Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-04-09
YOUR ATTENTION, READER.
Veto Of the Fire Alarm Bill.

at the meeting of the Board Of Aldermen
Tuesday night, the Mayor sent in a mes
sage vetOing the bill providing for the cree
tion in this city of a fire alarm telegraph,
which measure has been earnestly advo-
Gated by the city press, believing it to be
one Of great Importance TO Nashville, and
believing that the majority of our citizens
were in favor of said improvement. The
bill received the sanction of the Fire Com
mittee, the Fi-aIce Committee and the
Committee on Improvements and Expend- |
itures, after many weeks Of critical exami-
nation and extensive correspondence with
city officials in cities where said telegraph
is in operation.
The Mayor advocated its erection in his
inaugural address last October, and when
the two branches Of the City Council came
to vote upon the bill two weeks ago,
twenty-seven votes were cast in the aiiirma-
tive and three in the negative. In the face
Of this weight in favor Of the measure, the
Mayor has refused to approve the bill, for
these reasons:
l. The insurance companies doing bust
ness in Nashville refuse 10 aid the city in
paying for said telegraph.
2. He had no idea a fire alarm telegraph
would cost over $4,000, but is willing to
pay thai sum for sits accomplishment"
3. IL can be very well done without for a
few years.
4. If a fire were to occur in the greater
portion Of the suburbs of the city, streets
are in such miserable condition that a
fire engine could not get within a gunshOt
of many Of the residences which it IS claim
ed would be benefited by the alarm sys-
tenn
). sIf the engines could get to them over
the streets, there are non or very few wa
ter plugs from which to get water TO use in
case of fire."
@. The expense would not stop with the
erection of the telegraph, as there would be
incidental expenses, such as looking after
wires, repairs, etc.
I. With the present arrangement Of the
fire engines there could be no difficulty in
getting at-once any alarm given within
t~hree-fDurthS of the area of the city.
s. City expenditures during the present
year have been exceedingly liberal, and
sit is now getting time thai we should go
slow"
q. The amount asked for, and the man.
ner in which it is proposed to he raised for
the purposes of establishing the fire alarm
telegraph will be unsatisfactory 10 a large
majority Of the people of Nashville.
IN ANSWER
TO the foregoing, we would say:
l. 1t is perfectly natural that the insur-
ance companies doing business in Nashville
should refuse to aid the city in carrying out
a measure that will materially reduce their
business, and it is surpriang that such a
~prOpOsitiOn should have ever been seriously
entertained by any one.
2. Fire alarm and all other telegraphs
are expensive institutions, and the work
proposed to be done in Nashville on the
terms proposed, is worth the money.
3. Ii can be very well done without for
a few years, and meanwhile a fire may
break out at any moment which will de-
stroy half the city.
1. If our streets are IN such miserable
| condition, whose fault is it, and what has
that TO do with a fire alarm telegraph?
). Ditto, ditto. Plugs are needed in
those portions of the city in case of a fire
with or without an alarm telegraph.
g. The running expenses of the fire alarm
| telegraph are warranted by the builders not
to exceed $500 per annum, and this sum
will not cover the unnecessary wear and
tear on horses and engines, now incurred
in consequence of having no fire alarm tele-
graph.
I. Twenty minutes elapsed after the dis
covery of the fire at the corner of Church
and College before the engines were on the
ground, and a similar delay was noticed
when the Exposition Dollar Store burned.
These fires were in the heart OF the city.
6. The expenditure asked for amounts to
but $1,000 at this time, not a cent of which
is to be taken from the present revenue OF
the city.
A III o.. &c .ba c;fv Drasc orc
always open to the people for a free discus
sion of important measures. This fact Is
well known and vet not a line in oppo-
sition to the fire alarm telegraph enterprise
has been sent to any of the city papers.
On the contrary, twenty-seyen out of thirty
of the representatives Of the people have
declared that their constituents favor said
project.
The Mayor bases his action in yetOeing
the bill upon
THE PLEA OF ECONOMY
mainly. and vet he proposes in his veto
message, to eXpend:
For additional engine for 10th wards 5000
Engine house, stable, etc. ......... S,O0
Reel and hose. o,oOO
Horses and harness 700
| Alarm bell for engine hOuSe...--. 800
For reel and hose for 18th ward..... $500
Alarm bell. 0OO
Horse and harness for reel........ 233
Total for 10th and It'll wards. ...S22,130
This sum allows nothing for the build
| ing of a house for the 9TH ward hose car
| rage, for feeding horses or paying salaries
of fremen. 1t will be borne in mind also,
that this amount is to be appropriated out
of a depleted city treasury, while it is pro
posed to levy a special tax of one mill, TO
proyide for the raising of the $1,000 to be