The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1891-09-04
TIE LEGISLATURE.
The Convict Lease System and
the Threatening Miners.
Danger Ahead.


EDIToRs BULLETN-The menu
bers of the legislature are all here,
and have exchanged views in re-
gard to important questions upon
which they will have to decide with
in the next twenty days. thought
1t might be of interest to your read
ers 10 know something of the prob
abilities as we'll as the facts as they
have come to us since our arrival
here. The convict lease and the
BricevilIe affair are exciting more
interest than any other subjects.
The striking miners at Brceville
have here delegation to wait upon
the legislature and urge their claims
upon that body, while their friends
at the mines are awaiting the result
with eagerness, yet with confidence.
They say that this truce or armis-
tice under which they are resting,
shall extend only until the Oath
inst, and if the legislature does
not comply with their demands by
that date that they will then turn
loose the convicts and again defy
the state authorities. They boldly
assert their ability to successfully
resist the state MALTA, and some
hot-headed ones even say that the
United States army itself cannot
quell them. Their delegates here
constantly remind the members
that if the lease is not abrogated that
the state will find it necessary to
keep a standing army.
When the miners struck they
were receiving from $3.50 to $500
per day, which is more than any
farm laborer in the state is getting,
and more than bank clerks get In
this city. Only small per centage
of the strikers are native Tennessee
ans, certainly not more than twenty
per cent, and many of them can
not. even speak the English langu-
age. Twenty-Five per cent. are
not naturalized citizens of the
United States. Strong suspicion
here rests upon Commissioner Ford
and his assistant, Alleman, thai
when they were sent by the Gov
ernor to the scene of the trouble t.
quiet things. that they made SYM
pathetic and infammatory speeches
to the miners and other wise -insti-
gated riot. There will be all inves-
tlgation of their conduct and if the
charges are proven on them, they
will be rnpeached and dismissed
from Office.
The members of the Legislature
seem to appreciate fully the gravity
of the situation, and l am surpris-
ed to find so great a unanimity
upon the main points of the ques-
tion among the democratic mem.
bers. They all admit that they
cannot, under the constitution OF
Tennessee and of the United States,
abrogate the contract with the les
sees, which has yet several years to
run, and if any change is to be made
in our penal system it must not be
done precipitately and at the behest
of a mob, but If it is thought proper
to make change at all, to appoint
commission, who shall invests
gate the most approved methods in
the world and report to the next
General Assembly, and the people
shall have expressed themselves In
the mean time at ar election. They
admit that they must clothe the
Governor with adequate power to
suppress riots, and, if necessary,
Anderson County will be declared
In slate of instruction and placed
under martial law. Our militia
laws will be SO amended as to be
made efficient, and if necessary,
arrangements will be made for the
transportation of troops and supplies.
We only hope the rioters will see
that resistance will be Intellectual,
and while all would gladly avert or
avoid il, they see no way to do 50.
without having the state humiliat-
ed and a precedent esta blished that
would be ruinous.
There will be a new revenue bill
presented, embracing the main feat
ures of the one, the defeat of which
at the last sasslon was ascribed to