The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-01-15

u | greSs, ETC., OF the building, moneys expende
: ETC., are herewith submitted to which yo
e careful attention and consid Grafton are respeC
T | fully invited.
Y We have been less fortunate in making loo
e ton in West Tennessee. Three sites were Sc
orally and successfully reported for my approvs
h | and all of them were personally examined
$ me, accompanied by Drs. Calender, Cheatha
e | and Jones, whose inspections were careful al
D | thorough.
The Site near Humboldt was recommended
two of the Board-the third member filing d
t tailed objections. Upon examination it was r
Jected, for the reasons set forth in the report
my advisers.
Under date of June 8, 1874, another report W.
filed in this office, in which one member of th
Board recommended a tract of land neg
Brownsville; another reported it as the next be.
| location to Humboldt, and the third dissente
| from both of his associates, and filed his obieC
| tons.
On the 23d day of June, 1874, this place wa
| examined by the same gentlemen who had yisite
| humboldt with me. 1t was believed that til
| site, il supplemented by the Curry homestead
lying in front Of it, and if the water supply, O.
being tested, was adequate, met all the essentia
requirements of the law. An engineer was dis
patched to test the capacity of the springs an,
| reported favorably. The Commissioners direct
| ed the deraignment of the titles to the lands
| and steps were taken to secure the titles to tn
| Curry land.
| Before final report was made of this site
| John A Gardner rendered his resignation. II
| +. Cunmins Of Henry cOu rty, was commissioned
| in his stead, but resigned before any action wa
reported, and William Conner, of Lauderdale
| = az tCA val 10
| Geo W. Day resigned, and Robert L. Chester Of
| Madison, was appointed to fill that vacancy
| Without any farther report on the Brownsville
| site after that of 18th August, 1874, the Com,
| missioners, I'm 'er date OF Nov. II, 1874, recon.
| mended the Webb place, on the NJ ssssppi anC
| Tennessee Railroad, four and a half miles south
| OF Memphis, as a suitable location. This, upon
examination, reiectedby me, in a cOmmuni.
| cation to the Board, of date Dec. ., 1874, ac-
| comparatively the opinion Ofthe experts. NoOther
| recommendation has been made.
| The papers relating to the attempt to locate
| the West Tennessee Insane Asylum, now very
vcluminOus, are herewith submitted.
You thus perceive that no location has been
made, and the entire question is RENTED to you
| for such action as your wisdom may suggest.
| EDUCATION AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
| The report of the able and efficient State Su-
! perintendent of Public Instruction is herewith
transmitted. 1t elaborate and complete in
| itself as TO require no comment or recommended
ton from me. ] commend his suggestions to
your careful consideration. The maintenance
of well devised system of public education by
the State III its social, political and economical
effects upon society and the country at large,
has been so often and elabOl ately presented to
legislative bodies and to the people, that it
WOuli be deemed obtruSive further to refer to
it. l beg only to express the hope that you may,
in your wisdom, make the system even more eff
tectve than it is.
tie East Tennessee University herewith
transmitted for your consideration 1t has been
my pleasure to visit this Institution several times
during the past two years, and cordially add
my testimony to the wisdom displayed in It's
management, and the unmistakable evidence of
thorough and complete instruction impaired to
the pupils.
BUREAU OF AGRICULTURE.
This most valuable adjunct to the industrial
interests of the State, through its President,
Gen. w. H. jackson. fled report in this office,
accompanied with the compilation known as
THE Resources of Tennessee, by j. b. Kill
brew, the very able and efficient Secretary,
which is proving to be the most valuable publ
cation ever made for the State This Bureau,
hitherto successful, should be fOstered, and
ample means placed at its command TO present
the attractions OF Ienne see to the world in true,
but just, terms. Many other States, with far
less to commend them 10 the honest labOrer, or
the enterprising capitaii-t ,aTe multi plying popu-
latiOn and wealth, through the instrum2ntalltleS
we have, singulary enough, overlooked, until the
creation OF this Bureau. This Inauguration of
good work should be followed up by cooperative
inStrumentalii ties, calculated to utilize and make
more practically efficient the unexpected results
already accomplished by the lab0rs OF this Board.
What was intended as a mere experiment 10y the
act OF December II, Is l, which created the
Bureau OF Agriculture, has so far tianScended
the most singuine expectations OF those of us
who favored it, as to encourage such enlarge
ment of the agencies as will readily suggest
themselves tn the friends of agriculture, mining,
commerce. immigratiOn-indeed, all develop
ment OF the industries and advanc, III Mt OF the
material prosperity of the State. l. is suggested
that room be provided in the Capitol, where,
under The care t this Bureau, may be collected
aud preserved, speCim MS Of the minerals, tim
Der, etc., of the State. The apartments thus
dedicated p 0uld be occupied by such stationary
officials as may be employed by the Bureau.
BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION.
The report of this Bureau is submitted for your
consideration, and for such action as the impor-
lance Of the su jtct demands. 1t reached me at
such late hour that have not had time or op-
Iortunity TO examine it thoroughly.
RIVER IMPROVEMENTS.
Commissioners were appointed, as directed by
resolution OF the session OF 1873, to meet others
from PENNSYLVANIA, Ohio, West Virginia, Ken
lucky. Tenn zssee, Indiana and Illinois, 10 CON
slider measures looking 10 the impr0vem OF
the Ohio river and its tributaries, and to mono
Tfa!iLc COngre56 upon the necessity of aiding in
the opening OF these natural avenues 10 unOb-
struCted trade and commerce. The commission
ers met, Tenncsse being partially represented,
and prepared a memorial, and resolved that the
members of the commission should present II,
aud aid its passage with their personal presence
at the National Capitol Nothing has yet been
ACCOMPLISHED. No appropriation was made to
meet the expenses Of the commissioners. Very
little can be done in the future, unless provision
is made for this purpose. suggest that the i'm
portauce Of this subject cannot be Oyerestlmated.
The Improvement OF the Mississippi, Tennessee
and Cumberland rivers, most vitality ahtctS tile
nrosDeritv of Tennessee. Within the last DIT cade
large sums from The public treasury have been
ex pended upon works of iuteuu"l improvement,
i'll the STA - nor il end west OF us. The only
equivalent we can ask Or cxsect. is a just pro-
portion to he adpHed 10 the same objects within
our borders. Our Senators should he Instructed,
and our Representatives. requested, 10 secure ap-
these streams Cooperating commissions organ
lied by the States respectively interested IN these
works, could combine large and potential intiu-
ences, looking to the accomplishment OF TINS de-
siTable object.
COTTON TAX.
beg to renew the information and recon-
mendatiOHs :, Dtaiued in my message to the 18th
General Assembly
Tine 3!th General Assembly adopted series
of resolutions instructing our Senators; and re-
VuCsCiug our Representatives i'll Congress, TO IN
tCOduce and support such measures, during their
next session, as would cause to be refunded,
without delay, to the people OF the cotton;gro"-
i,,.rA he fay
cotton tor the years 1865, 1866 and 1851. A bill
for that purpose has passed two readings i'll the
House OF Representatives and is now before the
Committee on Ways and Means. The second
section OF the bill provides, among other things,
That the Secretary OF the Treasury of the
United States, when said bonds shall have been
authenticated as aforesaid, shall be authorized,
and he is hereby required and directed to turn
over and deliver to the several Governors, or au-
thOTiZCd agents of the several States and Terri
tories herein mentioned, bonds equaling in
amount the amounts chained by the United
States from tax on cotton IN the several States,
to be heldby said States TO be re-
funded and distributed to the parties gdo Gctu-
ally paid said tar either in fun or in part, pro
rata a. circumstances may require, or other
wise to be disposed of as the the several Begis-
ldtures may direct by law, if it shall be found
impTaCtiCable to refund or distribute said sever
al amounts as aforesaid, among the parties who
actually paid said tax, with authOrty 10 the Sec
rotary OF the Treasury to use currency to pay
fractions of hundred dollars in all settle
ments with said States p"
1t is well knoan that the farmer seldom paid
the tax directly to the Government agent He
generally sold his crop to the cotton buyers, at
the market price less the cotton tag, the cotton
buyer retaining the amount OF the cotton tax
out CT the market value OF the cotton, to pay to
the revenue officers.
Then, who lost the amount of tax? Certainly
the uroduCcr-the farmer. And it was upon
him, and not upon the factor, or buyer, that the
tax operated as a burden.
You will doubtless concur with me, tn en, that
the tax should be refunded to the producers.
therefore recommend that you instruct
Senators and request our Representatives in
Congress TO procure, if possible, such an amend
ment to the bill as will secure the refunding of
the tax to TIE producer, at least so far Ten
nessee is concerned. That will remove all doubt
as to the construction Of the language actually
paid, )" and place the rights of the producer be-
You'd hazard.
| suggest that you further instruct your Sena-
tors and request your Representatives, if it is
found impossible to secure the repayment of
this unjust iniquitOus, odIous and uncOnstitu-
tionaI Cotton Tax. to producers that it be paid
to the States respectively whose labOrers paid
the tax to be held as a school fund, applied
to the extinguiShment of the debts.
THE BANK OF TENNESSEE.
The committee appointed by the Ihirty-eighth
General Assembly to examine into and report
the condition of this institution, and the ac-
counts of the Trustee, have filed their report in
this Office, which is herewith transmitted for
YOUR information. The evidence taken by the
committee together with voIuminous state
ments are lodged in this department and sub
ieCt to control.
The account ordered with the Trustee by the
Chancery Court at Nashville is nearly COM
pleted And it is hoped that during the spring
term of that court this trust may be closed,
especiallv if the questions now before the SUI
preme Court of the State finally settled at
the present term. Until this is done no legisla-