The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-13

some men stand forth as peaks above the table-land of ordinary humanity.
 And the names, the lives of Alabama'S coterie of forensic fighters. men who challenged a national interest and who commanded a national respect are closely associated with the memory of the dead town on the Alabama River.
 Cahaba sprang into life in single day There were no preliminary stages to It's growth. It was born great.
 Before house was built or street lalo out the spot had been selected as ste for the seat. of government.
 The first and second sessions of the Ter ritorfal Leg stature, it will be recalled were held at St. Stephens, wisely deemed by the legislato as unh ted for the State capitol From the territorial Legislature at St. Stephens a committee was appoint ed February 13, 1S1S to select a suitable site for the permanent seat Of govern ment The committee was composed or Clement C. Clay. Samuel Dale, James Titus, William L. Adams and samuei Taylor. The committee in Its report notified the Legislature that 1t had select ed as the site for the State capitol the level fertile plain at the confluence or the Cahaba aad the Alabama Rivers. The report of the committee was adopted November 2l 1S1s At the same time S@' 900 was appropriated for the erection or public buildings.
 The action of the committee and its endorsement by the Legislature confirms ths opinion that our fathers were but human in wisdom and liable to errors or judgment even as are their sons. After due deliberation the committee had select ed and the Legislature had affirmed It's action a capitol site subject to repeated overfows
 COUNTY OF CAHABA.
 The Territorial Legislature at the same session created the county of Cahaba out of the Counties of Hale Bibb and Chiffon. l The name of the county was later chang ed to Blob.
 The same Legislature provided that the temporary seat of government should be Iestablished at Huntsville. while the prairie wilderness was being transformed Into the capital of the young and promisins State. Huntsville. held the honor of being the seat of government for one year. The State officials. with the State archives. remained there throughout the year 1873 | The Legislative session of that year, the first State Legislature, was held at Hunts vile and there met the convention which framed Alabama's first constitution, the constitution of 1S1s This Constitutional Convention confirm ed the action or tne LeSisIatuIe III oci0SI. ing Cahaba as the State capitol. but, with | commendable wisdom. the makers of the new constitution tied a string to the selection. The constitution provided that Cahaba should be given a trial as the capital for five years. at the end Of which time the State capital might be removed | if conditions were not satisfactory.
 This saving clause was put in section Sa cF article of the Constitution of 1s19 Its wisdom was proven by the readiness with which the Legislature five years later availed itself of it's privilege of mak- ing a change in the seat of government. The public land on which Cahaba was located was sold at public outcry. the funds going to swell the small sum se' aside for public buildings. There was a sensational demand for these lots, an unprecedented demand for that time Perhaps this avidlty to purchase building lots has never been equaled in Alabama A contemporary newspaper declares that at that sale unimproved buildings lots sold as high as $5,Oe5. The total proceeds