr had vslOly ,red To
carry this ordnance INTO effsct, b L ia every
i, stsncs the Finance Committees mad re-
| fused TO audit the o lis lrOUght sgairss the
| city on account of these repairs, aud be had
| cor sequently found his hands tied.
Mr.. Morris bad charged that Mr.. Eli L
Woods, a receiver of votes in the second
ward, had stated that fifty ilieg votes had
| been cast in hat ward for the speaker at
the time he was elected Mayor. With refer
| ence to that matter, be would say that three
out Of the five officers of eection in the
| second ward, a. the time referred to, were
| personally unknown to him uutil that day,
and if there had been any Illegal voting done,
it was done, without his knowledge or con-
sent.
His competitor charged that he had given
aw y wood aad provisions n very reck-
less manner, to able bodied beggsTs. The
| fact with regard to that matter was, per-
sons we're assisted by himself only upon the
| recommendation of the Aldermen repre-
senLing the applicants ward, which recon-
mendation always set forth the CT that the
person applying for assistance was worthy
person snd one deserving Of hep.
The speaker then referred to the difficulties
he had cOnteuded with curing his admins
| tratiOn by reason Of the extremity cold
winter, the epizootic and the cholera, and
| promised, if reelected, 10 make greater i'm
| proVements in the city next year than he
| has during the past year. He was then fol-
| lowed BY Mr. Morris in rejoindsr Of some
| length, in which the latter took occasion Q
| publiciy announce, that he does want the
Office Of Mayor, all assertions to the con-
trsry notwithstanding.