Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-04-25
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS House.

MIR. EDITOR: The annexation of Me-
chanicsville to Knoxville seems a hard nut
to crack. First the voters of Mechanicsville
refused to be annexed. At the second cleo
ton large majority voted for annexation.
When the question was first brought before
the mayor and aldermen of Knoxville an
nexation was defeated. 1t was then recon
sidered and annexation was triumphant. It
was then declared that the reconsideration
was informal, and the original question of
annexation was again put and carried by a
vote of to z. 1t was then insisted that
the mayor had right to vote when his
vote would defeat measure-so the mayor
voted with the minority. and this making a
tie, annexation was again declared defeated.
But it was not defeated because the mayor
had no right to vote. The mayor can only
vote when their is a tie, and in this case
there was no tie, but one majority. Nor is
it in the power of the aldermen, by any or
dinance or bylaw, to give the Mayor the
privilege of voting except in the case of
tie.
If the mayor can vote to de-
feat a measure when there is
only one majority in favor Of it this is
giving to the ward in which the mayor
lives three representatives,, whereas no ward Is
entitled to more than two. And no ordl-
nance, bylaw or usage can do this. They
who agreed in this case that the mayor
could vote when his vote would defeat
measure, made misapplcation of the prin-
ciple governing the Speaker of House of
Representatives of Congress. The Speaker
of the House can vote when his vote will
defeat measure because he Is q member
and was selected as presiding officer from
the members and if when his vote would
defeat a measure he could not vote it would
be depriving his Congressional district of
representation. In all other cases where it
is not a tie or when his vote would defeat a
measure, the Speaker don't vote because it
is imprudent for the presiding officer to
mire himself up in all the contests of the
House unless his vote would be decisive.
The mayor is more assemilated to the
position of the Vice-President, who presides
over the Senate, who can never vote, unless
there is a tie, because he is not a member of
the Senate-not Senator. So the mayor
is not member of the board of aldermen
not an alderman, and can only vote when
it is tie. The giving the cast vote when 1t
is a tie is an incident belonging to every
presiding officer in any deliberative body.
1t may be that we have overlooked some of
the many vicituies Mechanicss
vile has passed through in
her application to be annexed to Knox
VILE But if we are not mistaken-and we
think we are not-that the vote of the may
or with the minority, was nulity. Me-
chanicsville occupies the same status before
the mayor and aldermen of Knoxville now
that she did before that vote was cast. That
Mechanicsville will ultimately be merged to
Knoxville, there can be no doubt. No SUI
burb SO convenient and contiguous to a
growing city as she is to Knoxville ever re-
manned a suburb without being swallowed
up finally by the city, for such result is
always advantageous to both.
While we are on corporate matters we
will say few words about the extension of |
the market-house We think the ground |
over which the extension is to be made had |
better be left vacant, to be occupied by |
wagons with wood, hay, shucks, &C., &C., |
articles equally as necessary as bread or /
meat.
But again, all the people of Knoxville |
and its suburbs can now obtain all the meats |
and vegetables they may desire at the pres
ent market-house, or the stores on the /
square. There is never any sea city of |
either And then the market-house is never |
over crowded, except one day in the week, |
Saturday and then large portion of the |
crowd are lookers-on, being neither buyers /
nor sellers. Shall we extend the market
house on account of this one days crowd |
in week. The future increase of inhab- |
itants of Knoxville and its suburbs can not |
be brought to the market house by its ex- |
tension. When West End is incorporated |
it will have its meat and Vegetable stores to |
supply its citizens and they will not be dri- |
ven to the necessity of coming hale mile |
or a mile to obtain their daily supplies. Its |
citizens will have the very best qualities, too |
of both, for they are fond of good living, |
and their corporal presence shows the fat |
pastures they feed on now. The same will |
be the case with the citizens of Mechanics |
vile and North Knoxville They viii, on a |
further increrse of inhabitants, not continue, |
especially in the winter season, to trudge |
half mile or mile to market, but will have |
their meat and vegetable stores that will be |
more convenient So we do not think the |
crowd at the market house will ever increase |
greatly more than what it is at this time. |
And if any suppose the additional stalls will |
rent at such prices as will bring revenue |
to the corporation, we think they will be |
mistaken ANY additional number will only |
cheaper those on hand. The fact that the
corporation has no money to build with, but |
relies on the merchants on Market Square
to take its scrip shows it is not in a condi-
ton to build. No prudent man ever bor-
rows money to extend his dwelling while he
can get along comfortably without it. The
scrip will be turned into permanent debt,
and Knoxville is indebt enough now, and
will soon greatly enlarge her Indebtedness by
the construction of water works.
T IT n