Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-05
TO SECURE STATISTICS
Of Building and Loan Associations
of Allegheny County.
SPECIAL AGENT W.B.PALMER HERE
He Reviews the History of Mining Troubles
in Tennessee. 80.
PROGRESS OF THE LOCAL STRIKES

Walter B. Palmer, special agent of the
United States Department of Labor at
Washington, registered at the Central Hotel
yesterday. He is here for the purpose of
gathering information on the number and
plans of all the building and loan associa-
tions in Allegheny county. This informa-
tion is wanted for the compiling of the
regular semi-annual issue of the official re-
ports.
Twice year the department issues an ex-
tensive volume on some subject involving
labor questions. The subject is changed
with each issue, and the next one to be
dealt with to the extent of 1000 or 1, 600
pages in book form will be that of the
building and loan associations throughout
the country.
The department, Mr. Palmer says, recog-
nizes the extreme value of such a publica-
tion at the present time. The building and
loan association is becoming more Of pop
ular institution daily and with the medium
and working class is to large extent taking
the place of banks.
| One Hundred and Sixteen Questions.
The work of securing all needed informa-
tion is in the hands of half dozen special
agents, under the immediate direction of
Carroll D. Wright, the eminent statistician.
The amount of labor in compiling such
work is very great Every detail, big and
little, is looked into in connection
with the working of each asso-
citation, Its branches, shareholders,
| borrowers, manner of organization
md of %tn i6nGf fhn
swering of 1l6 questions on every point per-
| tanning to the subject asked in voluminous
| schedule in book form. The work will be
| very useful to everybody connected with
building and loan association, and it will
| therefore be of necessity exact and simple
| in every particular.
! philadelphia" says Mr.. Palmer, "has
more associations OF this character than any
other city in the Union. 1t was there that
| the first of such organizations was started.
As a consequence statistics prove that more
| workingmen own their own homes in the
United States. People have been largely
| under the influence of such institutions
| there for the past 40 years"
MI. Palmer is a native of Nashville, Tenn.
| Until very recently he held various
| positions on the Nashville Herald and was
| special correspondent for that journal on
| several occasions to the scene Of the late
mine troubles.
CauSeS OIL Ine 1cnneeSe0 lroupleB.
He gives an outline of the causes which
| led to the first disturbances, and an interest
| ing review of the history OF convict leasing
| in Tennessee. He says:
1.-THE Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railway
Company is a corporation with a settled
capital of $l5,0o0,0O0 T. C. Platt of
New York, is its president. About 20 years
ago the system OF leasing conVicts was first
established. The term OF each lease was for
-, 1,er oil rnd Tha
Coal and Iron corporation had been leasing
1.50O convicts for a considerable period for
the above term, and paying to the State
$l0l. 900 per year, besides providing food and
clothes for the men. The system was
adopted by the Legislature in order to save
the State the enormous expense OF keeping
those convicts are colored men who were
| convicted of every crime to be found in the
| calender. The leasing system was always
popular until quite rec recently naI;,.,
| clared in State convention resolutions
against the continuance of convict leasing.
Notwithstanding the fight made, the Legis-
lature in its following term granted the
Coal, Iron and Railway Company another
lease. In this instance the corporation sub
leased quite large portion of the conviots
to minor opera tors in coal and other pro-
pucts. The frs. trouble began at Brfce-
Vile about five miles from Coal Creek and
40 miles from Knoxville. This occurred last
summer and was caused by the fact that
convict labor had until then been unknown
to the inhabitants OF those parts
A Severe Blow to Convict Labor
"Many of the latter owned their own homes
here, and they raised rebellion against any
Wholesale distribution of murderers, thieves
and every other class of criminals among
themselves and their families. The result
was that civil law was not sufficient to deal
with the emergency and convict labor got
its first severe blow. The people formed
A.
carried out their threat to relea Sc the con-
victs. Over 500 of them escaped and fed
over the mountains. II took considerable
time to capture them, and when the State
Government did exhaust its resources in
that direction one-third of the prisoners
could not be found.
"At Tracy City, where the Tennessee Coal,
Iron and Railway Company have their
offices, trouble had never heretofore arisen.
The late serious outbreak could have easily
been prevented ii Governor Buchanan had
taken action when the corporation asked
for State projection SIX days before the first
of the riots occurred. Instead of ordering
out the troops in time he merely sent
several tclegrahns to the miners at various
locations that Al would be well and to re-
frain from violence. Being an independent
candidate for Governor he die his best not
TO offend the miners in any way.
cat the sent time all classes of citizens
of the State, Including the principal prop
erty owners and business element recognize
this as the LAST term Of the lease. While 1t
does exist they want to see 1t carried out to
the letter, as fhe Coal and Iron Company are
saving the state considerable expense in tie
way of taxation.
working With the Legislature.
''The preseHt Legislature does not seem to
be in position to deal with the question at all.
This fact was evidenc ced by their work when
Governor Buchanan called an extra session
after the troubles last year. The company
holding the lease have many times lately
expressed their willingness to abrogate it on
reasonable terms, but the Legislature have
declined to do SO. The new Legislature
which will sit next January is expected to
take prompt measures for the abrogation of
the convict contract, as the question of
prison labor will have much influence in the
coming elections in Tennessee.
There are two plans proposed for the
future maintenance of the State prisoners.
One is to build prison big enough to hold
all convicts, and to build factories within
the walls sufficiently diversified to employ
ALL at the same time not interfering with
free labor in any industry. Another plan
which finds much favor in the State is the
purchase by the Government of coal lands
to be operated by the convicts. The coal to
be mined, it is suggested. could be used in
all State institutions and the surplus sold at
not less than market prices. The free
miners would not object to this plan If the
State officials would open mines only where
free labor is not operating at present or
where honest wOrkmen and tn cir families