Petroleum

Reconstruction and Politics.

Af ter the occupation of the State by the Federal armies in 1862, Andrew Johnson was ap pointed military governor by the President (confirmed March 3, 1862), and held the office until he was inaugurated vice president on March 4, 1865. Republican electors attempted to cast the vote of the State in 1864, but were not recognized by Congress.

Tennessee was the first of the Confederate States to be re admitted to the Union (July 24, 1866), after ratifying the Con stitution of the United States with amendments, declaring the ordinance of secession void, voting to abolish slavery, and de claring the war debt void. Tennessee freed her own slaves by an amendment to the State Constitution ratified by a vote of the people on Feb. 22, 1865, but suffrage was not conferred upon the negro until two years later (Feb. 25, 1867). The State escaped "carpet bag" government, but the native whites in control, under the leadership of William G. Brownlow, exhibited almost every phase of the reconstruction policy. All persons who had either directly or indirectly taken part in the war against the Union or had given aid to the Confederacy were denied the right of suf frage. In the election of 1869, the acting governor, D. W. C.

Senter, ordered the election commissioners to issue to all actual citizens of the State permits to vote. The Democrats united with the Conservative Republicans and Senter was easily elected. At the same time a Democratic and Conservative legislature was elected, thus placing the State Government again in the control of officers elected by the majority of the people. The Ku K'.ux Klan, originating in 1865 as a youthful prank at Pulaski, Tenn., spread over the State and the entire South, and in 1869 nine counties in the middle and western section were placed under martial law because of the Klan's activities against the Loyal League and the negroes. A constitutional convention, which met in Jan., 1870, revised the old Constitution, and the re vision became the present Constitution when ratified by the people the following May. In 1873 a school law was which provided for State and county superintendents and separate schools for white and coloured children and levied a State tax to aid in paying the expenses of these schools. Another progressive step was the final compounding of the old State debt at 5o cents on the dollar by an act of the legislature in 1883. With the ex

ception of the administration of Alvin Hawkins, 1881-83, the Democratic Party controlled the executive office from 1871 to 1911 and again 1915-21 and 1923– . In 1920, for the first time since 1868, the State gave its electoral votes to the Republican party but Franklin Roosevelt won Tennessee back to the Demo cratic fold in 1932 by a vote of 259,817 to 126,806 for Hoover.

Twentieth Century Reforms.

In 1904 the Adams law, pro hibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors in towns of 5,000 inhabi tants or less, was passed, largely through the efforts of the Anti Saloon League; an act prohibiting the manufacture of intoxi cating liquor in the State became effective on Jan. 1, 1910; in Oct. 1913 Governor Hooper called a special session of the legis lature and secured the passage of the so-called Nuisance Act, designed to close every saloon in the State by enforcing the law forbidding the sale of intoxicating liquor within four miles of any school; in 1915 provision was made for removal from office of State, county or city officials who failed to enforce the prohibition laws; and on Feb. 2, 1917, Governor Rye signed a bill forbidding the importation of liquor. Tennessee nevertheless turned against prohibition and voted for repeal in 1933. In 1915 a law had passed! providing for mothers' pensions. In 1917 the letting of prison labour to private contractors was prohibited, and an act was passed forbidding the limiting of the output of coal in order to increase the price. In the same year a State budget commission was created. On Aug. 18, 1920, the house, by 5o to 46, voted for concurrence in the senate resolution (adopted on Aug. 13, by 5 to 4) ratifying the proposed amendment to the Federal Con stitution, providing for woman suffrage. As the 36th State (out of the 48 in the American Union) to ratify, Tennessee brought the number to the requisite three-fourths. Many progressive school laws were passed in the years between 1913 and 1925, when the revised school code was adopted. Additional revenue was made accessible for all branches of education, better super vision was provided and ages for compulsory attendance were extended. The developments of the early thirties are closely asso ciated with Federal activities along the Tennessee River (q.v.).