The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-18
THE ALABAMA STATE CAPITOL

| ceremonies would take place. Governor
| Collier, therefore, was duly inaugurated
in the Court Street Methodist church: the
old building then used is at the present
| time located at the corner of Holcombe
and Mildred streets. and is used by the
eolored population. being known as the
"Old Ship church.
| The destruction of the state capitol
aroused bitter fight in the legislature
relative to the most expedient thing to do
under the circumstances. A bill to locate
the capitol again at Tuscaloosa received
a favorable report in the senate; the ma
| jority report of the house committee on
ways and means set out that the finan-
cial condition of the state treasury would
not permit the incurring. of an expense
necessary to constructing new state
capitof.- Tt was contended that if the cap
itol should be removed the city of Mont
gcmery should be refunded the amount
paid by her people for the capitol building
just destroyed. Finally after a long and
bitter fight bill was passed appropriat-
ing $4,000 for the rebuilding of the capitol.
But few items of interest occurred in
the state capitol until 1860; then there cul-
minated in rapid-fire succession a series
of events of such momentous Importance
that since those stirring days the capitol
at Montgomery has become historically
famous throughout the world.
The question of the abolition of slavery
was at that time vital one. There was
great hostility In Alabama to the move
ment in the north to free the slaves, and
therefore constitutional convention was
held in the state capitol ON January 7, 1861,
and four days later Alabama formally
seeded from the federal union. The in
tellectual giants, the oratorical gladiators
and many of the states best patriots
composed Alabama's secession eonven-
ton. Possibly the most conspicuous fig.
ures in the convention were William L.
Yancey, who strongly favored secession,
and Jere Clemens, who warned the dele
gates to pursue conservative course.
After the adoption of the ordinance of Sc
cession the convention then proceeded to
make changes in the state constitution so
as to adapt it to the new state pro-
gramm.
In pursuance of an invitation extended
by the Alabama convention, on February
4, 1861, representatives from South Caro-
lima, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Flor
ida and Alabama met in the state capitol
for the purpose of organizing a provis-
ional government A permanent organi-
zation was effected on February 9, and
Jefferson Davis of Mississippi was unani-
mously elected president of the provision
al government of the Confederate States
of America, and for the first time the
Stars and Bars of the Confederate nation
were flung to the breeze from the flag
staff on the dome of Alabama's capitol
a new nation had been born On F'ebru-
airy II, Mr.. Stephens, who was member
of the congress, arose in his place and
was duly sworn in as vice president. On !
February IS, 1861, Jefferson Davis was
duly inaugurated president of the Confed- |
crate States of America in the presence
of 1000 spectators. The ceremonies at !
tending his Inauguration were the most /
splendid ever witnessed in the city of
Montgomery; he took the oath of office