The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1876-09-20

expense TOT the past Two years anu
that of any period in ten years, is a
very marked one. In 1866 the State
paid $155, 191 in 1867 it paid $144,-
885, thene year. 1868. it was $780,
433 !; for 1869. $76.794; for the year
1870, $72,209. From October. 1870,
to October, 1871, the State paid.
SAG, 033, that was. for expenses of
one of three sessions. in two years,
of the Legislature in which Mr..
Thomas served as a Senator, against
$48,794 for the two years of the
present Administration.
The expenses of the State Gov
eminent are less than they have been
in ten years, and have been steadily
decreasing since the Democratic par
ty was placed in control of it. l
speak from table that / have taken
from the records in the office of the
Comptroller of the Treasury, TO
which I now invite your attention.
TThe Governor here read a tabu-S
lated statement. proving the above.
assertions. to be true.
In the column of expenses of the
present Administration there are
special appropriations for insane
asylums in East and West Tennes-
see, and for the permanent improve
ment of the School for the Blind,
amounting to $50, 982.64, which will
not again appear as charge on the
Treasury.
THE PENITENTIARY LEASE.
1 have been criticised for refusing,
as one of the Commissioners, to
make lease of the Penitentiary in
accordance with the act of the Legis-
lature approved March %. 1875;
have no apology to offer for my ac-
ton. The act gave the Commits
sioners this discretion, to lease, if
the highest bid offered was ''satis-
factory to the Governor and Inspec-
tors" There was no satisfactory
bid made. No bidder, in my judg-
ment, offered money enough for the
labor of the@convicts. I believed
then that the net profits to the les
sees were very large. am moac sat-
isfed that paying the rental to the
State and all other expenses, that
the present lessees have realized as
much as 100000 dollars from
their lease. When the present lease
was executed some such action SEEM
ed unavoidable. The state was pay
ing large sums for the support of the
prison and any measure that would
make it self-snstaining was desira-
Bile. The experiment has been made
fully and fairly, and I am satisfied
that the system ought not to be con-
tinued, and that the present system
of employing convict labor should
be abandoned. / have observed it
closely for two years and am salts.
fed that it is wrong. / believe that
the labor of the convicts can be sue
cessfully employed so as to avoid
the present general competition with
mechanics and farmers. The State
should defer to the sentiments of a
large class OF her best citizens who
feel degraded at this universal CON-
petition of convict labor. It is the
cause of constant and increasing ir-
ritation. and l will leave no effort
untried to remove it.
THE ALIEN LAW.
The last Legislature passed an act
on the 18th of March, 1875, to en-
able aliens to acquire. hold and dis
pose of property. real and personal.
Since its passage company from
England with whose operations am
familiar, has purchased in the coun-
ty of Marion, over one hundred
thousand acres Of land, for which,
and for the improvements made, the
company had expended in cash up
to the last of July, 1882, 49, It has
in it employ three hundred men, and
is paying out an average of 100000
q month. The passage of this bill
alone backed by the Agricultural
Bureau, has attracted more capital
from abroad than all the legislation
for twenty years past.
THE BUREAU OF AGRICULTURE AND
MINES.
The creation of this Bureau has
been productive of great results to
the State. Through the influence of
the publications of its able Superin-
tendent. within two years past, more
than one million of dollars have been
invested in the mineral lands OF the
State, by parties who propose to set
tie their acres with an Intelligent
population from all the old States
of America and Europe-intelligent
artisans and laborers who will util-
ize the hidden wealth of our noun
tains. Our resources have been adj
vertised all over this continent, and
in many parts OF the old world. Any
man who has been looking for q /
farm, for a water-power. for a mine
of coal, iron or copper. has had his
demand for Information supplied |
from this Bureau, and l state it as
a fact, the climate. soil and produc-
tions of the State of Tennessee have
been more generally and intelligent
ly advertised than those of all of the
States of the South combined.
IMMIGRATION,
In my message to the last Legis-
lature, urged the adoption of poi |
icy that would show to the honest
immigrant that Tennessee would
welcome him without regard to his
nationality. religion or politics. and
/ rejoice to know that many have
come to US, and that the recent large I
purchases Of mineral lands 10 the I
mountain region secures to the State
an increase of many thousands of
intelligent and industrious people to
our population.
THE STATE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.
I need not announce to you that l
approve it. and it's endorsement OF
Tilden and Hendricks; = they are /
81 MGR, Of rraat nnriLu- nnnnasfinnahla