Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-09-05
Regular Monthly Meeting-Important
Committees AppOinted-Speech BY
Hon. Casey Young, Member
OF Congress.
An Account Of his SteWardship-Bils
Introduced and Measures Carried
Through by him for the Bene-
= fit Of Memphis.
A Manly, Straightforward Statement
How the Merchants Received 1t
Their Hearty Endorsement by
Unanimous ResO-
luton.

The regular monthly meeting OF tn
chamber of commerce WAS held yesLer
day afternoon, President Petit In Tn
chair.
| The Planters insurance company wa
admitted TO membership.
COMMITTEES APPOINTED.
President Petit announced the ap
pointment of the following committees
Committee on Examinstion-R. A
Parker, G. G.. Fisher and L. POdesta.
Judges of Election-J. w. billiard, 3
M. Gates and A. G. luther.
Committee on Quotations-A. B
Treadwell, J. B. Poston, g. w. M'Crae
G. v. Rambaut and e. G. Buchanan.
Committee on NominatiOns-J. r
Goodwin, ]. M. Pettigrew, Major Harris
A. D. Gwynn, J. L. Wexford, w. B
Galbreath and D. P. MADDEN.
COMMUNICATIONS. ..-.f
A communication from the national
board Of trade, respecting bills ladine
and warehouse receipts, and the impor'
lance OF legislative action relative to the
above subject, with responsibility OF mu'
inequalities, ETC., was received and refer
red to the original committee, and MI
Harris was appointed to the vacancy
thereon. who with Napoleon Hill and
Louis Hanauer constitute the commit.
tee.
Major Pettigrew said that Hon. Casey
Young, the present member Of congress
from this district, was pressn by Invita-.
ton, and as he had been faithful and
efficient in securing the passage of sew.
eral measures directly Of interest and
benefit to Memphis, he therefore asked
that the chamber request the gentle.
man to address the body upon these
subjects. aE4e .
HON. CASEY YOUNG,
in response to the invitation, said that
il he had been allowed to select theme,
1t had been one not quite 80 personal as
that suggested, nor would he have done
so except upon invitation Of gentlemen
interested in the customhouse and i'm
provement Of the river front. There
were certain interests conferred to his
charge, in regard to which he owed an
explanation TO the people OF Memphis.
The people of Memphis had for years
expected the customhouse would be
built here in the near future, agreeable to
an act for that purpose passed by con-
gress in 1850. The history of the custom.
house appropriations was in brief as fol.
lows: In 1859 and 1850, while Colonel
Avery was a member of congress from
this district, an appropriation Of fifteen
thousand five hundred dollars for the
purchase of customhouse site
was made. Pursuant to this
act, q site for the customhouse was .pur-
oh of IaH ond
Third streets. The war came on, and
nothing was done toward the erection OF
the building. In 1872, when his prede-
cessor {Mr. Long, was q member Of con-
gress from this district, congress passed
an act appropriating twenty-five thou.
sand dollars, to commence the work and
for the purchase Of q more eligible ate.
This sum was increased to fifty thou.
sand dollars in 1872. In 1874, Mr.. Null
lett, the supervising architect, came to
Memphis, and located the site on the
bluff Immediately in front of the cen.
ural line of Madison street. By a pro-
vision of the law Of congress, he found
it required that, before the commence
ment of work on any public building or
Improvement its cost had to be fixed and
determined by congress. To do this
and secure an additional appropriation
he introduced an act to fix the limit OF
the appropriation for the Memphis GUS
tomhouse at one million. He fixed the
limit higher than he would have done
it later period of the session, for it dis
closed the fact that this sum was largely
in excess of any providing for public
buildings in other cities of the size and
Impotence of Memphis. Mr.. Holman,
of indiana, an sstute politician and gen.
tleman Of ability, said the sum was
SO greatly In excess OF verything of the
kind ever appropriated that it would
never get through the house. Conclud-
ing the sum was too great, upon advis-
ing with the supervising architect, he
proposed to refer it 10 the architect and
Secretary Bristow. Upon his statement
Of the size, present Importance and
growth of Memphis and the surrounding
country, those officials thought eight
hundred thousand dollars q fair appro-
priation. He consented to this, and
when he made his report, Mr.. Holman
attacked it, and contended for two hum
bred and fifty thousand dollars, saying
this was large enough in view Of the
financial difficulties OF the government,
and the rigid economy, reform and re-
trenchment promised by the dominant
party. He compromised on the two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars, but
Mr.. Holman voted also against this ad-
ditional appropriation, which, however,
passed the house. Finally, the matter
being discussed during the morning
hours of the house for two weeks, he &C.
cepted the amendment of four hundred
Thousand dollars, offered by his friend,
Mr.. Erastus Wells, of Missouri, while
others were doing all in their power to
defeat the appropriation. The amended
bill for four hundred thousand dollars
passed the house and went to the
senate, where it alse passed, and
became q law. But the real diff.
culties now began to confront him.
The deed from the msyOr and city of
Memphis to the site, located the site on
the bluff directly in front Of Madison
street. The description of the property
In this deed varied from that specified
in the act Of the Tennessee legislature.
This act locates the site either south or
north of Madison street. Thus the deed
and the act Of the legislature were In
conflict. TIE deed provides that the
customhouse shall be located in front of
the central line of Madison street. While
believing that Memphis had the right to
make 8 deed, he had to obtain the writ
ten opinion OF the encouragement, and
was compelled to omit the discrepancy
between the deed and the act Of the leg.
islature. Finally the attorney.general
admitted the legal obstacles were so tri.
fling that he agreed to let the plans be
made out II the secretary of the treas.
ury saw proper to locate it pursuant
to the deed. Secretary Bristow
agreed that the architect should
should come here to locate 1t, upon his
assurance that the defect was accidental
and not by design on the part Of any
citizen Of Memphis or the legislature.
Pursuant to this agreement, Mr.. Shu
man prepared to come to Memphis In
July and commence the work. Shortly
thereafter he was asked to 60 to call at
the Office OF the supervising architect,
and did so. Mr.. Potter then informed
him that Mr.. Morrill,, secretary Of the
treasury, had received 3 letter from a
prominent citizen of Memphis, saying
that the customhouse should not be built
on the site designated by the deed. Pre-
vious to this the mayor had sent him
(Young) another deed. The letter said
the location of the building on the south
side of the line would inflict a loss OF
millions of dollars, and not to build it
south Of Madison street, but await the
further action Of the legislature.
This, with number Of anonymous let
tiers Of similar import previously re-
ceived, created the impression that
there was a ring or some job in Mem.
phis trying to secure the location. Mr..
Morrill, said, in view of these letters and
protestations, and the opinion Ct the
encouragement, he didn't feel author
lied to erect the Memphis customhouse,
but that Mr.. Hill, one Of the architects,
could commeDce on the site designated