Year: 1871

present at your meeting this afternoon.
| The gentlemen who are with me are here


for that purpose, and have been called
upon to make statement of the facts In
connection with this matter.


This 40 ordinary occasion, gentlemen;
1t is q time when you are called upon to
| deliberate as to the interests of the city in


this matter, which involves its greatness
and its position in the South. The future


greatness of Nashville is involved in your


action this evening; and tell you, gentle


men, that the people Of Nashville, so far es


l know the business community, are now


looking to you for relief.


What is proposed to be done? The


Nashville and Decatur Railroad-a road in


which the city of Nashville is greatly in
| terested because upon it more than one
third of all the business that comes to
Nashville-is involved. This road is now


about to pass out of the hands of the
stockholders, and out Of the hands of
those interested in it in Nashville, into the


hands of the Louisville and Nashville
Railroad Company. Louisville, as great


city on the Ohio river, is looking to the


Gulf, and to all the Gulf States for their
trade; and they know that if they can have
a direct line of railroad, run in the inter
est of Louisville, that they can obtain the
end sought for. Hence they readily grasp
at the proposition, that has been


made to them, to build the
North and South Railroad from Decatur to


Montgomery, provided that the Nashville
and Decatur Railroad be obtained for their
control, to be worked in the interest of
Louisville, to make the connecting line be-
tween Louisville and the Gull This prop
osition was made to the Louisville and
Nashville Railroad Company, if am cor
rectly informed, (and believe 1 am, for I
heard it from q man connected with the
COMPANY that the Directors have building
the North and South Railroad) because


those contractors had failed to complete
their work and they were about to lose all
that thew had involved in that road In
order to save themselves they have gone


to the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
and made the proposition to them to take
this road and to build it. There are sixty
eight miles of that road to be constructed.
| The Louisville and Nashville Railroad told
these Directors that if they could obtain a
lease. for the Nashville and Decatur Rail
| road as a connecting link between
them and the North and South
Railroad, they would accede


to their proposition. The President of
the Nashville and Decatur railroad is one
of the contractors for building the North
| and South railroad from Decatur to Mont
comery. There are two others, but he is
| about to be involved in loss, and he is
| willing to sacrifice his road, and is willing
| to see q road built by Tennessee capital
and enterprise pass out of the hands OF


the people of the State into foreign hands,
for the purpose of saving himself from loss
| in his contract. That is the amount of it.
And now after consulting the Louisville


and Nashville Railroad Company, and
ascertaining their views and their
propositions, and that they will pay
| its stockholders a dividend of six
per cent. and finish the North and
| South railroad, he telegraphs Immediately
| to his Directors to meet at Pulaski. In
| accordance with this call by telegraph Gts
urgent necessity was presented by being
| telegraphed) they met him, going by
night train, at Pulaski the next day. This
proposition was presented to them. They
appointed Commissioners to go to Louis
| vile to fix up the lease. The Louisville
| and Nashville Railroad Company, in carry
| ing out their part of the plan, called a
meeting of their stockholders at Louisville


the I'd Of May. And the President Of the
| Nashville and Decatur Railroad calls his


stockholders together on the 4th


of May, 30 that the parties inter-


ested might have barely time to


get from Louisville to Pulaski. The


whole thing is rushed through, without


one single word ever being said to the city


of Nashville, whether she would not do the


very same thing that the Louisville and


Nashville Railroad is asked to do-to lease


the Nashville and Decatur Railroad and


build the North and South Railroad. They


never hinted such thing, and our bust


ness community was awakened in horror,


so to speak, on last Tuesday, by a call to


assemble at the Board Of Trade rooms.


Then this matter was presented, and since


that time our business community have


been awakened to true sense of their


danger.


What is the best thing to be done ? That


has been the question with our leading


business men for some time past.


You last week sent Commissioner to
Cincinnati, to see what could be expected


from Cincinnati. We have kilograms frsm


that gentleman. He has gone before the
business men of Cincinnati In the cham
Der Of commerce and has awakened Gin


cinnsti to true sense of the danger OF
, being cut off from a direct line to the