The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-30

chosen as the capital by the legislature of 1926. But in the legislature Of lS4o an amendment was offered to repeal that clause of the constitution establishing the permanent seat of government in order that the state capital might be moves from Tuscaloosa. In the legislature Of 1s45 another important amendment to the constitution was offered which proposed to change the state elections from an nual to biennial. The latter amendment met with popular favor. Both these amendments had been discussed at sev- eral sesisons of the state legislature ana both were passed in 1S45. At the August election, held in this year, these anieiio- ments were submitted to the people for ra adifcation and both received a majority vote.
 Fight over Location.
 After the adoption of the removal amendment the next step was the location of the capital. In the fight which fol- lowed Tuscaloosa was in the thickest of
 the fray. Her opponents were Montgom- cry. Wetumpka, Mobile, Marion, Selma and Huntsville. From the start It was evident that Montgomery and Wetumpka
 were the strongest of them all, and Mont gomery won on the sixteenth palot, tie
 final ballot being taken on January zo'
 1S46. The actual removal did not take |
 the year 1S47, when the state records were removed to the new capital building, which
 had been erected in Montgomery.
 During the closing years that the seat
 of government was at Tuscaloosa the leading question in the minds of the citl-
 zens of Alabama was, what 10 uo wl'n the state banks? When Joshua l.. Mar
 tain was inaugurated as governor or the
 state in the year 1S45 over six millions or dollars of bad debts were due the state
 banks. Governor Martain recommended that a commissioner be placed in charge of each branch, with view Of collect ing as many of these debts as posslpie' The legislature, carrying out the govern or's recommendation, chose as connms- sioners Francis F. Lyon, Benjamin Fltz- patrick and William Cooper MT. F1tz-
 patrick declined the honor and Clement c. Clay was appointed in his stead The A Affairs of the state banks, however, were not adjusted and the system abolished until the year 1S47, after Montgomery be- came the capital.
 Abolition Party.
 Other important questions, with which the people of Alabama had to deal, dur Ing these last years that Tuscaloosa was
 the capital. were those of slavery and the
 war with Mexico. About this time the
 "Abolition party came into existance and
 secession was already talked of in the south The Mexican war begun In 1S46 and many Alabamians took leading part
 in the fight against Mexico and won many brilliant honors upon the field of battle.
 But in the year 1S4s the question that worried Tuscaloosas citizens most was. how to repair their loss of the state capital. Now the annual metings-of the legislature, with their throng and show and glitter and wealth and crowds, were a thing of the past As result many hotels and other places were compelled to close their doors. Money was not so plentiful as before. It was evident that life in Tuscaloosa had been too fast, but at the time 1t was not realized All agreed that something must be done to repair the loss. But what was that some thing to be? It was evident that agri- culture alone would not suffice and Ala bama's great iron and coal fields were as yet undeveloped
 Keeps University.
 But Tuscaloosa retained the state uni versity, which had already grown to be