The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-08-04
TEN YEARS OF ALABAMA
 1865-1874
No. 12-Administration of Governor Patton
1865-1874

1 of Congress with leave to report at any time by bill or otherwise; and until such report shall have been made and finally acted on by Congress no member shall be received into either house from the | so-called Confederate States; and all | rqpers relating to the representation of said States shall be referred to the saic Committee without debate"
 | The joint resolution passed Immediately, 1a3 to s6.
 in the Senate the democrats fought it only to effect q brief delay.
 The membership as between the politi- cal rarties, was 12 republicans to three democrats two democrats from the House and one from the Senate. Thadeus SteFehs of the House was made chair- man.
 I he rec construction committee entered upon it's duties with remorseless vigor The committee selected its witnesses and excluded all proffers of evidence not so- licited by it. Five witnesses were ss- | lected from Alabama, all pronounced onporerts of the policy Of President Johnson in restoring the state; all in l laNor ot excluding me state as then or Sanl2ed from the union The elect wit | ncsSeS were William II. Smith of Ran | dolph county; there were no whigs of | aeeouht In that county. Smith was the . NtN'At'NithN II rom lS1D to lSDD l In the Legislature In 1861 he aspired to become deputy in the provisional con sfess of the Confederacy and needed but four more votes to succeed. In 1862. when the conscript law began to operate, Gov ernor Shorter tried 10 arrest him. To
 avoid this action he rode over the line into the camp of the invading enemy and
 remained there until the end. To his
 activity as recruiting officer was due
 the large number of recruits the enenny got from north Alabama In 1868 the
 fragment of Congress lesislated him into the office of governor of Alabama.
 January 26, 1866, the legislature, ther
 in session at Montgomery, and the entire lpolitical government, state and county lin full flow of authority MT Smith tool,
 the witness stand before the reconstruc- tion committee in it's chambers at Wash ington under oath
 | Question: What is your opinion of the
 condition of public sentiment in Alabama
 in reference to the union and the national government, Is it favorable or unfavor- able?' .c
 Answer: q think 1t Is very unfavorab,e especially among those who were original
 secessionists and many of those who es- poused the rebel cause afterwards. A great many who went into the rebellion have the same hatred of the government
 as ever and manifest it in every possible
 way"
 Parsons had appointed him circuit judge | but he served a very brief time When | the new state constitution went into CT | feet he resigned The reason assigned ] for the step was the rebel lawyers If | the bar would persist in lugging in some | allusicn to the rebellion and glorying in | it" Besides, the legislature had put into
 his circuit solicitor "who had been d very violent rebel" Smith told the com
 mittee that Senator Parsons then wait ] ing at the door, had gone over to the 1 rebels"
 The second witness in order was Colonai George F. Spencer of Ohio, holding a cler- ical position in Busteeds court Spencer was chief of staff to Gen. Judson Kirk patrick. who commanded the cavalry of sherman fin the march through Georgia and the Carolinas- He was captured m the famous Fayetteville road fight of March 10. 1865, but escaped In 1868 his testimony fructihed in an election to the iSerate from Alaba ma, followed bv an other election to the office in 1872. all