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1861, up to the 3d day of April, 1865, when 

 the government of the State of Tennessee 

 WM reorganized under the constitution, and 

 schedule thereto, ratified and adopted by 

 the people on the 22d day of February, 1865, 

 and all bonds or liabilities issued for war 

 purposes shall be and are hereby expressly 

 ezcepted from the provisions of this act, as 

 hereinbefore defined; and, jirori/leJ further, 

 that the provisions of this act shall not embrace, 

 bat expressly exclude any and all bonds known 

 to have been stolen or purloined from the 

 State, or bonds which wore fraudulently issued 

 or obtained." 



An important feature of the new school- 

 law passed was the provision "that when the 

 money derived from the school fund and taxes 

 imposed by the State on the counties shall not 

 be sufficient to keep up a public school for five 

 months in the year in the school districts in 

 the county, the county court shall levy an 

 additional tax sufficient for this purpose, or 

 shall submit the proposition to a vote of the 

 people, nnd may levy a tax to prolong the 

 schools beyond the five months; said tax to be 

 levied on all property, polls, and privileges 

 liable to taxation, but shall not exceed the 

 entire State tax." The taxes so levied by the 

 counties are to be collected in the same man- 

 ner as other county taxes, and to be paid over 

 to the county trustee for distribution among 

 the school districts of the county according to 

 their scholastic population. 



A new assessment law was passed, which it 

 is believed will secure the return of a tnnch 

 greater value of taxable property; and tlio 

 question of calling a convention to amend the 

 constitution of the State was discussed. Among 

 the suggested changes needed in the present 

 constitution are the removal of restrictions 

 thrown around capital, by the abolition of all 

 usury laws ; a reform in the judiciary sy^ 

 amendment of the poll-tax regulation as aft', ot- 

 ing suffrage: provision for the election of 

 Lieutenant-Governor, who shall be Speaker of 

 the Senate, and Governor, in the event of the 

 death or resignation of the I'.xceiitivc ; with 

 otlitT import nut and needed amendments. 



In the early part of the session of the Gcn- 

 eral Assembly, Charles M. Gibbs (liberal Dem- 

 ocrat) was elected Secretary of State. On 

 the 1st of May W. W. Hobbs resigned the 

 office of Controller of the Treasury, and John 

 0. Hurch, of Nashville, was appointed Con- 

 troller by Governor Brown. 



The farmers of Tennessee met in convention 

 in Nashville, in September, for tin- pnrp- 

 forming a State Farmers 1 Association, with 

 the view of bringing about concert of . 

 nod unity of purpose among the agricultural 

 classes. The convention was largely attended 

 by delegates from all parts of the Stat< 

 permanent association of the farmers of the 

 state was formed, and the loading <|iir 

 affecting the interests of this class wore dis- 

 cussed by able speakers, among whom was 



Governor Brown. Dning the proceedings the 

 following resolutions, among others, were 



adopt i-d : 



Whtrtat, We are satisfied that there are ocmo ir- 

 regularities, and perhaps oppression* on the pan of 

 our railroad* ; and 



H'/tfTMt, We noognln the fact that our railroad 



men aru gentlemen <>! character: and 



i not proles* to understand the de- 

 tails of business u connected ith the rouds in ques- 

 tion : therefore 



Kaolred, That in order to understand and appreci- 

 ate the real status of railroad management in this 

 State, and to know whether our grievances relative 

 to oppression and unfair dealing are w> 

 we deem it more wise and judicious to approach this 

 great question calmly and cautiously. 



JtaofttJ, That with the view of reaching the < luU 

 thus indicated, this convention appoint I 

 of six able men, two from each Grand Division of 

 the State, whose duty it shall be to confer with the 

 managers of the railroads, and gather from them a 

 full and accurate statement of facts and figures as to 

 their operations. 



Ranlral, That this committee be empowered and 

 authorized to treat with our railroad men. and to 

 make such terms with regard to transportation as 

 miiv b' miituiillv beneti 



tbtolvtd, That the next Legislature of Tennessee 

 is hereby earnestly petitioned to use all possible 

 means to have repealed what is known as the ten 

 percent, interest law. so that all money transactions 

 shall be based upon the legal rate of interest of six 

 per cent. 



Jlaolvfd further. That our Senators and Repre- 

 sentatives in Congress be n ir in- 

 fluence in passing such laws as will cause United 

 State bonds to be taxed as other property, real or 

 personal. 



Whtrtat, It is apparent that the labor system of 

 Tennessee is incmcient, and has failed to meet the 

 wants of the fanners of the State : therefore 



Retahtti, That this convention instruct the corre- 

 sponding scon tut v of thisbodv to open a correspond- 

 ence with James Holmes, fesq., of Birmingham, 

 England, or with any other responsible parties, ei- 

 t Europe or of the United States, with regard 

 to the practicability of procuring laborers, male and 

 female, and requesting that all the information bo 

 given possible relative to the matter. 



No official report of the condition of the. 

 finances of the State has been made public 

 that L'ivcn at the beginning of the year, 

 nnd which appears in the preceding volume of 

 this work. The State authorities began to 

 fund the State debt early in August, mid up to 

 the close of the year had funded l.Silfi bonds 

 of $1,000 each. It i* believed that most of the 

 Tennessee bank money, which has given the 

 State no little embarrassment during the post 

 two or three yearn, has been pnid in for taxes, 

 and canceled. At the close of the year there 

 wer.' not more than ,*-|IHHMMI outstanding war- 

 rants, which were gradually columned by tax- 

 payer*, anxious to save the difl'cp-ne.- between 

 them and currency. It is believed that, by the 

 middle of 1H"4. all of tin- Temies-- 

 and State warrants, will have been paid into 

 the Treasury. 



In reply to numerous letters asking for in- 

 formation in relation to the operation of the 

 new funding law, Governor Brown issued a 

 circular letter in April, in which he said : 



