The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-10-23
NEW ATHLETIC BUILDING. GOVERNOR JELKS TALKS OF STATES. BONDED DEBT
Replies to Statements of Carter Cook and ays That Stae Debt Was Increased by Republicans to $30000000.
 Has Been Reduced by Democrats 10 S90OOO00

Governor William Dorsey Jelks arrived in Birmingham last night from Mont gomery and is at the Metropolitan hotel. He is accompanied by E. Kirk Jackson his secretary.
 The governor was asked if he had read the recent address of Chairman J. Carter Cook of the republican state campaign committee, and what he had to say in re- gard to it. In reply Governor Jelks said:
 "Yes, I have read the address and have noted what he had to say about the state debt and the liability there for.
 Governor Parsons was provisional gov- ernor of Alabama. He served for a few months, until December 20, 1865. Governor Patton was then elected governor under the constitution adopted in 1S65 His term of office should have begun on Decem- Der IS of that year, but Parsons refused to give up the executive office until De- cember 20. He held on. under advice from Washington. until that time Patton served until July, 1868. The legislature of 1867 authorized the states credit 10 railroad companies, under certain condi- tions. Afterwards the republican legis- lature amended those conditions and 1t was under the amended legislation that the state endorsed the railroad bonds When the war closed the debt of the state of Alabama accumulated through fifty years of statehood, was $S,445,O0O The Patton legislature authorized the issuance of s1,5OO,OOO of bonds and again s.r All 9 Ivy s1, 900 were issued.
 To Pay Interest.
 This amount of money was used to pay the interest on the state debt, a large part of which was held in New York, none of which had been paid since the beginning of the war. A part of this state debt, amounting to $l,336OOo, was held in London. The state of Alabama was so mindful of it's credit that it sent gold, during the war, through the block ade to London to pay the interest on the bonds there, and so only owed, when the war closed, the interest for one year, due January 1, 1865. The remainder of the S1,- 3S00OO was used in paying up some float ing obligations of the state and meeting the expenses of the state government It happened that when Patton went out of office in July, 1S6S the entire state debt was $4, ,725, ,0OO. When Lewis went out of of flee in 1874 this debt had increased to $30,- Os7 .OOo. A large part of it was the obliga- tion which the state had incurred by en- dorsing the railroad bonds.
 "A commission, under Houston, appoint ! ti,o of Ca nj f- justing and liquidating all claims against the state." found that the states indebt- edness on account of the security for railroad bonds amounted, on January 24, 1876, to $14641 ,00O, and the whole debt of the state, straight and contingent, was then $3e,037, ,562 From July, 1868, to Mo- vember, 1874, the republicans had undis- puted possession of the state government with the exception of the two years when Lindsay was governor. During that time, however, the legislature was unfriendly to him and his party. The real governor of the state during Lindsay's administra- tion might be regarded perhaps as the commander of the military department in which Alabama was embraced.
 Heavy Increase of Debt.
 Tt will be seen that during these six and one-quarter years, the debt of the state has risen to 3O,O37. 56S, or an in- crease of s25,S12. 46S; an increase which amounted to an addition to the states burden of $4.Oo0O0o each year. equal to about two times the annual receipts of the state treasury up to three or four years ago. The interest on this $30,O00. 900 was something over s2,ooo,oOO or a sum of money equal to the entire receipts of the state treasury up to three or four years ago. The assessment of property in this state when Lewis went out of office was slso,0OOOO0 and was so re- turned. On this the state tax rate alone in crder simply and merely to pay the interest on the bonded bedt. would have been fixed at about $1.5O on the hundred dollars, to say nothing of the additional tax that must have been levied to carry on the various departments of the state government.
 "These figures of the states indebt-