The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-25
EIGHT GOVERNORS OF ALABAMA
1874-1901
No. 53-An Active Administration
Edward A. ON cal, Governor
1874-I90t

/ ject to the approval of the senate. rh'
salary would be $1,000 each and clerk wal
to be paid by the state. one must be q
practicing physician.
| The warden would still make all con
tracts and visit the conviets. The three
inspectors were expected to follow or
the trail OF the warden and. in a gen
eral way, protect the convicts from the
| contractors. They were also required
to visit the county convicts in theii
various places of assignment to labor
on public roads, private farms. the coal
mines or others. at least once quarter
and oftener, under special order of the
governor
The new penitentiary law went into
effect March l. 1888. The Cover nor had
appointed and the senate confirmed the
| three inspectors required namely, Reg
inald III. Dawson. w. ID. Lee and DR.
Albert T. Henley Dawson was cotton
planter of Wileov, lawyer by profess
| sion. and had been solicitor Lee was
a contractor of Hale county. DIR. Henley
was native of Marengo county, re-
Gently removed to Birmingham 10 prac-
| tice his profession. Each member OF
the board had the preliminary adyan-
tage of lifelong familiarity with the
character and habits of the negro. All
We're in the prime of life None had
! been a politician.
The board met in the capitol for or
ganization the day of its confirmation
by the senate. Dawson was made pres
ident and Henley. secretary.
The governor instructed President
/ Dawson to codify the penitentiary laws.
This laborious work completed and
printed, the board adopted a system OF
rules and regulations for the manage
ment of eonvicts, printed it and distrib-
uted 1t among all contractors
President Dawson Immediately took
up his residence al prison No. /, the
walls" near Wetumpka. The warden
there was ordered to Pratt Mines
prison. about 200 convicts were under
contract. The physician. DIR. r. NJ Cum
bingham, known as the f''penitentiary
physician" heretofore resident at "the
wallis was assigned also to the Pratt
Mines prison.
The inspectors made frequent in
formal report to the governor They
informed him of the inadequacy of au-
thority in them under the law. The
governor constantly stretched his own
prerogatiye to cover deficiencies in the
statute as intimated to him by the in
speetors
The public mind remained inflamed.
The state seemed to have no penalties.
At the annual meeting, 1882, of the
Alabama Medical association, the pres
=
In his formal address. discussed the
| subject At the instance of the gov
ernor Dr. CASTOR and the state health
officer DR.. Jerome Cochrane had
already visited some OF the mining con-
tractors camps. Castor wrote the re-
port and this paper was the substance
of it,
The exposures of Dr. CASTOR and DR..
Cochrane We're taken up by the press
The public came to know that convicts
under contract were poorly fed half
| clothed. overtasl1ed. over-crowded in
hard hunks. without decent bed cloth
ing; that they were cruelty tasked and
otherwise punished. The death rate was
appalling-even 40 per cent Of those
on hand had died in one or more in
stances. The contractors were individ-
uals of standing in business, possessed
social reputation and many were church
members
President Bragg of the railroad COM
mission did not consider the authority
of that body sufficient The roatls were
restive under that measure Of power
already in the hands of the commission
Local lawyers We're found in plentiful
supply who did not consent to it as a
legal creation
A federal interstate commerce com
mission was being discussed all over the
county. The learned George Tichenor
curtis instructed Inc pubic that the
corporations having built the roads
under state charters. their control of
their property could not be questioned
The great constitutional authority, Jere
Black of Pennsylvania replied that
THE right of the people to control the
roads is so deep rotted that neither the
legislative or judicial officers of the
state can bargain 1t away, more than
they may lawfully sell the state, out
and out"
The Alabama railroad commission de-
sired greater reach of authority. 1t
wanted power to open competition be-
tween roads and to forbid roads to pool
their freight charges The proper act
to this end was enacted. The COM
mission was required by the statute to
take into consideration the nature and
character of the service to be per-
formed and the entire business of such
railroads, together with its earnings
from it's passenger and other traffic."
Twelve thousand five hundred dollars
were appropriated fol the salaries and
all expenses of the commission and one
clerk
An act was passed for the simplifica-
tion of elections. in that a single day
was named for the election of all
county commissioners, namely the day
for the general election in August, 1884.
and every four years thereafter
The governor was allowed to en-
ploy a recording secretary when needed
at s125 per month. butSthe amount thus
paid must not exceed $1,000 a year.
JOHN WITHERSPOON DUBOSE.