, 1891-09-23
coNWcTs IN TENNESSEE.


Caused the Recent Serious Troubles
Our recollection of the history of leas.
ing convict labor in Tennessee since
the Wal is only a matter of memory
we have no records or documents to re.
fer to.
The initial move, as we remember,
was during Governor Brownlow's ad-
ministration. The machinery and tools
in the "pen" at Nashville were rented to
General Zeb Ward, of Kentucky, and
the necessary number of prisoners to
operate the tools and machines in the
shops. The contract was a losing one
for the state, though the prisoners were
worked in competition with free labor.
After the election of Governor Brown
low to the United States senate, In 1859,
he was succeeded by Speaker of the State
Senate D. ". @. Senter as acting gov
ernor. Along in the latter year, or in
1870, Governor Senter leased to Colonel
A. s. Colyar a corps of convicts to be
worked in the coal mine at Tracy City,
Of which Colyar was then manager. We
have no information at hand to show
how long Colyar worked this lot of con-
victs in his coal mine, but he did work
them for some time. There were, as we
remember, just 100 of them, and the
contract was to the effect that the gov
ernor should keep that number good In
case it should be reduced by death, acct
dents, escapes, etc.
In 1870 Brown and Wisener, being, re-
~spectively, the Democratic and Repub-
hcan candidates for governor, each
pledged himself to make the ~convicts
pay their way" to relieve the state of
the burden of prison support out of the
revenues; the plan of each was to lease
them wholesale to the highest RESPONSE
BILE bidder. There was absolutely no
effective opposition to this plan In either
party. Leading men of both parties IA
yored 1t and urged it with all their
might. 1t was universally popular. In
1872 Brown was up for reelection and
Freeman was his Republican opponent,
and the lease plan of disposing of the
prison population was still popular with
both parties; each Wed with the other in
promises to retrench expenditures, and
this was one Of the chief methods pro-
posed for saving revenue.
No man in the state then foresaw the
evil consequences to flow from the con-
vict policy proposed; il any did, he kept
his forecast carefully to himself. The
lease regime, as a matter of historical
fact, had been in full operation several
years before there was anything like
formidable opposition to it developed,
and when the opposition first showed
strength it was rather political than on
grounds of humanity, or because of the
infringed rights of free labor the plan
brought about.
The state has now had the convict
lease plan in either partial or full work
ing order about twenty-five years. For
eighteen years or more the whole convict
population has been thus managed.
The sentiment favorable to a change
never took on much force until 1888,
after the settlement of the state debt was
assured on terms very favorable to the
people.
For the last eight years every legisla-
ture has been besieged to begin the work
of reform. Two classes of citizens have
Joined in the protests against longer con-
tinuance of the lease than was absolute
ly necessary in view of existing contracts
with the lessee company. These classes
were made up of humanitarians, re-
gardless Of party leanings, and the Ia
boring element, which has keenly felt
the degradation and disadvantage the
lease policy put upon it.
The politicians Of both parties, who
are now SO loudly denouncing the lease for
party effect, have, as to the great major
ity, never touched the evil with one of
their little fingers, when they could have
been of some help to the cause. They do
now mean to do anything; their pur-
poses and aims are simply to catch votes.
If they were in the legislature they
would manage to dodge the issue upon
one pretext or another and let things
"rock along" hoping something else
might turn up to provide them means
for again fooling the laborers and hui
and reformers of Tennessee.
From what foregoes it will be per-
ceived that this convict system of ours
was born Of poverty and necessity; that
is an old barnacle on the hull of our
OF state; that it has SO completely
superseded all other plans as to leave
the state utterly without means to pro-
vide for and work the convicts if they
were thrown on its hands is well known
to every intelligent citizen.-Chattanoo-
ga Times.