The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-10-14

| The military constitution of 1868 created
a new function of state government, the
department of Industrial resources" will
a commissioner to execute constitutionally
prescribed duties to be chosen every fouI
ears at the general election. The legis-
lature was commanded by the same ar.
ticle to enact statutes for the govern
ment and protection of this bureau.
| Extraordinary dignity was conferred
upon the department in the first place, by
giving it fixed position in the organic
law and by giving the commissioner a
| term double the duration of that of the
! governor
| The great bulk of the population was
agricultural The mass of white farmers
had entered the war. Many did not'retui1
with disarmament of the fragments of the
armies A large proportion of the returned
were MANNED and physical wrecks. Uni
versal and precipitate emancipation oil
slaves had wrecked the great plantations
dependent wholly upon slave labor.
| 1t was most timely wisdom to bring the
power of the state to a consistent sup
| port of the industrial resources available
| for use.
| In this case the declared purpose was tic
collect and publish encouraging Informal
ton concerning the Industries of the PEG
pie annually. The development of agricul.
ture and the facts of the geology of the
state must be annually published and cir
cuated. The department must inform
| itself of such improved agricultural ma
chinery as might be brought into use ir
the world. 1t must collect and scatter
throughout the union and In foreign coun-
tries statistics showing the natural re
sources of Alabama
| By revolutionary method this wei
| planned scheme of government fell into
| the Incompetent hands of ripe carpet
| Dagger. The department accomplished
nothing. The constitution of 1875 eimi-
mated it from the plan of government.
| In the first term of Gov. Edward A
o'Neal, 1Ss2-4 the department of agricul-
ture'' was created by statute, the com.
missioner to be appointed by the governor
| e. S. Belts of Madison county, a highly
qualified man, was appointed.
| A very wide range of duties was at.
tached by law to the office. Among these
the commissioner appeared as general SUI
perintendent of the annual fair of the
State Agricultural society, and he was re-
CURED to contribute to the fair, first tho
sum of $780, increased to $1,000 and finally
| to $4,000. The fair itself became virtually
state institution.
| The good intention of the law, however
| failed of execution and the benefactor
| was soon revoked. 1t was found that sal
aries of officers, deemed necessary to ap-
| ply the money consumed most of 1t.
| Before explaining the great farmers
movement in Alabama it will profit to talk,
a limited view of the agitations of labor
| that preceded it and out of which 1t grew
Discomfort in the agricultural masses
! however, of the United States in the las
quarter of the nineteenth century, beyond
doubt grew out of legislation by the re-
| publican party in Congress By Legislation
| the producers of the land We're made tt
| pay the taxes. BY this legislation ths
| taxes were disbursed to=favorite classes o
| the favored section. By this Legislation
| the taxes, that never reached the govern
ment Golfers, We're concentrated in TIL,
| hands of corporations and r1diViduals il
New York city. BY this legislation thu
banks of the whole land favored Wal
| street.
| About the time of which we now write
| 1t was ascertained that 70 heads of fam.
| lilies in the United States possessed aver
age wealth of 1877, 500, 000 while $500, 00
| heads of families owned but $3.50 each. The
remainder lived from hand to mouth ex-
| istences.
| Let us glance at early incidents. The
| earliest application of organized labor
employing large capital, was in the pro.
duction of sugar in the West indies The
| laborers organized under one head to ac.
complish specific object of commerce
| We're African slaves.