Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-04-10
MUNICIPAL.
Beth Boards of the City Council i'm

care of patients during the month Of Feb
ruary, to be $455.25.
A petition from sundry citizens asking
that Belle street be macadamized, was read
and referred to the Street Committee.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS.
The bill authorizing the. Superintendent
of the Water Works, to purchase two fire
MUGS 10 be located near the Dixie Oil
Works, and FIGURING Mill Hill, passed sec
ond reading and referred to the Committee
O n improvements and Expenditures.
The bill authorizing the Superintendent
of the Waterworks to purchase water
metres on application of citizens, passed
second reading and referred to the Com
mittee ON Improvements and Expenditures.
/ Resolution instructing the Committee Of
the Waterworks TO charge the lessees of the
penitentfary double rate of water tax, said
building being outside of the corporation
limits, was taken up.
Mr.. Wyatt, Superintendent of the Water
works, stated that by the direction of the
Waferworks Committee he had commenced
charging the leSsees double rate of water
| tax at the beginning of last month. He
| said the lesSees paid the corporation about
| $1,000 per annum for water, but that they
had made arrangements to dispense with a
considerable quantity of water in order to
lessen their expense, and that they were
not paving as much now for water as they
were before the double rate of water tax
was charged them.
Bill providing for the erection of two gas
posts on South Union street, between High
and Summer streets, passed three readings.
Bill for the benefit Of Messrs. Northern
& Howell, appropriating to them S417.25.
for lumber used in repairing plank side
walk on Broad street in the 10th ward.
Bill appropriating 500 for the extension
OF water pipe from the city reservoir TO Nc
Cams and Goldberg's mills passed three
readings
Resolution calling for a report from the
City Engineer rs to the dimensions and
size oftbe sewer from Ashstreet to the Will
son Spring branch on High street was
adopted.
The City Engineer reported that
the dimensions of the sewer were too small
in some places TO answer the purpose OF a
plain sewer, but would probably be sufi-
cient for some time 10 come, if properly re-
paired. The repairs needed were to clean
it out at such places as it may be stopped
with rubbish, and substitute stone cover
ing for timber.
The report was received.
Bill providing for the grading of the
streets, so as to made a gradual ascent four
feet on either side of the crossings, passed
first reading and referred to the Street Com
mittee and City Engineer.
Resolution making it the duty of the
Mayor and other officials to emnloy all idle
Iuen seeking employment in the city, at five
d.lllars per day, provided they sign a con-
tract and give bond to vote tor the present
City Council at the next election, was laid
on the table.
Bill to protect the public provender, re
the workhOuse keeper to submit a
report to the City Council, giving
the Names of all the persons eating ''hash'
at the wtukhouse, was referred to the Work
house Committee.
Alderman Cheatham rose to a question
of privilege and said that he was sorry Of
being under the necessity of bringing up
the so much talked of bil-the Fire Alarm
Telegraph bill. 1t would be recollected
that when the message of the Mayor veto
ing the bin was voted upon, the Alderman
from the Fourth ward (Mr. PeBtecost) who
occupied the chair at thetIme, decided that
as the bill had not received the votes of
twO-thirds of the Board, or in other words,
that it required seven votes to pass the bill
over the head of the Mayor. He (Cleat-
ham) had authority which would sustain
him in the position which he took against
that decision. He commended that the bill
was a law and believed that a majority OF
the people were in favor Of the measure.
He then read a section from page POP of
Wilson's Digest of parliamentary law, de-
that the two-thirds vote on a veto
message had been considered in both
Houses of Congress TO mean two-thiIds OF
the members present. He o this posi-
ton and advocated il a. length. 1t was,
he said, a good criterion to go by, for if the
rule governed Congress, it certainly ought
to govern the City Council of Nashville.
He appealed from the decision Of Alder
man Penteoost, declaring the bill lost.
Alderman PentecOst said that as Inc occu-
pied the chair at the time the vote was
it would be proper for him to say
something in regard to the matter. He
said that it had been the custom Of all pre-
vious boards to require two-thirds Of the
entire board to pass a bill over the
veto, and it also had been the Gus
and vas yet the custom,
require tWo1hirds Of the
-ltllC DOdIu 10 SNSlCuu lit
1t was this custom that prompted
him to make the ruling he did the other
night. He did not think that Congress
,ould adopt rules TO govern any other bodies
Put themselves. He thought that the City
Council could adopt rules that would be en-
rely foreign to those governing the con-
Tessional bodies of the United States.
Alderman Chatham said that he wanted
he question settled; that it had not been
but was susceptible of being reach
d in many ways. He did not want the
ill passed by any hook or crook. If it
ould not be passed legally, he did not want
t passed it all.
Aid. McGavock said that his position up
N this bill was pretty generally understood.
When the bill was before the body, he ask
d and obtained permission to be excused
rom voting either for or against the bill.
introduced a resolution at the last meet
NC to refer the matter to the people, think
nc, at the time, that the bill was lost; but
Ipon investigation he had become thor
ughly satisfied that the parliamentary rul-
ng, read by Mr.. Cheatham, is the vote re-
uired to pass measures over vetOes.
Mayor Kercheval said that parliamentary
and laws would do very well in the
bsence of specified charters and specified |
The charter said that the City ]
shall be composed of thirty MEM !
ers, ten members for the Board of Alder I
hen and twenty members for the Board of
Common Council. The City Council had !
he right to adopt its own rules and regu- !
ltions and say what number shall cOnsti- q
ute a quorum TO transact business. 1t |
OOk two thirds of the Board of Aldermen I
, pass any measure over the Mayors veto. I
he English language could not make it
nv palmer. When it failed to get a ma
,rity of the Board it failed, and that was /
ne end of it, and unless the charter gave !
hem the right to reconsider, ii is irreyOca- :
" sealed. {
Alderman McGavock said that this ques- ]
on must have occurred during the session a
{ Congress sometime. 1t was 4 novel {
uestion to the City Council and he
lought that the idea that it required two r
birds of the entire Board grew out of the v
that it required two-thirds of the Board 5
} suspend the rules. d
Chairman Eakin said that the appeal Y
ken by Alderman Cheatham was out of c
-der and 50 ruled. He said that the mat /
r was finally settled By the adoption of l
he resolution introduced by Alderman Nc Il
av0ck.
Alderman Cheatham appealed from b
lis decision and said that if the Congress a
T the United States assumed the right to o
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