756 



TENNESSEE. 



viding for the regulation of railroads, which 

 received the approval of the Executive, and 

 three commissioners were appointed. The au- 

 thorities of certain railroads, conceiving that 

 their rights and interests were invaded, caused 

 legal proceedings to be instituted in the Federal 

 court, to restrain the commissioners from fur- 

 ther alleged interference with them. The Hon. 

 John Baxter, in the decision rendered in these 

 cases, found the commission bill defective. 

 Having been appealed, the matter must await 

 final action by the Federal Supreme Court. 



Penitentiary. According to the provisions of 

 the act of the General Assembly, passed March 

 28, 1883, the penitentiary property and labor 

 were leased for six years, from Jan. 1, 1884, to 

 the Tennessee Coal, Iron, and Railroad Com- 

 pany as lessees, for $101,000 per annum, pay- 

 able quarterly. There were 1,324 on the prison- 

 rolls Dec. 1, 1884. From 1872 to 1884 the total 

 amount received by the State was $591,617.02. 

 The buildings and machinery that were de- 

 stroyed by fire in 1882, not being insured, cost, 

 with other repairs for that year, $78,874.49. 



Judiciary. Oji this subject the Governor 

 says: 



In my first message to the Forty-third General As- 

 eembly, I called their attention to the overcrowded 

 condition of the Supreme Court docket. The act ap- 

 proved March 30, 1883, authorized the appointment, 

 in each grand division of the State, of three persons, 

 who should compose a commission of referees, to whom 

 the Supreme Court might^ by rule made in vacation 

 or term time, refer such civil causes (except revenue 

 causes) as were then pending in said court at any time 

 prior to Jan. 1, 1885, at Jackson, Knoxville, and Nash- 

 ville for investigation. Referees were accordingly ap- 

 pointed, on or about May 15, 1883, at once entered 

 upon their duties, and have been active, vigilant, and 

 faithful. At Knoxville and Jackson, the referees have 

 so nearly finished the business referred to them, that 

 they can complete it by the expiration of the two years 

 from the date of their appointment, but at Nashville, 

 owing to greater amount of business, the referees have 

 not been able to finish it. Up to Dec. 1, 1884, the 

 referees at Nashville tried and reoorted on 915 causes, 

 bringing the docket down to Jan. 1, 1882. To 486 of 

 these causes so reported on, no exceptions were filed, 

 and the reports were confirmed by the Supreme Court 

 from the bench without argument. 



Elections. The Governor recommends a regis- 

 try law, and laws effecting greater uniformity 

 and promptness in making the returns of the re- 

 sults of elections. 



t Public Schools. While the enrollment of pu- 

 pils has largely increased, and the average at- 

 tendance in a still greater ratio, the cost of the 

 system is greatly diminished, so that a large 

 balance of the school revenue is left on hand. 

 This balance is in the hands of the various 

 county trustees, and in the judgment of the 

 Governor such legislation should be had as will 

 compel its more rapid disbursement for the use 

 and efficiency of the schools. The Superin- 

 tendent's report shows a marked increase in 

 attendance upon teachers' institutes. The total 

 amount of school funds received in the last 

 scholastic year was $1,239,952.64, showing an 

 increase over the previous year of $35,214.24. 

 Reports show that the scholastic population for 



the year ending June 30, 1864, was white. 

 420,997; colored, 150,832; total, 571,829. This 

 is exclusive of three counties in which the 

 scholastic population for the year preceding 

 was white, 12,630, and colored, 932. The 

 entire school population at that time was, 

 therefore, 585,391 ; an increase over the pre- 

 vious year of 23,895. 



Deaf and Dumb. The number of pupils ad- 

 mitted to the white department of the institu- 

 tion during two years is 151 ; average attend- 

 ance, 100 ; admitted to the colored department 

 in two years, 25 ; average attendance, 17. 



Blind Asylum. This institution has sixty-one 

 white and eight colored inmates. Besides lit- 

 erary education, many are securing industrial 

 educations. The ordinary expenses for the 

 last two years have averaged $12,656.15, and 

 the sum of $7,515.08 has been expended for 

 extraordinary improvements. Of the 2,026 

 blind in the State, there are about 212 persons 

 within the limits of the age of admission, of 

 whom only 69 are in the asylum. 



The Insane. The Tennessee Hospital for the 

 Insane had 412 patients on Dec. 19, 1884, four 

 more than at the same date two years ago, with 

 an average attendance of 400. The number 

 of State charity patients, as fixed by the laws 

 of admission, is in excess, chiefly due to the 

 mandatory commitment of insane persons un- 

 der criminal indictment. The hospital receipts 

 amounted to $147,932.55, and disbursements 

 for ordinary support of patients were $138,- 

 945.69, leaving a balance on hand, Dec. 19, 

 1884, of $8,986.86. The cost per patient per 

 annum was $173.68. 



The State has purchased the site known as 

 Lyon's View, near Knoxville, for an East Ten- 

 nessee Insane Asylum. At its last session, the 

 Legislature appropriated $80,000 in aid of the 

 erection of such an institution at that point, of 

 which $69,000 have been expended. The asy- 

 lum, when completed, will accommodate from 

 250 to 300 patients. 



Political. The Republican candidate for Gov- 

 ernor was Frank T. Reid, an ex-Confederate 

 soldier. For Railroad Commissioners, the Re- 

 publicans nominated A. M. Hughes, Jr., W. "W. 

 Murray, and M. J. Condon. The Democrats re- 

 nominated Gov. Bate and the Board of Railroad 

 Commissioners. On November 4, the Republi- 

 can vote for Presidential Electors was 124,078 ; 

 Democratic, 133,258; others, 2,082. By geo- 

 graphical divisions the vote was as follows : 



For Governor, the vote was: Democratic, 

 132,201; Republican, 125,276; Democratic ma- 

 jority, 6,925. The Republican candidates for 

 Railroad Commissioners were elected, they re- 

 ceiving 121, 787 votes, while the Democratic can 

 didates received but 113, 185; Republican ma- 

 jority, 8,602. Three Republican (First, Second, 



