Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-07-19

ne udy lot VOTING upon the COM
promise bill for the settlement of
the state debt. Go yourself; don't
trust % your neighbours doing your
duty for you, but go yourself and
take your neighbor with you.
Meeting os the S,iarissz-i:le zss-s. i
81 Trade.
Tobacco Leaf.
rhis organization held an asl-
iourned meeting last Tuesday night
for the purpose of discussing Tie
water-WOrks question and arriving
at some amicable adjustment of the
differences that surround the matter.
4 fter the President had stated The
object of the meeting, Mr.. Clark
made n short speech. This gcl.tle-
man bought the CHRONICLE had
done himself, he having offered tile
resolution at last meeting urging
the city To buy the works, injustice,
and that its presentment Of the
matter III the last issue was unfair
and likely to create prejudice against
the Board. lie referred 10 an anti
Gle lin the last CHRONICLE headed
"WateT-NorkS and Sew erage,o from
which hc read IN extract stating
that the works had been Tested
and found to be Il complete failure
so far as their ability to fulfill the
contract made with the city" and
that son the face of it the propu>i-
tion looks a hard one To make either
to the city or to the capitalists; that
while ii was supposed To be Il pay
ing concern, the existing company,
wherever it is, was to keep the
thing all to themselves, but now
that it turns out Il failure, the city
and her capitalists are to take it off
their hands," NJ. Clark read eX-
tracts of the report of the meeting
a. published in the Leaf, show ing
| that he did not favor their purchase
nutil the stand pipe was run up
forty feet higher, when he thought,
as did many gentlemen who wit
messed the recent tests, the works
would be efficient and able to come
up to the requirements Of the con-
/ tract. He stated that all the CHRON-
! ICLE knew of the meeting was the
report in the Leaf, in which the
above was embodied, and called ON
| its editor, who was present, To. eX-
| plain. Mr.. c. further stated that he
| did not hold ten cents worth Of
! stocks in the works that he had
| taken an interest in and worked for
! it Just as other citiZenS-tO get it
here; that he did not want to push
! his views exclusively, but was viii
! ling To accept the best plan hat was
presented; some thought the city had
made bad contract with the com
pany; he thought she ought to buy
/ the works and get rid of the con-
tract. lie read the names OF 100 of
the most influential firms in the
city, all of whom, with one excep-
ton, favored the building of the
works.
DIR. Wright, in answer 10 Mr..
Clark, disclaimed all intention of
making an unfair statement in what
he had written; he also disclaimed
the construction put upon the arti-
Gle in the CHRONICLE, stating that
it was a wrong Interpretation of his
article. He said the CHRONICLE
was discussing it as a public ques-
ton; that he was proud to number
many of his WarmeSt opposers in
the matter as among his best per-
sonal friends, and he hoped that
nothing said would in the least mar
that friendship. He had meant to
imply that the present share-hOld-
ers wanted to sell the works; he
did not think the matter would be
before the Board if it were other
wise, and in his opinion the two
trials-made were enough to dissuade
the city from buying the works,
and what he had written was in
tended only to dissuade the city
from the attempt to buy them. He
attributed honest motives to those
who opposed him and asked that
the same consideration be extended
himself.
The President stated that he did
not know that the company would
sell, and were committee appoint
ed TO negotiate the purchase of the
works, they would certainly make
a good trade or none at all. To
bring about q general discussion of
the question, Mr.. CLARK moved that
the Board declare it expedient that
the city buy the works. Mr.. Owen
moved to amend the same by add
ing: Provided they succeed in
throwing -four streams, to comply
with the original contract, from the
stand-pipe alone.
At Or. Wrightis request, Mr.,
Clark re-stated his position on the
question, and gave his plan for buy
ing the works, as before given in
these columns, He thought it a
mere question Of finance whether
the city should pay $4,000 (mini-
mum cost per year for fire plugs,
or pay $4,000 per year interest on
her bonds in payment of the works,
which could create Il sinking fund
for the redemption of her bonds. If
the city was not able to buy them
alone, let her go in as a heavy stock
holder in q company, In that man
ner he thought the city could get
rid of her present contract.
DR.. Wright was happy to know
that he agreed with Mr.. Clark that
it was eXpedient for the city to get
rid Of the present contract. He
thought the failures at the recer t
tests fortunate thing, if the city
could be released thereby; $4,000,
WHICH he understood was the limit
to the amount Of bonds the city can
legally issue, would not give the
city a controlling interest in the
works, and she would stand in the
same light to the new company
that she would to the old it would
simply be transfer of interest from
one company to another; the city
was unable 10 buy the works he
saw no benefit from the discussion
of the matter and moved as an
amendment that Mr.. Clark motion
be laid on the table until the forty
feet more had been added to the
stand-pipe and the works have
shown what they can do, but at the
request of the President ne with
drew his amendment for the pres
ent.
Mr.. Clark said DIR. Wright mis-
understood him. He thought the
city made a good contract the
question was, could she better her
self now%
The President stated that the city
could not take stock in the enter
prise except by a three-fourths vote
and act of the Legislature. He
thought it doubtful about issuing
bonds-the difficulty was the Legis-
lature was not in session to give the
/ nitXy mission tn dO He v,aC will