Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1865-10-11


debt the State ultimately liable upon the failure Of
the Companies. But these Companies are able n
pay their interest debts and should be required to
do 80 at once. They well extend their credit
to meet their pressing liabilities as for the State to
do 50 for their benefit, with her already heavy obi
cations weighing upon her
Most OF the Railroads in the State, having been
turned over to the Companies respectively owning
thenl are being repaired and run bv aid Compa-
hle5. Ahcy nave been turned over BY the Govern
ment on terms liberal and advantageous. The
Road from this city TO Cbsttsnoogs ana from, thai
city to the virginia line distances Of f,r,r bndrl
miles, owned by three COMPANIES i a. . -,a-,I
thing in splendid order much of tbs rscI Fss boo,
re-ald, the emOankmenls well dressed and the cut,
well ditched and drained. The best BRIDGE DssrtL.
Virginia line is nearly finished and the eonnoc,iI
with the East complete. Upon the Roads in SId5Is
and West Tennessee repairs are progressing rs1i5Iy
and the Indications are that the Companies bsva
profitable business before them. as there Is 81 ls~a
amount of travel and q large demand for lreipbts5s
the country becomes quiet and business is resumed
As general thing may say these Companies have
reOrganzed upon n lOyal basis and are controlled
by Union men. Especially Is this true of Essf
Tennessee. The Edsofeld and Kentucky. and The
Louisville, Clarksvillo and Memphis Roads have
been placed in the hands of Receivers a. the law
directs They in the hands Of reliable and en-
ergetc men, and have all confidence that thew will
be managed to advantage.
HERMITAGE PROPERTY
feel it my duty 10 lay before you the condition
of the Hermitage Property now owned bv the State
This property was purchased by one of nay prede-
cessOrS under the act Of 1856 chapter o. Cor the
sum of forty-eight thousand 5000 dollars. for
which amount the Bonds Of the State were issued %
the occupant on his mortgage. The act provided
that Mr. y jackson, the proprietor should retain
possession for two years thereafter unless the Gene
raj Government should apply for it for q branch Of
the Military Academy st West Point, for which
purpose the State Government was Co tender il. In
the event the General Government did not accept
the offer within two years, it made the duty of
the Governor Of the State 10 have fifty acres laid
of, including the mansion, spring and tomb Of the
illustrious Hero of New Orleans, aad expose the
balance to public sale for cash and report the sale
to the Legislature Of l5J9-G9
BY the act OF March 18th, 1862 Inc Governor
and Secretary Of State are required tU make sFh
repairs and Improvements as in their Judgment are
deemed necessary, and to employ l8borers to keep
the mansion, garden tomb, and Surroundings in q
good state OF repair This act rUCtes by WAY. of
preamble that the property was at that date in q
"dilapidated condition. l. seems That nothing was
ever done under this act in the way Of repairs
And as the property was in .'dilaPidated c0ndi
ton in 1860, you can readily imagine It's condition
now, after four years of s. civil war.
At the request of Major VIM. 3. Lewis and my
self, MajOr-General Thomas, of the United States
Army, has ordered preliminary survey of the
Hermitage Property, and the report and plot in
my possession for your inspection. Impellsd by
spirit Of reverence for the illUslriJls dead Gen
Thomas has generously had the tomb repaired and
otherwise materially benefited the property, for
which he has the thanks Of al good men. The
flooring Of the tomb has been raised and properly
re-laid and new cOTniCes made, but tho roof which
is of copper leaks badly, and If not repaired
/ will destroy the ceiling flooring, &c. The mansion
! is much damaged from leaks IN the roof and def
cheney in the gathering The ceiling and plastering
are badly cracked and in many places plasterinG
falling off Some Of the josts have rOJtsd from the
! same cause.-The foundation has been undermined
/ and the brick walls cracked open IN consequence
Should this condition Of things continue another
year, it will be necessary 20 partially tear down and
rebuild the mansion,
/ The liability of the State on account oi the Her
Initage Property principal and Interest now
amounts 10 about seventy thousand $50 900 dollars
propose TO the Legislature 20 lay off one hundred
acres, including the tomb and mansion, and tender
it to the Federal Government, or use 1t as "a State
institution for " Hotel des Invalidez- asylum
/ for invalid soldiers, similar 10 the founded In
Paris BY the Emperor Napoleon. Let the remain
ing four hundred be sold the debt against the
State be discharged and the surplus 60 towards tbs
purchase of mansion for the Governor Of the State
am informed that the large and convenient brick
building in front of the Capitol i for sale, and
recommend its immediate purchase for that purpose
The great State Of Tennessee should by all means
provide a Governors residence The present in
cumbent of the Executive Office would derive Ne
advantage from such purchase out asks that Il
may be made for the honor of the State and the aC-
commodQtiOn Of his Successors in office, whoever
they may be.
rESITEETIAEr EE,vSIIESDEu.
Your attention Is especially called to ,hc c0udr-
ton Of affairs in the State Penitentary details of
which will be given by the new Board Of InspeC
tors appointed to act with the newly appointed OIL
Ger in charge of the Institution. \ portion Of the
prison has been occupied by the United States mill
itary authorities for the past three Years suggest
the appointment Of Joint special COMMITTEES Of
YOUR two Houses, consisting Of business men. who
shall make a thorough investigation Of affairs and
report at once for your action. Meanwhile in view
of the fact that cOnvICts are rapidly Increasing
since the Courts are being generally held, and no
moro ground be had in the vicinity of the pres
ent PenitentiaTy for It's enlargement, ] revive the
proposition made i'll my former message to establish
branches at Knoxville and Memphis. The cost Of
building on u moderate scale would be saved TO the
State in fifteen years in the several items Of trans
porting c0nviCts, in the reduction Of the cash mar
ket il each end CT the State tor provisions % sub
sst, and raw lumber marble, iron, leather &c
East Tennessee affords all these materials in abund
ancc, while Memphis has the advantage Of steam.
boat navigation, putting her IN direct and speedy
communication with the great Northwest Start
ing out on q moderate scale the erection Of build
ings would furnish employment and cash wages O.
q large number OF labOrers and mechanics and as
there are several saaried officers attached TO sIch
Institutions, il would distribute large patronage
in the three natural divisions Of the State In q
short time the enlargement OF these prisons could
be carried on By the labor Of the Couvc,s and the
whole made self-sustaning for il cannot be DISCUS
cd that the demorazed condition OF both white and
coored population will crowd the Peuiteutiarv with
convicts as the Courts go into operation.
LAND OFFICES.
l invite the early attention Of the Logs.atl7g 9,
the condition Of the different Land offices Of the
State. OF the FIVE Registers elected at your late
session. not one has qualified by taking the prescrb
ee oath and executing the necessary bond. The rea
son is ~ be found in the fact that the fees are Who'll
" Inadequate 20 command tho services of capable
men. The consequence Is that the records q tho
titles of all the lands granted by the State are IN the
possession Of those into whose hands they accident
" fell during the war; who are under the obligations
of neither oath or bond. The interests endangered
are immense 50 much 50 that the law requires
bond Of fifty thousand 'S5O,o0OJ dollars from each
Register 1 recommend the consolidation Of the
several Offices into one and the concentration Of all
the records in the Capitol If the fees Of the office
should still be deemed insufficient, as they probably
will be the Office may be consolidated with that o.
Secretary OF State in which event The salary Of that
officer would have Co be increased or clerk furnish
ed MIN
Among Lhy archiye5 OF the State captured II
Georgia, | found the receipt Of Brown Bros & &C.
Bankers of New York, showing that, IN November
1861, G.. W. Burton deposited f0rty-ync thousand
$4,000 dollars in State Bonds 10 be forwarded o.
Brown, Shipley & Co. Bankers in Liverpool In
February following Burton assigned these bonds On
the Governor, Comptroller and Treasurer Of Ten
nessee. l wrote % this Liverpool house in july
making enquirics as 20 the state Of these funds
They replied that the funds were in their hands brt