The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1893-09-27
GIBS0N'S LEASE RECORD ALL RIGHT
MARYVILLE TIMES:

GIBS0N'S LEASE RECORD ALL RIGHT. |
MARYvILLE TIMES:
Your edito-
rial in reference to my position on
the penitentiary lease question,
prompts me to, write you on the
subject. The charge made against
me in the Knoxville Republican
that voted for the penitent larry
lease is false in spirit and in fact.
l was member of the Senate in
1871, when the first lease of the
penitentiary was made to Thos. l..
O'Conner; and was one of the SEN
ators who voted against the lease.
(Sce Senate Journal for 1871, page
223.) l was in the Legislature again
in 1875, and was one of several
members engaged in devising
plan to keep the penitentiary con-
victs confined within the walls at
Nashville. In purverance of this
purpose, we introduced and had
passed, 1st Il law establishing
county work houses; 2nd law
making the stealing of goods worth
less than $50 petit larceny; and
3rd, law requiring persons con-
victed of petit larceny to be confin-
ed in the county work house in
stead of in the penitentiary.
Under the operation of these laws
the number of penitentiary con
victs would have been reduced to
less than 500. (Sec penitentiary Re-
port on Dec. 9th 1919 The 4th law
passed was one providing for the
re. lease of the State penitentiary
for five years from Dec. LIST 1876.
For this law 1 voted; and 1 will
now show why. In the first place
this law did not provide that the
convicts should be worked out side
Of the walls, unless the penitentiary
was burned; in the second place,
the general law provided that the
convicts should be worked within
the walls of the prison except
when otherwise directed by the
Legislature (Code, section 6iO4;)
in the third place, inasmuch as
the Work-house and larceny laws
above referred to would reduce the
number of convicts to less than 500
there would be no surplus crnvicts
to work in coal mines; andj in the
fifth place there were no convicts
then in our East Tennessee mines
and there was then no cutlery
against leasing the penitentiary.
The passage of this law to "rc-
lease" the penitentiary was vio-
lently opposed by the lessees and
such was their hostility to it that
they would not release it, but pre-
ferred to wait for better law, that
is, q law better for the lessees. Ac-
cordingly, the next Legislature, of
which l was not member repeal
ed the larceny laws above referred
to, and passed new law for the
lease of the penitentiary. Under
this new law the lessees were
"permitted to work the convicts at
any place in the State" These
new laws suited the lessees exactly
and under them the lease was
made. (See message of Gov. Por-
ter to the Legislature of 1879
1t will thus be seen list that l did
not vote for the present lease of the
penitentiary; Ind that l never
voted for any lease that ever was
made; and 3rd that the law l did
vote for would have kept the con-
victs out of our coal mines, and
was intended to have that effect
and did have that effect until il
was repealed. There were no con-
victs in our East Tennessee coal
mines until long after my term as
Legislator expired.
In conclusion / will add that the
above facts werea fully set forth
two years ago in the Knoxville
Journal and Knoxville Sentinel
and are well known to the public
and especially to the miners and
laboring,, men of the State. take
pleasure in saying that my record
in reference to the penitentiary
lease is entirely satisfactory to the
miners and laborers of East Ten
nessee. The Knights of Labor at
Jellico presented me, some eight
years ago, a gold headed cane in
token of their good will; and the
Central Labor Union of East Ten.
nessee selected me as one of a com.
mittee to act in behalf of the mi
ners, in July 1891. in conference
with the Governor. l have always
been true and consistent friend
of free labor, and am eternally and
forever opposed to bringing con
I .;ok pat;t;no with onr m;