The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-23

Cook, Peter Horn and many others
signed the paper. James C. Cobb was
re-elected from the Fifth district. John
II. Bankhead from the Sixth, Gen w.
H. Forney from the Seventh and Gen.
Joseph Wheeler from the Eighth.
The principal condition of the state waf
improved and yet improving. AT the
end of the war there were less than
1000 miles of railroad track in the state
and that in a worn and decaying condi-
ton. Now there were more than 300t
miles. The state railroad commission and
the federal interstate commerce commits
sion were active and official agencies In
the promotion of traffic. Commissioned
Kolb had used his authority effectively
in the regulation of honest trade in COM
mercial fertilizers, now come into general
USE The growth of the coal and iron in
dustry was most encouraging. DIR. II. M.
Caldwell, president of the Elyton Land
company, the founder of Birmingham
and original owner of the entire site OF
the town, went north largely with the
view of explaining there the facts of
the resources of the state in those min
erals. On Saturday night, January 10,
1889, he delivered a remarkable address at
Providence, r. l. This speech, different
from the apologetic grafton of Grady,
thank God, there is no more slavery"
ETC., as well as from the censure and
DR.. Caldwell told his hearers that there
were deposits of coal and iron ore around
Birmingham that would supply the world
for ages to come; that pig iron was there
being made at a total cost of $3.50 per
ton; that the state of Alabama was well
governed and labor in demand; that the
climate of Jefferson county was unsur-
passed in the world. He himself had
been a Confederate soldier and so had
all the who b1li11inP To-
bama, but the war was behind while
a splendid future was before.
AT this time the manufacturing indus
tries of the Birmingham district had in
creased to the value of about SIC 600 600
The monthly pay roll of Admission was
, $217e00; Florence, Sheffield. Decatur
Gadsden, were boom" towns Walker
Shelby, Talladega, Calhoun and Etowat
were boom counties. The cotton oil mills
of the agricultural region had established
a new industry of decided promise The
Montgomery Advertiser, day by day, pub
lished page of historical sketches of
the various towns of the state showing
all, in every direction, to be In a highly
prosperous and hopeful condition. The
wharves of Mobile We're favored with the
presence of ocean shipping, bearing the
flags of the great commercial nations.
Selma received 100000 bales of cotton a
year. Montgomery received far more, and
her trade reached hundreds of miles
away.
The legislature assembled on Tuesday,
November 10, 1888. Both branches carried
on their rolls the names of strong men,
All were democrats in the senate and
practically all in the house
On the senate roll We're w. N. Hodges,
of Limestone; w. e. Skeges, of Morgan !;
L. w Grant, of Calhoun: William A.
Hundley, ex-member of Congress, IF
Randolph; Thomas L. Bulger, of Talla-
poosa; A. c. Hargrove, of Tuscaloosa.
CONSPICUOUS among all was the great civil
engineer and industrial promoter, John
Turner Miner, from Jefferson. willis
Brewer, notable financier, statesman and
author sat from Lowndes; J. c. Compton,
great lawyer, from Dallas; w H. Tayloa
from Marengo; Daniel Smith from Mo-
bile
Brewer nominated Hargrove for Pres
ident as soon as w. J. Sanford. the re-
tiring president, called the body to or
der. There was no opposition w. l..
Clay of Madison, was chosen secretary.
and d. w. McTver of Macon. assistant
On. the house roll We're Daniel e. Pratt
of Autauga, c. C. Shorter of Barbour N.
d. benson of Chambers, Francis l.. Pet
tus of Dallas, A. Fl. Benners and w. N.
Knight of Hale, r. ]. Lowe of Jefferson
Oscar Fl. Hundley of Madison, S. G. Woolf
and D. ]. Treador of Marengo, A. A.
Wiley, Alva Fitzpatrick of MONTGOMERY
A. D. Pitts of Perry, John V. Smith of
Russell, A. p. Longshore of Shelby, G. T.
McElderry of Talladega, B. M. Miller
of Wilcox
Representative c. C. Shorter, the bril-
liant young orator from Barbour, was
unanimously elected speaker, without op-
position. Benjamin F. Elmore of Clarke
was unanimously elected clerk of the
assistant L. C. Ramsey of Macon was
chosen engrossng clerk and r. w. Gist
of Bibb enrolling clerk The two houses
were full and strong. No better legisla-
ture had sat since the time of Houston
Governor Seay sent in his admirable
message.
The message gave notice of the judicial
determination of an interesting claim of
the state against the federal government
in favor of the state plaintiff.
The state claim had this foundations:
The act of admission of Alabama to the
union passed March 2, 1919 was not q
simple act uniting the new state with
sister states under the constitution. 1t
contained certain codicils. Among these
was a proviso that per cent of the net
proceeds of the sales of all public lands
sold in the state after September l fol-
lowing should fall to the use of the
state 1Of celldln pun poSco hhhico III tho
proviso
The net proceeds of the land sales had
not been turned over by the government.
The government brought forward set
off to the states claim In this: That
after the secession and after the great
war of 1S61-e5 had begun, Congress levied
a direct tax. The apportioned share of
Alabama was $529,313 Alabama had
paid none of this direct tax. The state,
Inlan IT
brought suit. The supreme court of the
United States finally adjudicated the case
in favor of the state claim.
1t is interesting to contrast the varying
attitudes of the government at Washing
ton toward Alabama and other states that
formed the Confederacy. If 1t was true
that the state was in 'insurrection" or
rebellion" when the direct tax was ap-
portioned to her, the unpaid quota OF the
tax must have fallen due upon the res
toration of her position under the taxing