780 



TENNESSEE. 



registered were thrown out, it was reduced to 

 39,509. 



The Legislature met again in October. The 

 following bill to render persons of African and 

 Indian descent witnesses in the courts of the 

 State, was carried in the Senate by a vote of ten 

 to nine, but failed to pass the House of Repre- 

 sentatives : 



JBe it enacted by the General Assembly of the State 

 *f Tennessee, That persons of African or 'Indian de- 

 scent are hereby declared to be competent witnesses 

 in all the courts of this State, in as full a manner as 

 such persons are, by an act of Congress, competent 

 witnesses in all the courts of the United States ; and 

 all laws and parts of laws of this State, excluding 

 such persons from competency, are hereby repealed. 



Resolutions endorsing the administration of 

 President Johnson were tabled by a vote of 

 thirty-five to twenty-five in the House of Rep- 

 resentatives, and the following was adopted in 

 their place, by a vote of sixty to four : 



Resolved, That we endorse the administration of his 

 Excellency the President of the United States, and 

 especially his declaration that treason shall be made 

 odious, and traitors punished. 



In his message to the Legislature of April 6th, 

 Governor Brownlow, speaking on the financial 

 condition of the State, said : 



The State debt, as reported by the comptroller in 

 October, 1861, is said to be $6,896,606.66, and this 

 demands your attention. This includes $3,000,000 

 of eight per cent, bonds for the " defence of the 

 State," which has recently been discarded by the 

 people at the ballot-box. This unauthorized and 

 most unjust indebtedness repudiated, leaves the in- 

 debtedness of the State properly $3,894,606.66, at an 

 annual interest of $212,388.25. The interest is pre- 

 amed to hare been paid on the 1st of January, 1861. 

 It is not known how much has been paid, if any. 

 The bonds will show either by the endorsement or 

 the absence of the coupons. Besides this debt, the 

 State has bonds for internal improvement purposes, 

 and has endorsed the bonds of railroad companies to 

 the amount of $16,211,000. For these the State is 

 ultimately liable upon the failure of the companies. 

 These bonds, it is believed, the State will have to 

 provide for, to preserve its credit, making an aggre- 

 gate indebtedness of $20,005,606.66, and the annual 

 interest $1,185,048.25. Of this debt proper, $66,665.66 

 matured in 1861 ; $61,250 in 1862; $177,750 in 1863; 

 and $58,500 in 1864 ; in all, $366,166.66 at once to be 

 provided for. The comptroller states that the bonds 

 maturing in 1861 were " taken possession of and held 

 by the State, subject to adjustment at the end of the 

 war." Besides these, the State held bonds, mostly 

 her own, as follows: The Spencer T. Hunt Fund, 6 ; 

 the Railroad Sinking Fund, 161 ; deposited by free 

 banks, 341 ; deposited by foreign insurance com- 

 panies, 80 ; and in all 588 bonds. These bonds, held 

 in trust, were carried away, it is believed, with the 

 valuables of the State treasury, by the State officers 

 who ingloriously fled on the approach of the national 

 flag. Double payment can probably be avoided. 

 Evidence must be in existence by which they can be 

 identified. The notorious condition of our State af- 

 fairs has been sufficient to put dealers upon their 

 guard ; so that if any of the bonds have been fraudu- 

 lently sold, payment to the present holders may be 

 justly stopped. 



The debt due and to be provided for at once, 

 according to the report of the Comproller to 

 the Legislature at its session in October, was 

 $1,213,719.66. 



The educational and charitable institutions 

 suffered much during the war. The common- 

 school fund was appropriated by the Confederate 

 authorities. The Governor, in his October mes- 

 sage, advised that this fund should, as for as 

 possible, be replaced out of the proceeds of what 

 was left of the State Bank. " This large fund," 

 he said", "emanated mainly from the General 

 Government, and was held by the State in 

 sacred trust. The declaration of this trust may 

 be found in the act of Congress which created 

 it, and is 'for the instruction of children for- 

 ever.' And by the Constitution it is declared 

 to be a 'permanent fund,' 'never to be di- 

 minished by legislative appropriation,' nor 

 the interest 'devoted to any other use than 

 the support and encouragement of common 

 schools.' " He adds, " Let the State keep her 

 faith with the destitute and long-neglected 

 school children, no matter who else may suffer, 

 and then settle with other creditors as best she 

 may." 



The Tennessee Blind School, a State institu- 

 tion near Nashville, was entirely destroyed by 

 the Federal forces. The pupils, some forty in 

 number, were distributed among their friends, 

 or became dependent on private charity. The 

 library, furniture, and fixtures of the East Ten- 

 nessee University, chartered and endowed by 

 the State in 1807, were totally destroyed by the 

 same agency. The State Deaf and Dumb School 

 at Knoxville was used for hospital purposes by 

 the Federal army. 



The whole number of prisoners in the State 

 penitentiary on the 30th of September, was 

 182, of whom 103 were committed by the civil 

 and 79 by the military authorities. 



A State colored convention was held at 

 Nashville, on the 7th and 8th of August. The 

 following preambles and resolutions were adopt- 

 ed by a vote of more than two to one : 



Whereas, We, in convention assembled, in order to 

 deliberate, as far as we are able, upon the present 

 condition and future prospects of the colored people 

 of Tennessee; and whereas, it is expedient in all our 

 deliberations, we will put forth to them our senti- 

 ments 



Besolved, That we will publish an address to them 

 and cause it to be circulated throughout the State. 



Whereas, The petition presented by the colored * 

 people of Tennessee to the Legislature thereof, has 

 not been disposed of by that body, as we understand, 

 because they do not know the sentiments of their 

 constituents ; therefore be it 



Resolved, That we publish an appeal to the loyal 

 white citizens of Tennessee upon the subject matter 

 contained in the said petition. Inasmuch as the 

 Federal Government has called for our assistance in 

 putting down the late iniquitous rebellion, and ac- 

 knowledged not only our humanity and right to free- 

 dom, but our just claim to all other rights under 

 the Government ; therefore be it 



Resolved, That we protest against the Congressional 

 delegation from Tennessee being received into the 

 Congress of the United States, if^the Legislature of 

 Tennessee does not grant the petition before it prior 

 to December 1, 1865. 



Other resolutions were adopted, appointing a 

 committee, to be composed of delegates from 

 each county, to investigate the condition of the 



