Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1872-09-25


Messrs. O'Connor & Looney, at $4,000 per
annumv' Here was an advanced bid. |
Other advanced bids were spoken of. |
Nashville and the House were excited over |
the matter. There was a chance of defeat |
ing the lease. The Governor comes to the |
rescue of his favorites with a message, say |
ing, 'I heartily approve the contract. |
The Inspectors consulted me about the |
contract and N advised it. l hope
you may Sanction the action of |
the inspectors" This argument in
| favor of the lease was not sent to the |
Senate. The Governor had not thought it |
necessary there. But now the lease had |
| become known, and the House was not |
| disposed to ratify it, especially when one
| of its own members presents an advanced
bid of ten thousand dollars. So the Gov
ernor comes forward in defense of the lease
| and informs "the members from the coun-
| try" that "John G. Brown, Governor,
| heartily approves the contract This was
enough. Mr.. Spears "motion to postpone
action" received only nineteen votes, nine
of which were Republican votes. The
| lease was then and there ratified, sixteen
votes in the negative, eight of which were
Republican and the resolution at once re-
turned to the Senate.
| 1t will thus be seen that the lease was
put through both Houses in three days
and that to do this the rules of both Houses
were suspended, a motion to postpone ac-
ton was voted down in both Houses, and
the usual time to reconsider denied, where
as if this matter had taken the regular
course eight days would have been the very
shortest time, four days in each House.
1.-THE foregoing proof is taken from the
Journals of the two Houses, and those
Journals think will be believed as soon
as John e. Browns word. At least / will
risk it.
/ To show that ten thousand dollars more
was offered than O'Conner d Looney gave,
| refer not only to the foregoing statement,
but also to the Journal of the House, page
25S and 263. One of the very grounds Of
the protest of Spears ct al, was that "New =
som, Horton q Co. offered $40, 900 per an
mum for the institution; whereas the lease
ratified only secures $4,000 per annum to
the State" Now when next the Governor
, "rises to eXplainn will he be so kind as to
tell the people: 1st Why, though no
: notice was given Of the lease, yet Thos.
Z O'Conner who lives at Knoxville, and r.
q +. Looney who lives at Memphis, two
? men from the two extremes of the State
! knew the Penitentiary was to be leased +!
: and I'd. Why the bid of Newsom, Horton
< & Co. was not accepted, they bidding $40,
> 600 more?
3 I'd. As to Mr.. O'Connor's note aud it,
4 statements.
n The first statement is "NIr. Gibson saiC
o to me that he believed the lease of the
f penitentiary was the very best thing fol
: the State.n
: did say So and still say so but, mari
o you, did not say this particular lease t
a | o. Conner and LoOney was "the very bes
. it be John G. Brown, can see the differ
q ence. If l favored this particular lease
: why was l one of three Senators who voteC
q against it? The following extract from
J. the Senate Journal, page 2lS, will sheW
my position.
n MINORITY REPORT.
4 "Mr. SPEAKER:
If The undersigned, n minority of the Com
O mittee on the Pententiary, begs leave tC
q report as follows:
" "lst. He recommends that the peni.
+ tentiary be leased.
r. "2d. He recommends that the lease o
y O'Conner and Looney be ratified, with tht
q modification below, if no higher bid car
% be obtained within twenty days.
" "3d. He recommends that the lease be sC
If modified rs to prohibit the employment o
q convict labor in any coal or other mine.
q HENRY r. GIBSON
> So you see that while believed in leas-
o ing the Penitentiary, desired that it be
l. leased to the highest bidder. What com
e not that the Penitentiary was leased, bu
O that it was not leased to the highest bid
der, and that the public had no notice o
:. the intention to lease.
V The second statement OF MI O'COnner
II which includes the balance of his note
Is does me injustice not Intentionally hope
IS l can easily see how anxious Mr.. O'Con'
s nor feels to get the Governor out of the
,, mire. With him "ingratitude is treasOnu
: And / can readily understand why the
Governor cries out to OConnor, "HelI
It me, Cassius, or / sink ~ And what is
d more to the point, the public will easily
!. see and readily understand this partner
e ship.
i l know Mr.. O'Connor lobbyed a great
4 deal with me to persuade me to vote fol
n the lease and it is probable that / uttered
!. some phrases which he fondly hoped
= meant what he writes. l did say to him
= to rid myself of his importantly, that
C would make no speech against the lease. !
!, also said that some of my constituents
:. were miners. But here and now most
$ positively deny that / ever favored the res
!. Olution ratifying the lease; and L point ia
: my vote and my minority report in con-
e firmation of what l say. And what is
5 more advised the Republican members in
: the House TO vote against the lease. / al
Y ways thought that where a man voted
S against thing it was satisfactory proof
e that he was not in favor of it. i hope Mr..
e O'Connor will not set to work to show
D that the messages of the Governor urging
e the lease are all pure forgeries, and that
e the protest of Spears, ct al, is not on the
S House Journal, and that the intention to
e lease was duly advertised in the papers,
= and that Newsom, Horton d Co., did not
: bid 1000, and that the Governor knew