Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-09-18
$l,7W.O00
Net increase on prop.

Net increase on prop
erty ..........$1, lbs, 900
Privileges, etc. ....... 6OU,OOO
Increased tax on It'll
CATION. ...,...... To,OuU
S1,700,OO0
THE PENITENTIARY.
Soon after / assumed the Executive
Office, the question of leasing the State
Prison was discussed. and after an inter-
view with the Inspectors, it was determined
to lease the institution for term of years.
l was very anxious that their policy should
be adopted. The prison had never been
self-sustainiDg, except perhaps, for one or
two years, since it was founded in 1928.
There was large debt against II, within a
few months of maturity, for which Treasury
warrants we're hyTot ~ ted, AMI there
were no means to meet it. The Stale
Treasury was borrowing money to meet
current expenses, and | could see no way
to avoid disaster and loss, short Of lease Of
the prison. After several propositions were
registered, the best one being SIC, OoU per
annum, a proposition from Loouey q
OConor Of $4,000 per annum for five
years was accepted, and closed by the In
spectors, subject to ratification By the
Executive and Legislature departments.
The contract was carefully prepared By the
Attorney General of the State, and all the
details were arranged under his advice. l
approved the lease and submitted il to thu
General Assembly then in session, when it
was ratified. In addition to paying 900
per annum as rental, the lessees agreed to
pay $1,000 that had previously been paid
by the State to the inspectors; and besides,
to pay all the prison expenses. They pur-
chased all the stock and material on hand,
psyirg cash therefor, and thus enabled the
State TO extinguish the prison debt by nay
ing ont ofthe l. easury, only $4,000. The
lease, therefore, has given entire satisfac
ton. Tne prison is to-day in better con-
dition than it ever was The humane ad-
ministration of discipline challenges the
admiration Of every one who investigates
it. The prisoners are better clothed and
fed than they have ever been, and as con-
sequence they labor NOR more faithfully,
have less sickness and are less disposed TO
escape. But the Convention that nomi-
mated my competitor were pleased to pro-
nounee by solemn resolution against the
lease. 1The Governor then read q resOlu-
ton introduced by Mr.. Wisener, the chli
man of the committee, condemning the
lease made by the present State govern
ment, inasmuch as it had previously yield
ed 500, 1000 profits
The Joint Committee of bosh houses OF
the General Assembly, charged with the
duty of examining the report referred to,
did their duty and submitted their report to
the General Assembly In March, 1872.
That reDort shows most conclusively that
the State lost S36,011.9S per annum, inste ad
of making $50, 600 as claimed. The CON-
mityee was composed of the best men OF
both houses, and no objection was ever
made, either by the Inspectors, or by any
member OF either house to the correctness
of the report. That report shows the
further startling fact that the prison from
1868 to 1871 cost the State Treasury STA, !
900 per annum.
Now take five years under the lease:
Saved to the Treasury per annum, STA, 0OO
Scared by lease. ............... $4,000
Saved per annum. ........... Sl41,OJu
Which amounts in five years to S135, OOO.
Further comment Is unne cessary. My
competitor voted against the lease, but did
not sign the protest, nor oppose it beyond
his vote.
Gov. Brown dwelt st considerable length
on the management OF the psnitentlary,
and said that after the institution had been
under the guidance of such men SIS Cannon,
Polk, Jones, Campbell, A. Y. Brown and
others it was not expected that he would
be able to make an improvement on what
such men bad done, but at the
outset, he took hold Of the conc5r m
and was determined to investigate its work
ing, and if possible to make it selfsustain-
ing. He therefore upon examination was
greatly in favor Of the lease. Gov. Brown
here referred to recent speech made by
Henry B. Gi son at Knoxville, IN which
that gentleman had condemned the lease
and assailed him. Gov. Blown here pro-
nounced the charges he had made false In
every particular. Gov. Brown then read
the following letter which he had received
on the day previous, touching the position
of Mr.. Gibson on the penitentiary leass'
The letter is as follows:
NASHVILLE, Sept. 16-Hon. John Z.
Brown: Yours of this date has just been re-
ceived and contents noted. will say in
reply that the Hon. Mr.. Gibson said to me
that he believed that the lease Of the peni-
Tertiary was the very best thing for the
State, and that if it required his vote
TO pass the bill be would
vote for il, but inasmuch as he believed The
bill would certainly pass on its own merits,
he would simply vote against it, but would
make no speech or do anything against IT.
He gave as his reason that 1t would effect
him locally as he had some constituents that
were miners. Yours, respectfully,
THos O'CoNNoR.
This man, said Gov. Brown, who for
mally, declared that the lease was the best
thing for the state, now had the effrontery
to charge me and members of the Lagisla-
ture with secretly sacrificing the best III
terests of the State. As far as he was Goa
cerned, be branded the charge as an unquai-
flied, unmitigsted falsehood. he would Tell
it everywhere, and he hoped the gentleman
would hear him tell it. Eminent lawyers
who had examined the lease, said that for
such an instrument it was the pest drawn
and best guarded that they hal ever SEEM
EDUCATION AND COMMON SCHOOLS.
did not feel willing at the last General
Assembly to recommend the levying Of a
school tax to sustain common schools. MOI
am now prepared to do so. A tax of lass
than 25 or 80 cents would be wholly made
Quate to the wants of the country.
The present system, so far as tested, Il
entirely satisfactory. Ii a county is willing
to tax herself for common schools, let ,iel
do 30. If not, let her enjoy her own pleas
ure. But l do not believe the present sys-
tenn perfect one by any means. There
should be a bureau of education establish
ed, with Superintendent of Education
whose duty it shall be to collect and
compile statistics on this subject, and de-
vote his time to stimulating and instructing
the people in 7ery portion of the State in
the Importance Of this subject. Tennes-
see although the ninth State in population,
and no. far behind any in wealth, is second
in ignorance. She has within fraction OF
100000 children between the ages of 10
and Il, who can neither read nor write.
These are startling facts, and must have
some solution. The bright-eyed boy, who
happens 10 be the child of poverty ought
to be educated. Should his aspirations be
stifed because his father and mother were
poor? Should his ambition be quenched
because the fell hand Of disease deprives
him of the protecting arm of parent?
And should his genius be bridled because
his father fills soldiers grave?
Very many of these ignorant children are
the orphans of dead soldiers, and are now
the wards Of the State. They ought to be
educated. 1t is not only duty, but it is