Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-01-13
AGGREGATED WISDOM.
Last Days Session of the County
Court-The People Prohibited fro m
voting ON the Railroad Propositions
-Fhe County Court to be Mandam-
Fraan-

| used.
MONDAY, Jan. II, 1S74.-County Court
met pursuant to adjournment, Judge Fer
ris III the chair and IS members present.
THE RAILROAD MATTER.
The railroad matter being the order of
business, Justice Paul hoped there would
be due courtesy exercised towards the
speakers who might address the court.
Justice Meacham offered an amendment
| to the prOyisO he offered Friday. to the eff
feet that the stock owned by Davidson
county IN the Louisville and Nashville and
Nashville and Decatur Railroads be trans
| ferred TO the Evansville, Owensboro and
Nashville and the Cumberland and Ohio
roads, when completed, with the exception
Of as much as shall be necessary to redeem
the bonds issued by the county to the
Louisville road. He said that owing to
competing lines from Louisville, empty
cars would be sent from that city to Nash
vile loaded here and freight transported TO
Memphis at less rates than can be obtained
from here to Memphis over the North
western road.
Justice Saunders objected to the proposed
transfer of stock, but would vote in favor of
submitting a proposition for direct sub
scrlptlon TO popular vote.
|
this county had already voted upon the
proposition to empower the County Court
TO dispose of the cOuntys railroad stock,
and had pOlled a thousand majority against
said proposition.
Justice MaXey made a lengthy argument
in opposition to the railroad proposition.
lie explained TO the court that when rail-
road men said they had ''hyPothecated7
I fhafr l. 4Ta,A Id
said bonds in soak. He said that the roads
making these propositions were in bank
rupt condition. and he was strongly op-
posed to this county having anything to do
with either Of them.
General Quarles argued that great good
will result from the completion of these
roads, and as the county is deriving no
benefit from the stock she owns in the
Louisville and Nashville and Nashville and
Decatur roads. He said that the taxable
property Of Davidson county amounts to
| S26,O00,0OO.
Justice Maxey said that this county
has no legal right to transfer the stock of
the Nashville and Decatur road, without
the consent of the Louisville and Nashville
company, as the former road has been
| leased by the latter for a term Of thirty
years.
Justice II. Campbell was opposed to the
proposition being submitted to vote for
the reason that the people would not be
| properly posted with regard to the matter.
| There is a great deal of talk about the Lou
| iSville stock, but the fact is that seems to
| be the only railroad stock owned by the
| county which Is worth a cent. The $500
600 in stock formerly owned by the county
| In the Northwestern road, which stock the
the county had disposed of for $4,000.
a large amount of which had been gObbied
up by the lawyers and railroad commission
CTS, il the truth is told.
Col. Turner, vice-President of the Cum
berland and Ohio road, said that his road
is entirely out of debt; has sixty miles
ready for the iron; will finish the read TO
Gallatin within a few months and instead
Of suSpending work during the late fnan-
cial crash, had increased their force and
paid all contractors up to within few DAYS
Of the falling due Of their Indebtedness.
He said that work on the road between this
point and Gallatin would be commenced
within thirty days. He had been able TO
carry this proposition IN every county from
the Ohio river to the county of Davidson
though the Louisville road had expended
thousands Of dollars in opposing him. The
speaker stated that he was member Of the
Tennessee Legislature in lSjI-S when
State aid was granted the Louisville road,
and was familiar with all the facts, and he
knew that il was perfect bOsh for any one
to say that that road would have paid 500
900 for the privilege Of coming TO Nash
vile. When the freight agents met in
New FORK last fall to fix freight tariff the
through rate from New York was fixed at
80 cents, nine cents Of which would be the
proper proportion of freight between Louis
Vile and Nashville. but Mr.. Fink, the
agent of the Louisville road, rose in his
place and said he would accept no such
rates and demanded that the rate Oh that
road being fixed al ~ cents, saying that he
could get that amount as there is no COM
peting line.
Justice Baskette said that the proposed
transfer could not be made in juStice;O the
creditors Of the county. If it could be, be
would favor the proposition, as he believed
in competition.
The previous question beng called, di-
rect vote upon the question of submitting
the proposition to popular vote was had.
and lost by the following vote:
Yeas-Justices Butler, BraRtly, Clai-
borne, Chandler, Chatham, Creighton,
shall. Neylau. Steele and Wands-I4.
Nays-Justices Alternately. Baskette,
Bigley. Jos, Bowen. Bush, Chickering. |
ChildreSS, Curtis, Campbell. Graves, Gray, |
Gleaves. Griggs. Haynie, Hardy, HowS, !
Howell, Harris, MaXey, Meacham. Miller. |
Newly. Patterson. Paul, PEBBLES, Pnelan, !
Read, RUcker, Saunders, scales. spain, |
SiZemOTe, SimphinS, Sullivan, Sill, Tay- |
Tor, Wherry, Williams, WhitwOrth, Wright |
and Wade-43.
Justice Meacham moved TO reconsider |
the vote, which motion Justice MaXey |
moved to lay upon the table. The cues |
tiOn being upon Justice MaXey's motion, it /
was agreed to. by a vote of 33 against %.
Col. Bevier then submitted another prop |
OSition and said that the Cumberland and !
Ohio road proposed to do the same thing, /
intimating that . mandamuS requiring. the /
County Court 10 submit the same to a pOpu-
lar vote. He then read a proposition to |
the effect that the people of this county /
subscribe for 100000 worth of stock in /
the Evansville. OwensbOrO ard Nashville /
Railroad. payable in county bonds having 1
twenty years to run, with seven per cent
interest. to be paid when the road is fully |
equipped and in running order from Evans
vile to Nashville, receipts for taxes on this
subscription to DO received for freight or
f;Ire on said road after the road has been in
running order.
Col. Turner made precisely the same
proposition on behalf of the Cumberland
and Ohio road.
Justice Baskette moved that the prayer
Ofthe petitioners, 20 submit the question to
the people, he granted,
: vote was had rs follows:
1 eaS-Justices Baskette, Butler, Brant-
", Chandler, ChildreSs, Cheatham, Creigh-
ton, Galbreath, Hooper, Lapsley, Marshall,
Meacham, Miller, Neylan, Paul, Phelan,
Read, Saunders, Scales, Sizemore, Taylor,
Wands, Wherry. Wade-23.
Nays-Justices Alternately, Bigley, Bow
en-, Bush, Chickering, Curtis, Campbell,
Davidson, DIllahunty, Everett, Graves,
Gray, Gleaves, Griggs, Haynie, Hardy,
Hows. Howell, Harris, Maxey, Newly,
PEBBLES, RuckeT, Spain, Simpkins, Sulli-
van. Still, Taylor, Wade, Williams, Whit
worth, Wright-31.
On motion of Justice Maxey, Judge Fer
ris was empowered to employ Judge East
to defend the county in the proposed man
damus suit.
Twelve Justices were selected to meet
the presiding Judge tomorrow to transact
the road business, and on motion the court