The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-12-21
following resolution:

| Tor,
/ "Be 1t resolved, That special committee
| be appointed with instructions to proceed
at once to take the necessary steps to have
| said sale set aside and to refund to the said
| sloss-Sheffield company the money paid by
| them as purchase money for the lands in
| question, and that the said committee be
empowered to take any legal steps which
| may be necessary in order to carry out
the purposes of this resolution.
Hubert T. Davis, of Gadsden offered the
4 TO wing substitute:
| whereas it has been and Is asserted that
] the sale of certain lands of the State Uni
| versity by the board of trustees on the 22d
day OF September, 1899, is Illegal and void
able, therefore,
| "Be 1t resolved, That the board of trus-
tees do hereby confirm and ratify said sale
as executed by the governor to the Sloss-
] Sheffield company"
| Dr. Smith Explains
! Colonel Sanford requested DR.. Eugene A.
Smith to answer certain questions, and in
! doing so he said the lands sold to the Sloss-
| Sheffield company contained the Pratt seam
and were the most valuable in the state.
They were workable without being Joined
| with any others.
| Land Commissioner Fits said he had re-
| qucsted Assistant Geologist McCauley to
| give him information respecting certain
| lands. President Powers returned from
! Montgomery on the night of September 70
| and handed him a slip of paper with these
| figures on 1t. He remarked that there was
| to be a meeting of the trustees on the night
of September %, and the governor wanted
information as to the value of the lands
indicated.
DIR. Smith, continuing, said the lands sold
to tho Sloss-Sheffield company were well
bodied and not badly scattered, as had been
asserted. He said they were better for
leasing than any of the other thirty thous-
and acres, in fact. they - the only lands
belonging to the university that are avail
able for leasing.
Land Commissioner Fitts-"When your
attention is called to it don't you make one
exception? The lands south of the divide
and along the line of the Mobile and ONO
railroad in Bib county,"
Dr. Sntth-"There are some small tracts
in Bibb county that are available for lease
but the best of these are already leased,
little over six hundred acres to Aldricn ana
about five hundred to Baird
familiar Win = raer sal
Hr. Smith, in answer to questions SAD
ne was VITA the University when she $1,000
acres were sold in 1885 ITO 1892.
They were sod te,ause the University
was in need of new buildings.
He sad these lands compared favoraoly
Win t1osa sold to .iae Sloss-sneff.e,d COM
pany.
President Pro TEN. Stanzel called Colonel
Russell TO the chair and stated that IN the
light of the evidence he thought captain
Webb should be excused from voting on
tire question of tle land sale, and moved
q reconsideration of tle vote earlier in the
session by which the board refused to ex-
cuse Captain Webb. The vote was recon-
sidered and Captain Webb was excused.
Captain Webb thereupon made a state
ment with reference to DeBardeleben's et-
forts to lease University lands. He said
the governor had no right TO stop the lease,
and If he could have leased TIE land in
smaller tracts he would have done so, re-
CARELESS OF the governor.
uIe had never said he favored the sale,
and no one was authorized to make such
q statement I,
Mr.. Davis addressed the board. He be-
gan by saying he wanted TIE imputation
contained in the alumni committee report
that Governor Johnston had misrepresented
facts When he stated that previous sales
of University lands had averaged about $40
per acre withdrawn.
He said Governor Johnston stated to the
board at the September meeting that lands
had sold at about $40 ner acre and uiat
Land Commissioner Fits affirmed this and
that Mr. Fits recommended the sale.
Eitts be, ed ~tss.,in.nt
Mr. Fits jumped to his feet and said he
never made any suGl recommended ton. He
said Governor Johnston stated that pre-
vious sales had been at about $40 per acre
and turned to him to know if that was not
| correct. Mr.. Fits said he replied that he
| thought that was about right.
Mr.. Davis then attacked the financial
| condition of II. f. DeBarde,eben saying
| 1t was shown at the alumni meeting that
| DeBardeleben would not be able TO live up
| to contracts calling fer financial backing.
! He called on Captain Webb to substantiate
| this. Captain Webb said Mr.. DeBar5eie-
| ben had been in bad financial condition,
| hut that he nnIprc TODD h,id MAJ "a
a large sum of money. Asked If, knowing
| DeBardeleben's condition, he would have
! executed the lease, Captain Webb said with
| the backing DeBardeleben had then ne
| would have made the lease.
Mr.. Davis then took up the question of
| prices paid for lands near the university
| lands and wound up with an appeal to con-
| firm the sale
Judge Richardson advocated the adop-
| ton of the Pratt resolution, saying the
! action of the board at the September meet
| ing was illegal and no more binding on the
| university than If five men had met in
Madison county and voted to sell the
| lands.
The governor nor any one else, he said
| had the right to grant options on university
| lands. IRA tify this SADIE and you ratfy any
| thing that come along" said Judge Rich
| ardsom.
Continuing, he said the action at the Sep
| TENDER meeting was injudicious, unwise,
| Sanford & inst sale
| Colonel Sanford argued that the land
| sale was invalid, because the meeting of
| the board was illegally called, and what
ever was done at that meeting was illegal
| If the information now before the board
| had been presented at the September meet
| ing he never would have consented to the
sale
From the report at hand here" said
| Colonel Sanford. at is seen the lands sold
| by the university at $3.50 per acre were
| put into the Sloss-Sheffield company at $40
| per acre, the promoters getting the differ
| ence. He argued against ratification of
| the SALE
Colonel Stansel said he would have voted
against the sale had the same information
been at hand then that is before the board
at this meeting. He was misinformed.
- He was taught to believe that the lands
| lay in a shape to render them impractical
/ BILE of leasing. He did not know any eff
| forts had been made to lease the lands.
n