The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-07-29
TEN YEARS OF ALABAMA
No. s-Administra of Governor Patton
1865-1874

We left the house organized under the new constitution, R. B. Cooper of Lauder dale speaker, and the personnel of the body exceptionally fortunate in expecta- ton of disturbing future events
 Speaker Cooper was a member of the last Confederate Congress to which he was elected under peculiar circumstances. Williamson R. w Cobb had been from lS49 until the secession of the state, the invincible representative in the Congress of the United States from the Huntsville district No one knew why, except that he was hail fellow well met with the crowd. The enemy's entry and late occu- pancy of his district and the general con viction of his constituency that the Con federate cause was on the wane let him into a questionable relation to his right to his office. He was expelled and Coop CT chosen to the place.
 Coming now to the senate, the person. mel of that body was in nothing below the standard of the house. Robert B. Lind say of Lsuderdale, William Garrett of Coosa, Francis W. Sykes of Lawrence. Barnes of Chambers. Moren of Bibb. Fel- de of Montgomery and their peers were
 with seats. The senate chose Walter q flw of Butler. from the district composed Of that county and Lowndes,
 Micah Tau of Talladega was made secretar wand of him more awaits
 -.,e sec. e,dtN and of him more awaits interesting events
 The two houses met, counted the votes and inaugurated Robert M. Patton gov
 ernor on December 13. The governor is-
 sued his inaugural address. It was timely occasion he seemed to believe to rap the secessionists of 1S61 @IIe had been wiser, he had foreseen and forewarned; Alabama was 'in quiet and order, with out the slightest molestation." he said.
 when war was precipitated. Having no faith, nevertheless. he took the losing eide. The result. as he anticipated, was | sacrifice of enormous proportions: mar ket values to the extent of $500 900, 600 and some 40.000 precious lives, the flower Of the people, forever gone!
 It is truly an inspiration to look over the proceedings of this legislature. how calmly it sought to rebuild the down. cast. One of the immediate complications of the situation was In the relation of trustees and guardians of estates of minors and widows. An act was passed to allow fiduciary agents to hire labor to keep up cotton plantations hitherto dependent on slave lahor. Another act provided that where Confederate notes and securities had been received in good faith by those agents they should not be held respon- sible for the subsequent decadence of the medium. In the war time, while the enemy possessed large areas, still the young people would marry, under the best forms available. An act now lagalized those marriages. vagrant law was passed. modelled on the Massachusetts law but excusable in Alabama solely be- cause of the abnormal conditions of so- ciety, the direct result of the Freedman's Bureau and the post garrisons and the
 interference of both. The vagrant con- templated was the plantation negro. Un- der this act the county commissioners might purchase land to any necessary acreage. a plantation If desired. and oper- ate it in the business of agricultural pro- duction there to employ vagrants. The discipine commonly found in the peni tentiary was that expected for the farm. Vagrants were committed to the farm by justices of the peace. The one prescribed fine was $50 and costs, to be worked out by the prisoner.
 servant or a laborer not quite indus trious became liable to vagrancy. This law really was dernier resort in state of facts very frankly reported to the President by General Grant who had per sonally inspected conditions Just before the legislature met. Of the Freedman's Bureau and its practical effect the general nf the army reported: Its affairs have not been conducted with good judgment or economy and the belief is widely spread among the freedmen of the south ern states that the lands of their former owners will. al least in part. be divided among them. This belief has come from the aeerts of this bureau. It Is seriously interfering with the willingness of the freedmen to make contracts for the com ing year"
 .ba ha of the enemy had prostrated the whole neonle. An act exempted 800 acres farm land and other property useful to Its cul- tiva tion
 An act allowed the governor to borrow s20o,0 900 on the credit of the state. Another allowed the county commissioners to hire teams to deliver supplies to the ind- gent.
 Notwithstanding the serious want of currency, the leeislature was petitioned from all parts of the state to incorpor- ate a great variety of enterprises: to in- corporate the Mobile and Western Rail road company and the Commercial Saw ings company. the Eutaw Savings com nanv. the Southern Commercial company. Scores Of insurance companies. manufa, turing companies, etc.. etc. The spirit of 1a people was not dead.
 Of far-reaching importance was the crop lien law, the invention of a pros porous merchant of Marshall county. He advised the legislature to enact the "crop lien' right, statute by which the pros pective crop of the farmer might be mort gagged as q basis of loan to him of money or supplies 10 produce and harvest his crops. This law had a tremendous effect. It tended to check emigration 70 Texas from the hill counties and in the black belt 1t enabled planters to hoil bor upon their large acreage. a result not otherwise possible, perhaps. Beyond doubt this statute was a decisive resist