The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-25

The legislature OF 1874-75 sat and
deliberated while the troops ordered
to the state by President Grant to car
ry the late election were still In camp
at various points from Huntsville to
Mobile. The liability to dissolution
of the Houston administration by in
reference of the government at Wash
ington was as imminent as 1t had been
before the act in 1857, when the Patton
administration was ousted, or in 1872
when President Grant compelled the
organization of Legislature by
methods unknown to the laws for the
purpose of securing the ascendancy of
his party in the state government.
In our last number we enumerated
certain acts of the first session of this
legislature which stand as memorials
of the dauntless courage with which II
proceeded, from the start to place the
state government on footing of In
telligence and virtue worthy of its
ancient history of the noble people
who had rescued it so recently from the
grovelling attitude of the conquest. We
saw that the democratic majority in
the HTSI StbSloi otltttcu i'o NON'S~ %@~S
only between the bayonets of the army
but in bold defiance Of the most formal
and eager petition of the republican
minority to President Grant to restore
rule over the state.
Among the things done at this first
session already recounted In this col
umn was the ousting of the three ne
groes from Barbour county from their
seats In the house and the seating In
their stead of three white men-W. An
drews. j. e. Crews and j. S. Espy. No
contest for seats was allowed. The ne
groes received certificates of election
from the out going radical secretary OF
state Rice The secretary justified his
action in the fact of riot on the streets
of F,ufaula about noon on election day,
which caused many negro voters TO
flee the town before their ballots were
cast and by riot at the polls of Beat y
in the same county on that day, IN
sympathy with the outbreaks at Eu-
faula and by which the ballot boxes
were seized and burned before the
counting of the contents. The legisla-
'ture was about to abolish the city
court of Eufaula because at the late
election republican, had been chosen
to succeed the infamous scalawas,
Elias Kiels, as judge, when the elected
successor resigned and Governor Hous-
ton filled his place with a respectable
democrat
The criminal court of Dallas county
was abolished because negro was
elected Judge.
The salary of the office of commits
sioner of industrial resources was re
duced from $500 to $500, and the IN
cumbent was required to live in the
city of Montgomery, all this because
he was a carpetbagger, elected In 1872
for four years, and the purpose was to
put him out
The law regulating the terms of Of
flee of registers in chancery was so
changed as to test the power of their
removal in the lately elected demo-
cratic chancellors because certain
register was also commissioner of the
federal court and a radical possessed
of authority to appoint supervisors Of
state elections.
A legislative inquiry was made into the
disposition made by Governor Lewis,
scalawag, and before him, Governor
Lindsay, democrat, of certain public
moneys.
Numerous other administrative enact
ments of deliberate intent to extinguish
every law and practice of the military
regime possible of attainment were
passed Three things were done of con-
structve statecraft most vital to the
principle of white supremacy. !. The
appointment of joint committee to pre-
pare a report to be forwarded to the
senate of the United States upon the
right of General George S. Spencer of
New York to the seat he held In the
senate as from Alabama
The committee appointed was composed
of Senators w. @. Little Jr.. of Sumter,
and W. H. Parks of Pike. and of Rep
resentatves Leroy Brewer. Thomas H..
Price, both of Mobile, and General Datus
f. Coon, carpetbagger, of Dallas The
committee had power to sit in the re-
cess and to send for persons and pa
pers and compel attendance under oath
Of witnesses. g. The voters were au-
fhorized to convene In convention to
make a new constitution, 8, a commission
of two citizens must be appointed by
the governor who. with the governor,
would constitute board to liquidate and
adjust all claims against the state from
bonds issued or indorsed in the name
of the state. This act implied a pur-
pose to ferret out the history of the
railroad legislation OF the reconstruction
era and to lift the fraud from 1t and to
settle the valid residue upon the long
standing credit and established honor of
the commonwealth.
The two commissioners appointed We're
citizens already distinguished by their
public services and individual achieve
ments. Messrs. Levi w. Lawler head of
a cotton factorage firm In Mobile and
Tristan B. Bethea. - wealthy cotton