The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-11-10
re Tennessee Trouble.

Gov. Buchanan says that the convicts
that were released at the BriceVille and
other mines will be sent back They will
be strongly guarded, aud IL necessary the
militia will be called into service 70 enforce
the VIII Of the state.
/ This decision Of the governor means that
there will be trouble in the mining regions
/ Of Tennessee, and very serious trouble. The
free miners are in an ugly mood. aud they
have shown clearly that il is their
| intention to prevent the employment OF
| convict labor in the mines.
/ The militia will lot accompany the con-
/ victs on their return 20 the mines A strong
civil guard will be provided, which the
lessees will have to pay. If the military or
CARNATIONS were called out the state would
have 70 bear the expense Of maintaining
them.
This effort to save the state from any ex-
Pense may prove to be q costly one. II the
free miners are as much in earnest as they
are reported to be they will not hesitate to
| release the convicts again. and they will
not have much troublein doing 30 IL the
convicts are guarded by civilians only.
The civilian guards would not make much
| ola stand against large force OF armed
! mountaineers.
To rebuild the burned stockades, to get
| possession OF the released convicts, and to
| pay the claims of the lessees will cost the
state pretty large sum. 1t would seem,
therefore. as if the governor would not take
the chances OF having the convicss released
again, but woul1 have the militia guard
them until some understanding with the
free miners was reached.
But if the free miners carry out their
purpose of preventing the convicts from
working in the mines any more it is safe TO
predict troublous times IN the 1si4ng dis
tricts. The two or three thodsand free
miners, all hardy mountaiueers who are
skillful with the rife. and who know the
mountains as a city man knows the streets
Of his city, are more thap match for three
times that number of militia Having
made raid on q stockade they could
quickly disappear and ii would be next to
impossible to find them in the mountains.
If the miners are in earnest the state has
entered upon a contest that will cost many
thousands of dollars, and it may be that
lives will be sacrificed. But the trouble
having assumed the phase it has the state
cannot with honor adopt course
other than that which It is pursuing.
A failure to send the convicts back would
be an admission that the state has not the
power to do so-that two or three thousand
free miners are strong enough to break the
laws of the state with impunity and defy
the state authorities Such an exhibition
OF successful lawlsssness would have a de-
plorable effect.
The people will place much OF the blame
for the trouble upon the legislature. That
body when called together to consider the
demands Of the free miners ought either to
have arranged for settlement of the de-
mands or provided ample means for the en-
forcing of the laws. What it did do
amounted to very little. The truth is, 1t
did not appreciate the gravity of the situa-
ton, or, if it did, it was anxious to shift the
responsibility it should have assumed to
| other shoulders.