The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-12-27

4 F ALABAMA'S state house is again re-
moved 1t will not be the first time such
a thing has been done.
The seat of government before its per-
manent locatlon>at Montgomery, was locat-
ed at st. Stephens first and then Huntsville,
Cahaba and Montgomery respectively.
According to the history of the state
house compiled by the late James B. Simp-
son. there was quite a contest for the re-
moval of the capitol after 1t was destroyed
by fire on the 14th day of November, 1s4s.
1t took sixteen ballots to decide the ques-
ton, Montgomery securing 6S votes on the
last ballot.
Mr.. Simpson gives the following interest
ing recital of the location of the capitol
when Alabama was made territory:
prior to 1893, the territory now en-
braced in the states of Alabama and Mis-
sisslppi lying north Of the Florida posses
sions. formed part of Georgia. This ter
rttory was ceded by Georgia to the United
States, and in 1888 1t was formed into the
territory of Mississippi. the first governor
Of which was Winthrop Sergeant. whose
term was from 1873 to IDOL
In 1877, by act of congress, Mississippi
territory was divided, and that portion now
embraced In the state of Alabama was or
ganiEed into Alabama territory, and In
March OF that year, William Wyatt Bib,
of Georgia, was appointed governor of the
newly created territory.
1.-THE capitol, or seat of government, was
fixed by the act creating the territory at
st. Stephens, Washington county. The act
further provided that the territorial COVER
nor shall call session OF the Legislature
which should be composed OF the members
of the territorial legislature OF the territory
of Mississippi resident in that portion erect
ed into the territory OF Alabama
This body assembled at the territorial
seat of government January 18th. 1913, when
1t was found there were thirteen members
of the house of representatives, residents of
Alabama territory, and but ono member OF
the council or senate. This solitary sena-
tor was James Titus, VINO proceeded at
once to organize his branch OF the general
assembly, and for the session he held
forth, gravely passing upon the acts of the
coordinate branch. Madison county had
the distinction of furnishing this lone sem
ator. The second session of the territorial
legislature was held at st. Stephens in No
vember. 1913. At this session a commission
was appointed to Suiact location for a
permanent seat of government for the ter
ritory. When the legislature adjourned, 1t
was to meet in Huntsville, which was
named as the temporary seat of govern
ment, until suitable public buildings could
be provided at the point which might be
selected for the permanent capitol.
1.-THE st. Stephens, which was the seat of
government OF the territory of Alabama,
has disappeared from the map. The present
county seat of Washington county bears
the name of the territorial capital. and is
near the site of old st. Stephens, but 1t is
not the same place.
I'm February 1907. Aaron Burr. then a
fugitive, charged with high treason, was
arraatad ST GtanheOs To W. iad
to that place to prison and from there set
out on his Journey to the court before
which he was tried on the charge of trea-
son. There Is newspaper story going the
rounds that Aaron Burr cursed st. Stephens
as he left it, and that the blight of his
curse hung over the place until 1t passed
into oblivion.
Before the time fixed for the assembling
of the next session of the territorial legis-
lature, congress took a hand In Alabama
affairs, and on March 2, 1919, passed an act
admitting the territory into the union of
states. This act provided for an election,
to be held In May of that year, for dele
gates to a convention to frame a constitu-
ton for the new state The act provided
that this constitutional convention should
meet in the city of Huntsville on the first
Monday in July, 1873. The body, which was
composed of forty-four delegates. remained
in session about one month and adopted
a constitution, which was satisfactory to
the general government 1t provided for
an election of state officers and for men,
bers of the general assembly Of the state,
which election was held, and the first SEES
sion of the state legislature met In Hunts
vile on October %, 1919. William Wyatt
Bib. who was the territorial governor of
Alabama, was elected as the first governor
of the state, and was duly inaugurated in
the city of Huntsville on the 9th of Novem-
Der, 1919
The second session of the general assem-
bly, of Alabama convened at Cahaba- The
general government set aside 1620 acres of
land at the confluence of the Alabama and
Cahaba rivers, site for the seat of
government of the state. Governor Bibb
sold lots in the new city to the amount of
S123 1885, One-fourth of this amount was
paid in cash and at once devoted to the
erection of public buildings. Mr.. Simpson
writes as follows of the capitol at Tasca-
loosa and it's removal to Montgomery:
For six years the scat of government
remained in Cahaba. Tuscaloosa. beau-
tiful and fiourishing city on the Black War
rior river coveted the honor of being the
state capital, and the legislature in 1926
voted to move the seat of government to
that point. After the removal to Tusca-
loosa the capital was fixed in that city by
constitutional provision locating 1t there,
but it was a prize that every ambitious
town in the state wanted, and the question
of removal was being constantly agitated
At the session of the legislature of 1s44-5
that body passed an act submitting to the
people propositions for two amendments to
the state constitution. The first was to
substitute biennial for annual sessions of
tho general assembly. and the other was
for the removal of the seat of government
from Tuscaloosa to such point as the 1egis-
lature might select
"At the election in the fall of 1915 the peo-
pie voted on these propositions and they
were carried. The total popular vote for
removal of the seat of government from
Tuscaloosa was &c, 79S, and the vote against
removal was q 800
1.-THE passage of this act and its approval
by the governor opened the active cam
paign for the selection of the future seat
of the state government. The first step,
in compliance with the provisions of this
act. was the selection of a location. and
on the 2Sth of January, 1916, the senate and