The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-11-04
Tennessee's Convict Trouhle.

The miners in the mining districts Of
Tennessee are settling the convict labor
question in that state in very summary
way and they are doing it without obtaining
permission from the state authorities Thus
far they have liberated nearly 500 convicts
and their intention seems 10 be to continue
their work until all the convicts in the
mining districts are released.
The legislature refused to do anything
toward settling the troublesome question
that had grown out Of the employment of
convcts in the coal mines of the state
although it was convened in extra session
for that purpose. 1t seemed to be incapable
Of graphing with the question successfully,
and so it did nothing virtually beyond
authorizing the governor to call out the
militia to check any attempt the miners
might make to release the convicts, and to
increase the penalties for releasing or at
tempting to release coDvicts.
The miners have shown their contempt
| for the militia and the penalties By de-
stroying tho stockades in which the con-
victs were confined end furnishing the con-
vlcts with citizers' clothes in which TO
/ manu- tAANAA NoIahcs luGH udN6 uOu6 more
! than that They ha' taken recaptured
| convicts from the officers and tn ned them
loose again, And what has the state done to
| check the violence of the miners or restrain
their lawlessness2 1t has done nothing
! The governor, it is true, has offered rewards
for the arrest of those VINO destroyed the
stockades and released the convicts, but the
miners apparently do not fear arrest. Who
is there who can identify any one of theml
And if there is any one who can do so, is
| the reward sufficient to tempt him to take
the risk
Nearly all the miners who participated in
| releasing the convicts were masked. aud 1t
would be difficult matter to identify, be-
I yond doubt, those who were not. The
| people in the vicinity of the mines are in
| sympathy with the miners, and the proba.
/ bility is that no arrests will be made.
But does not Tennessee present to the
world a rather shameful spectacle! A great
state virtually admits that it cannot sue
cessfully guard its convicted criminal:
I against a few hundred men. The militia
was not even called into service. The gov
! ernor, it is reported, said that the civil au
thorities were capable OF preventing th,
release of the convicts. He does not appear
to have taken the precaution to inform him
self Of the strength or intention Of the
miners. He let matters take their course
and hundreds of desperate convicts are row
wandering about the country near where
they were recently confined.
1t must have cost the state hundreds oil
thousands of dollars to arrest and convic
the criminals who have been released, ant
the most OF them doubtless will continu,
their criminal course. The jails will bt
filed with teen and they will become
burden upon the taxpayers.
The lessees had a right to expect that tn
convicts would be protected against mol
violence. Their leases were worth a grea
deal 10 them and they will undoubtedly
claim from the state large damages.
This Tennessee affair is much more seri-
GUS than it appears to be at first thought
The elections have drawn attention AVA
from it. but it is certain to receive mos
careful consideration in all the states il
which convicts are leased. What has beef
done by free laborers in Tennessee is prett-
certain to be done sooner or later in tn
other states in which ike conditions exist
Both the legislature and the governor o
Tennessee are likely to be severely criticiset
for what has occurred. At this distance i
looks as If the legislature was weak aad tina
the governor was not equal TO the demand
| Of his position.