KENTUCKY. 



we respectfully call your attention to the fact that 

 the average milary of colored teachers iu tlil- F 

 only about $50 per annum, or about one thirl tin: 

 ,'o aalarie* or colored toachen in the other < \- 

 sliivi- Stiitr- ; iiii'l lurrli.Tiii'-rr, tin- ;.. / . _;/.' i wlu.-li 

 our fuiul yields ia only about one fourth taut given a 

 white child, with u diircronoeof four years in the limit 

 of school agv in liivor <>t' tlio white child, while in other 

 States the per cnpUn aud limit of school age are the 

 same for the colored as for the white child. Believing 

 that, while this great difference remains, our cominpn- 

 Bchool system will not only not accomplish the object 

 for which it was intended^ but will in time bo entirely 

 iil'rirutcd on account of its inefficiency, we do most 

 tally ask at the hands of your honorable body 

 an equalization of the ptr capita and limit of school 

 age for all the children of this Commonwealth, as the 

 only true means of securing to every child the neces- 

 sary educational facilities. 



Second, that the majority of the colored teachers of 

 this State, bv reason of the failure on the part of the 

 State to make provision for normal instruction, ore 

 wholly incompetent as Instructors. While the other 

 ex-slave State* have found it especially necessary to 

 organize and foster, in many instances bv State appro- 

 priations, normal schools for the education of colored 

 tea. 'hers, which amount to twenty chartered colleges 

 and twenty-nine normal schools, we have not a single 

 normal school organized by aid of Kentucky for the 

 Bame purpose ; and while nearly or quite $20,000,000 

 have been expended on the colored people of the South 

 for educational purposes since the close of the war, a 

 very small proportion of this vast amount has found 

 its way into Kentucky. 



The acreage of wheat was larger than in 

 1878, but there are no means by which to 

 determine its extent. The crop was estimated 

 between 8,000,000 and 9,000,000 bushels. The 

 corn-crop was fair, but suffered in consequence 

 of the damage to the seed, which is left in the 

 field, from the severe winter and the heavy 

 rains late in the season. Tobacco was subject 

 to the same drawbacks and casualties as the 

 corn-crop. Much of it was damaged by wind, 

 hail, and rain. The extent of the damage 

 could be stated only approximately. The crop 

 was much below the previous year. The hemp- 

 crop, although it grew out better than was an- 

 ticipated, was very short compared with any 

 previous crop, and of light fiber and inferior 

 quality. Much of it was caught by the heavy 

 rains after being cut, and consequently consid- 

 erable of the gluten washed off. In addition, 

 it was discolored by the rains instead of being 

 bright and lively, as Kentucky hemp usually 

 is. The fall crop of grass was finer than any 

 in a score of years, and it compensated for the 

 short spring crop and half crop of hay. The 

 crop of Irish potatoes was short, yet sufficient 

 was raised for home use, and of medium qual- 

 ity. The season was unusually favorable to 

 the growth of sweet potatoes, and the crop 

 was large and of extra quality. The same 

 may be said of the other great garden staple, 

 cabbage. Live stock of all kinds was reported 

 in good and thrifty condition, and unusually 

 exempt from disease. In fact, not a single 

 disease waa mentioned in any locality in the 

 State; on the contrary, there was a remark- 

 able exemption from those pests, hog and 

 chicken cholera. The bees had a hard time, 

 and many stands perished during the winter. 



Tho drought ran through the entire honor* 

 making eaion, and they were unable to lay In 

 their usual store. There had not been one 

 swarm this year where there are usually fifty. 



The number of idiots in the State is 758. 

 These are supported by the State at an ex- 

 pense of $75 each, making a total of $56,850. 

 An examination as to the localities of the 

 State to which they belong shows the follow- 

 ing results: Jefferson County, embracing the 

 city of Louisville, with a population of over 

 200,000, has only sixteen idiots ; while Wayne 

 County in the mountains, with a population 

 of 10,602, has thirty idiots. Again, Kenton 

 County, embracing the city of Covington, has 

 a population of about 40,000 inhabitants and 

 four idiots, while Whitely County in the moun- 

 tains, with a population of 8,278, furni-hes 

 twenty-three idiots. Fayette County, with a 

 population of 26,656, has one idiot, while Mor- 

 gan County in the mountains, with a popula- 

 tion of 5,975, has twenty-one idiots. Daviess 

 County, with a population of 20,714, has seven 

 idiots, while Wolf County in the mountains, 

 with a population of 8,603, has thirteen idiots. 

 Henderson County, with a population of 18,- 

 457, has four idiots, while Ilarlan County in 

 the mountains, with a population of 4,415, 

 has eighteen idiots. Campbell County, with 

 a population of 27,406, has one idiot, while 

 Clay County in the mountains, with a popula- 

 tion of 8,297, has twenty-three idiots. At 

 least three fourths of the idiots generally 

 drawing pay from the Treasury are in the 

 sparsely settled counties in Eastern Kentucky, 

 familiarly known as the mountain counties. 



The condition of the State Prison of Ken- 

 tucky, according to the representations of Gov- 

 ernor Blackburn, is truly horrible. The num- 

 ber of convicts at the close of the year was 

 969, with only 780 cells for their reception. 

 The Governor says : 



This terrible state of affairs required, as a necessity, 

 that 878 of these wretched men should be thrust and 

 immured two in a cell, although these cells were but 

 8 feet 91 inches wide, 6 feet 34 inches hiirh, and 6 feet 

 8 inches long. These small, dark, ill- ventilated cells 

 did not even contain sufficient air to support one man, 

 and the death- record gives us abundant proof of this 

 fact. From the 1st of January lost up to the present 

 time, there have died 74. This is a fearful mortality. 



To show the terrible torments some of these con- 

 victs must endure, we quote from the testimony of 

 Dr. William Rodman, an eminent physician of Frank- 

 fort, upon this subject. In a suit of 'the State against 

 Jerry South, the present lessee of tin- iVnitentlarv, to 

 recover money diu the State, the defen<lant Soutfi in- 

 troduced as a witness Dr. Kodman, who. being duly 

 sworn, testified as follows : " That he had been a 

 physician to the penitentiary for about eight years, 

 anil is well acquainted with the cell-house^ and work- 

 shop. The cell-houses have been as bad as they well 

 could be. Each man ought to have in hia cell 840 (bet 

 of air ; they get there 170 feet to two men. Thin bats 

 affected the health of the men in the prison, and \ . ry 

 materially their working capacity.*' The Black Hole 

 of Calcutta, ao abhorred in history, was not much, 

 worse than this. Only think of it : two human be- 

 ings crowded together in these dark, unwholesome 

 little dens. To what beastliness may it not lead ; yea, 

 to what beastliness has it not already led I A&k those 



