720 



TENNESSEE. 



outstanding liabilities of the State, an act was 

 passed by the Legislature at the preceding 

 session, approved January 20, 1870, allowing 

 these railroad companies to retire their in- 

 debtedness to the State on very liberal con- 

 ditions. As they have neglected to do so dur- 

 ing the eighteen months since elapsed, the 

 S-overnor now recommends the repeal of the 

 law which permits them to pay interest in past- 

 due coupons, "or so to amend its provisions 

 that the roads be required to pay all accrued 

 interest, as well as the sinking-fund not here- 

 tofore paid in." 



All of the delinquent railroads, except three, 

 have recently been sold, under the provisions 

 of an act of the General Assembly. Governor 

 Brown regards it as an object to be desired 

 "that the State should be entirely divorced from 

 the railroad system ; " acknowledging at the 

 same time that the internal improvement system 

 of Tennessee has been highly beneficial to the 

 State in materially adding to the wealth of the 

 community, and in arousing the people of all 

 classes to energy and enterprise. He avers 

 that " commerce, trade, and manufactures, 

 have been promoted and multiplied ; popula- 

 tion has largely increased, and the value of 

 real estate enhanced over one hundred mill- 

 ions of dollars." 



The numerous turnpike-roads also, by short- 

 ening the distance between producers and 

 consumers, have contributed in no small meas- 

 ure to the development of the resources of the 

 State. To aid in their construction the State 

 has expended over $1,300,000. Six of these 

 roads still remain in a good condition, and pay 

 a dividend to the State, while the largest num- 

 ber of them are out of order, and pay no divi- 

 dend. By a provision of the constitution, the 

 State is prohibited from issuing bonds for re- 

 building or repairing these roads. There are 

 twenty of the latter class, which cost the State 

 $864,662.60. If immediately sold, it is believed 

 that they will be purchased and repaired by 

 private enterprise, and thus become serviceable 

 to the State again. 



There are a large number of children in the 

 State deprived of instruction in the ordinary 

 principles of an English education. An act was 

 passed by the General Assembly at the previous 

 session, authorizing the several counties "to 

 establish and support common schools, which 

 has proved eminently successful in those coun- 

 ties where it has been put in execution." 



With a view to afford shelter and proper 

 treatment to the insane, a petition of the 

 Medical Association of East Tennessee was 

 presented to the House of Representatives on 

 the 8th of November, praying " for the estab- 

 lishment of two lunatic asylums, to be located 

 one in East Tennessee, and one in West Ten- 

 nessee." 



A bill was introduced in the House on the 

 same day, "to prevent lunacy by forbidding 

 first and second cousins to intermarry." 



The number of the insane, idiotic, blind, and 



deaf-mute persons in Tennessee, in 1870, was 

 as follows : 



The State Penitentiary contains 739 con- 

 victs; of whom 243 are white people (242 

 male, 1 female), and 496 colored (males 472, 

 females 24). Ten of the whole number have 

 been sentenced to imprisonment for life ; 247 

 for terras varying from ten to twenty-one 

 years ; and 482 for terms of from one to nine 

 years: 



As to their ordinary occupation in the com- 

 munity previous to their arrest and conviction, 

 the statistics of the prison show that 78 of 

 them were severally engaged in some special, 

 work or trade, while 660 are set down as of 

 "no trade." But these also are apparently 

 fitted for some useful work while in confine- 

 ment. 



Care has been taken to render the peniten- 

 tiary self-sustaining, and it has now become a 

 successful manufacturing and industrial estab- 

 lishment of no small dimensions, embracing 

 various trades. This is a subject of discussion 

 as well as a source of loud complaint among 

 the people of Tennessee generally, but chiefly 

 on the part of private mechanics and manufac- 

 turers engaged in the same lines of industry 

 with those pursued in the penitentiary work- 

 shops ; as if the government had converted 

 the public prison into a general competitive 

 establishment to cripple and destroy the pri- 

 vate industry and enterprise of the unoffend- 

 ing citizens of the State. 



The Mechanics' and Manufacturers' Associ- 

 ation of Tennessee held a meeting at the cap- 

 ital on the llth of October, 1871, when these 

 matters were spoken of and explained at 

 length by several speakers. The following 

 resolution was adopted : 



Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed by 

 the Mechanics' and Manufacturers' Association, to 

 confer with the Governor of the State, for the purpose 

 of taking into consideration the relations existing be- 

 tween the State and her mechanics and manufactur- 

 ers, with a view to change, or cause to be changed, 

 the present suicidal system of competition with con- 

 vict-labor. 



A motion was also carried "that a mass 

 meeting of all the mechanics and manufactur- 

 ers opposed to the present unjust and ruinoiis 

 system of bringing the labor of convicts in 

 competition with that of honest mechanics be 

 called ; " and a committee of three was ap- 

 pointed " to make the necessary preparations 

 and announce the time and place of meeting." 

 The conference with the Governor took place 

 on the 13th of October, when the chairman of 

 the committeee explained their object, saying, 

 among other things, that 



