The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-04
EIGHT GOVERNORS OF ALABAMA
1874-190t
No. 55-Strangulated Counties
Edward A. O'Neal, Governor

latter class of collections. The supreme
court of Alabama decided this act uneon-
stitutional.
The taxes to pay interest on. the bonds
were not collected. Certain holders in
New York sought Judge Bruce to pun
ish the county officers of Chambers for
contempt in their failure. The officers
were consigned to the Montgomery county
jail, remained in confinement there for
several months and until released under
habeas corpus proceedings before the fed
efal supreme court.
Under these circumstances an act passed
the legislature early in the first term
Of Governor ONeal to provide for the
relief of the five "strangulated' counties.
The governor was required to submit to
the senate three suitable names, and
from the list that body would chose one
" no should be a commissioner to ascer-
tain the amount of the bonds issued, who
the holders nov the holders got possess
sion and at wnat price, The commissioner
must ascertain tie value of all taxable
property in those five counties. He must
prepare a plan of settlement and present
II in his general report to the legislature.
The salary was $500
The senate selected from the list of the
three names Col. r. II. Abercrombie,
resident of the section Interested. Tne
commissioner went TO New York and held
a meeting of the bondho1ders. who lived
there. The result was an agreement to
settle on basis cash of 10 cents on itle
face value CT the bonds plus The ac-
cumulated interest
How could the counties raise rhe 10
cents on the dollar of their railroad bond
debt? On February 10, in the expiring
days of the session, the act was passed
to make the following appropriations,
namely, to the county of Chambers the
state taxes from that county for the
years 1881 1882, 1883. to be applied to the
Abercrombe compromises, to the Lee
county, the state taxes of the said years;
to Tallapoosa the state taxes ON 1882, 1888
and 1854; to Randolph county. the state
taxes of five successive years beginning
with 1882; TO Pickens county, the same as
to Tallapoosa. All for the salno SPECIFIC
purpose
The reed of an established inspection of
state accounts generally was felt. An act
was passed at this session of 1SS2-S3 to
create the office of examiner of pupic
accounts The governor selected for the
duties James w. Lapsley of the law firm
of Morgan Lapsley & Nelson, Selma, and
congratulated aimself later on the wis.,
dom of his choice. The examiner soon
found $40 900 of misdirected public money
and the news getting out, increased ytgi-
lance and improved methods became man
ifest IN all the offices of finance. county
ana state.
Another happy appointment. lH the chief
executive was In the filling of absconding
State Treasurer Vine snts place by Maj.
Fred H. Smith, a cotton platter of Dallas
county The office WAS neither sought
rof desired by the appo'ntoe. He ut ence
reduced its routine 20 perfect sys-
tenn
We have seen that when .'ail Strobach.
ca. r.etbagger par excell,,ls - retired from
the office of sheriff OF Montgomery coun-
ty he remained on the land waiting 70"
ornething to turn up. The opportunity
came to oppose Colonel Herbert for Con-
gress His experience IN the canvass con-
v,nced Paul that "elestio frluds woii',
furnish a theme to aim fr profitable
expicitatio In the north. where he could
so as member of lne 6. y. II. SO
whom the Garfield campaign of 1850 wills
in full play, Paul went ncrtn as mis-
sonary of political reform from the SOUTH
His English tongue was tardy in arrival
but he could speak Austrian. He told
of many adventures and hairbreadth es-
capes he made In his canvass against
Colonel Herbert. Ills perils counted for
na,ght He was elected. however, and
counted cut most shamefully.
Paul returned to Montgomery, was
made marshal and had a hard time of 1t.
At the spring term, 1883. of his court
some envious folk caused an indictment
to be found against him. The military
governor of 1868, William II. Smith. was
now district attorney, and this scalaWaG
was never in line of harmony with tie