The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-05
EIGHT GOVERNORS OF ALABAMA
1874-l90t
! No. 68-The Birming CHAM Boom" 1886
Thomas A. Seay, Governor
1874190t

Retiring Governor ONeal reported to
the legislature that came in with Governor
Seay that although "eresy possible effort
had been made to hnd and bring to
justice the ahseonding ex-treasurer
no clue to his hiding place had been
found Nevertheless the missing man
even then enjoyed the companionship of
wife and children. while he pursued in
quiet the business of cotton planting in
Louisiana under an assumed. name.
The retiring governor, having his expe-
rience with Treasurer Vincent in mind
made a pertinent. suggestion. He said the
state treasurer was then under the legally
prescribed bond Of $4,000 The securi-
ties were private citizens. These citizens
were pledged to make good the personal
intesrity end official efficiency OF tho
Individual whom the voters OF the state
had selected with or without their con-
sent, to be custodian of the states cash.
The bond while not excessive. was too
heavy to justify hope of collection if put
to the test of resistance in the event of
forfeiture
A change in the. form of security on the
treasurer's bond was recommended a
poor man and one who could not, or
would not, seek public office with the
condition annexed, that he must be able
to command the fortune of his friend,
should find the way to the public service
opened. The state should look to safe
guarantee company to furnish the state
treasurers bond, and should pay the
cost, which would be perhaps more than
the amount of the salary of the office
Thus within d week after Governor
O'Neals utterance, Representative. j. w.
Bush, from Perry, offered a bill in the
become surety on all bonds required by
law
The governors argument however was
not original. While Vineents defalcation
and successful avoidance of capture was
yet thorn in the body polite. the Bir-
mingham Chronicle, then a weekly, by AL
derman f. V. Evans, undertook to discuss
the faulty point in the law under which
the state was secured or intended to be
secured in the trust placed in its treas
urer. The newspaper pointed to the in
consistency Of practical government with
the theory, to-wit, property qualification
should not Interfere with eligibility to
public office.
In the case of the state treasurer. the
law required a bond of S250,00o. The ex-
pectation of the law was that the treas
urer should qualify upon a bond secured
by private property If he could not pledge
private property to the value of $3.50, 600, to
indemnify the state, then he was not rich
enough in his own name or the credit of
his neighbors to hold the office.
Governor O'Neal in his farewell review
of the operations of the state govern
ment, adopted this argument and official
ly introduced one of the most timely re-
forms of state administration.
The consciousness of the dominant re-
publican party. in the north. that the
fall of the Confederacy had not resulted
in the subjugation of the people of the
states that composed that nation, and
that nothing Congress could do could
force upon the southern people enact
ments intended to reduce them to vassal-
age, tended to bring the democratic party
into possession of the presidency and the
control of Congress. True, Mr.. Cleveland
carried only the electoral colleges of four
northern states, and the Cleveland elect
ors received majority of less than 81. 900
popular votes in the whole union. But
a northern democrat young man who
mad avoided any service in the army
was President The south would hold
fast to all il gained in the struggle forced
on it, In this case ii had won beyond
expectations. Senator Thomas r. Bayard,
from Delaware, ardent southern sympa-
thizer, was the premier of the new dem
oeratie cabinet, Secretary of State; Sem
ator A. IL. Garland from Arkansas, a
Confederate veteran and lawyer of high
class, was Attorney General. These two
offices We're of exceptional weight in the
existing condition of general affairs. A.
colonel in the Confederate army, who was
also Confederate minister to Russia, Lu-
Gus @. c. Lamar, late senator from Mis-
sissippi, was Secretary of the Interior
Coming to the realization of positive
change of federal government in Alabama
District Judge John Bruce, carpetbagger
and quasi lawyer. was succeeded by Harry
Toullnin of Mobile, in that the ''district," Z"
which embraced the entire state was di-
vided, and Toulmin assigned to the south
ern division with. official domicil at Mo-
bile. This was in nothing short of happy
revolution.
Postoffiees in all parts of the state
were cleared of the Reconstruction" ele-
ment, and natives of the best class took
their places.
So with the Inauguration of Governor
Seay, the state within itself and in its
federal relations had entered upon an adj
yanced plane of life. There We're marked
effects. The elevation of Toulmin recon-
ciled the Abar and the clientele to Bruce
as never before, while this judge sensible
OF the change, reeoncled himself more to
his environment The Farmers alliance
grew nightly. The Confederate veterans
then strong in numbers and resource
full in plans, began to discuss organiza-
ton. The women of the land began to ag-
itate their Independent organization as
Daughters of the Confederacy, destined
to achieve results in their work, un-
paralleled in any land or any age.
1t was in the election year of 1856 that
the phenomenon in Alabama life the
Birmingham boom,x broke forth. Can
didates for state offices lowered around
the young town where they were sure to
meet many voters from every section
Among these appeared the three candi-
dates for the democratic nomination for
governor. General Clayton and Colonel
Dawson met there from opposite direc-
tions and for days remained in the over
flowing hotel busy with the voters from
all quarters. Mr.. Seay followed the same
week.
The "boom'' rested wholly on faith.
Stand on the summit of Red mountain,