ALABAMA. 



9 



for a new lease, which was awarded to th 

 Tennessee Coal, Iron, and Railroad Company. 

 The convicts are to be employed in the Pratt 

 coal-mines, near Birmingham, where the com- 

 pany 'uild prisons and to maintain 

 schools for the benefit of the convicts. Female 

 convicts are exempted from this lease, and also 

 all those who by reason of age, infirmity, or 

 physical defect, were unable to perform hard 

 labor. The class of convicts last described are 

 gathered at the walls of the old Penitentiary at 

 Wetumpka, and are engaged in such employ- 

 ments as are suited to their condition. 



" In accepting this proposal," remarks the 

 Governor in his last message to the Legisla- 

 ture, " whereby the continuance of the pres- 

 ent lease system in Alabama appears to be fixed 

 for a term of ten years, I do not intend to give 

 the sanction of my judgment to the perpetua- 

 tion of the lease system. I thought, however, 

 and still think, considering the state of our 

 finances, which does not yet justify an entire 

 disregard of pecuniary considerations, and con- 

 sidering also the characteristics of those who 

 constitute very largely the criminal class, that 

 the lease system could not at present be dis- 

 pensed with.'' 



Railroads. The report of the railroad com- 

 missioners for this year shows that there are 

 3,205 miles of railroad, including branches and 

 sidings, in the State. During the year. 530 

 miles of new railroad were constructed, indi- 

 cating an unusually rapid development. 



Yellow Fever. Great alarm was felt through- 

 out the State, in the latter part of September, 

 over reports of the existence of yellow fever 

 in several localities. These reports proved un- 

 founded, except in regard to Decatur, where, 

 about September 20. several well-defined cases 

 appeared. The disease soon became epidemic, 

 and a'l who were able to leave the city, at once 

 fled, leaving scarcely 500 persons remaining 

 out of a population of several thousand. Quar- 

 antine regulations were enforced against the 

 city, and the regular course of business was 

 suspended. Although the epidemic was at no 

 time violent, one or more new cases appeared 

 almost daily for about two months, when the 

 frosts of the latter part of November put an 

 end to the scourge. The total number of cases 

 reported up to November 1. was 123, of which 

 30 terminated fatally. The cases reported in 

 November increase these figures but slightly. 

 Contributions were received from several North- 

 ern cities in aid of the sufferers. Sporadic 

 among refugees from Decatur occurred 

 in other parts of the State, but there was no 

 epidemic. 



Dffkions. A decision of the State Supreme 

 Court was rendered in March, declaring uncon- 

 stitutional the act of the last General Assembly 

 making appropriations for the establishment 

 and support of a State University for colored 

 people. The act provides that the sums appro- 

 priated shall be taken from that part of the com- 

 mon-school fund set apart for the education of 



the colored race in Alabama. The opinion holds 

 that this university is not a part of the common- 

 school system of the State within the meaning 

 of the Constitution, and that the act under 

 consideration, in declaring that the sum appro- 

 priated shall be taken from that portion of the 

 common-school fund given to the colored race 

 destroys the equality of the apportionment of 

 that fund between the white and colored races 

 required by the Constitution. 



Earlier in the year another act of the same 

 General Assembly, requiring locomotive engi- 

 neers to obtain a license from the State, was 

 passed upon by the United States Supreme 

 Court and upheld. It was urged that the act, 

 when enforced against engineers running into 

 the State from outside points, became in effect 

 a regulation of interstate commerce, and, there- 

 fore, unconstitutional, but the court refused to 

 consider it as such. 



In October the same court decided that the 

 law prohibiting the employment of color-blind 

 persons by railroads and requiring all railroad 

 employes to have their sight tested by a board 

 of experts was not a regulation of interstate 

 commerce. 



Political. The first State Convention of the 

 Labor party, which assembled at Montgomery 

 on March 22, was the earliest political move- 

 ment of the year. The delegates voted to 

 present no separate State ticket, but advised 

 that Labor candidates for the Legislature and 

 for Congress be presented in the several dis- 

 tricts. A platform was adopted, of which the 

 following is the more important portion : 



We favor such legislation as may lead to reduce the 

 hours of labor ; to prohibit the competition of convict 

 labor with honest industry ; to secure the sanitary 

 inspection of tenements, factories, and mines ; to com- 

 pel corporations to j>ay their employes in lawful 

 money of the United states at intervals of not longer 

 than two weeks ; and to put a stop to the abuse" of 

 conspiracy laws. 



Wl- also aim at the ultimate and complete owner- 

 ship and control by the Government of all railroads, 

 telegraph and telephone lines within its jurisdiction. 

 We would have the General Government issue all 

 moneys without the intervention of banks, and postal 

 savings-banks added to the postal system. We also 

 o simplify the procedure of our courts and di- 

 minish the expenses of legal proceedings, that the 

 poor mav be placed on equality with the rich, and the 

 long delays which now result in scandalous uiiscar- 

 f j'ustice may be prevented. 



And since the ballot is the only means by -which 

 in our republic the redress of political and social 

 grievances is to be sought, we especially and em- 

 phatically declare for the adoption of what is known 

 as the " Australian system" of voting, in order that 

 the effectual secrecv'of the ballot and the relief of 

 candidates for public office from the heavy expenses 

 now imposed upon them may prevent bribery and 

 intimidation, do away with practical discrimination 

 in favor of the rich and unscrupulous, and lessen the 

 pernicious influences of money in polities. 



The Prohibitionists met in convention at 

 Decatur on April 18, and made the following 

 nominations: Governor. J. C. Orr; Secretary 

 of State. L. C. Coulson; Attorney- General, 

 Peter Finley : Auditor. M. C. Wade: Treasurer. 



