UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. (ALABAMA.) 



6.67 



houses met in joint session to canvass the vote of 

 the recent election. It is unusual to attend to 

 this so early in the session; but the Governor- 

 elect was so ill that it was feared he would not 

 live to be inaugurated; and as there was some 

 doubt about the succession in case of the death 

 of a Governor-elect, the vote was canvassed im- 

 mediately as a step toward providing for the 

 succession of the president of the Senate. 



William D. Jelks was elected President of the 

 Senate, and Francis L. Pettus Speaker of the 

 House. Mr. Pettus died March 6. 



A bill was passed so amending the law that the 

 Governor is not required to take the oath of office 

 in presence of both houses of the General Assem- 

 bly. Gov. Johnston signed the bill, though he 

 :said that he would not have voted for it had he 

 been a member of the Assembly, as he thought a 

 wiser measure would have been one applying only 

 to the present special case. Another bill provided 

 that the President of the Senate should become 

 Governor in case of the death of the Governor- 

 elect before he should have entered upon his 

 term of office. This bill was vetoed by Gov. John- 

 ston, but was passed over the veto. 



Senator John T. Morgan was unanimously 

 chosen Nov. 27 to serve the ensuing term in the 

 United States Senate. 



Daniel J. Meador was elected President of the 

 Senate Dec. 3, to succeed W. D. Jelks, acting- 

 Governor during the illness of Gov. Samford. The 

 Governor recovered sufficiently to assume his du- 

 ties and lived until June 11. 



A new revenue bill was passed, requiring addi- 

 tional license tax on abstract companies, cigar- 

 ettes, cane-rack, gipsy traders, all liquor-dealers 

 and lager-beer dealers, pawnbrokers, and railroad- 

 ticket brokers, and adding the following to the 

 list of those to pay license taxes: Bill-posters, 

 bicycles for rent or hire, book-agents, brokers and 

 commission merchants, cider dealers, cigar and 

 tobacco stands, clubs (social for men), cold stor- 

 age, coal and coke agents, cotton buyers, dancing- 

 halls, feather renovators, ferries and fall bridges, 

 fruit-stands, horse-dealers, ice-factories, laundry, 

 news companies, patent rights, photographers 

 traveling, pistol or rifle cartridges, plumbers and 

 .gas-fitters, stocks and bonds, telephone companies, 

 warehouse and elevator companies. 



The license for retail liquor-dealers was raised 

 $25 to $75, and that for wholesale dealers $150. 



An election was ordered to take place April 23, 

 to decide the question of a constitutional conven- 

 tion, and for choosing 155 delegates, 100 to be 

 nominated by the counties, 1 for each senatorial 

 district, 2 for each congressional district, and 4 

 for the State at large; the convention to begin 

 May 21, and the Constitution framed to be rati- 

 fied or rejected by an election twenty to sixty 

 -days after the document should have been filed 

 with the Secretary of State. 



The jurisdiction of the State insurance depart- 

 ment was extended over all fraternal, benefit, and 

 aid associations, official and indemnity bond com- 

 panies, and State organizations of every kind if 

 operated for profit. 



The general appropriation bill increased the 

 annual common-school fund from $450,000 to 

 $550,000. An appropriation of $10,000 was made 

 for the purpose of equipping a car to make an 

 exhibit of the resources and products of the State. 



The Mount Vernon military reservation, which 

 has long been unused, was set apart as an insane 

 hospital; provision was made for the incorpora- 

 tion and management of the hospital and for the 

 admission and discharge of patients; and $25,000 

 was appropriated for the Alabama Insane Hospital. 



The gift of the former court-house of Calhoun 

 County and its lot to the State; Normal School, 

 at Jacksonville, was confirmed, and $10,000 was 



fiven for use on the building urxl grounds of 

 lorence Normal College. The maintenance ap- 

 propriation for each of the tour white normal 

 schools was increased to $7,500. 



For the Industrial School for White lioys at 

 East Lake $15,000 was appropriated for" two 

 years. 



The appropriation for pensions to needy Con- 

 federate soldiers and sailors and their widows was 

 raised $100,000. 



Among other general laws were the following: 



Providing for the segregation of consumptive 

 convicts. 



Setting aside June 3 of each year, Jefferson 

 Davis's birthday, as a public holiday. 



Requiring holders of diplomas or certificates 

 from State normal schools and colleges or from 

 other colleges to undergo examination for license 

 to teach in the public schools. 



To incorporate the Alabama City, Gadsden and 

 Atalla Railway Company. 



Establishing a State department of archives 

 and history. 



A resolution that was offered in the House to 

 raise a joint committee to visit Florida and con- 

 fer with the Governor and Legislature of that 

 State relative to the annexation by Alabama of 

 western Florida, was rejected in favor of a sub- 

 stitute providing that the Governor of Alabama 

 be requested to take the matter up with the Gov- 

 ernor of Florida and ascertain the sentiment of 

 the Florida people. 



The New Constitution. An election to de- 

 cide the question of holding a constitutional con- 

 vention and to elect delegates to serve in case 

 the vote should be in its favor was held April 23. 

 The platform adopted by the Democratic State 

 convention) March 19, explains the main pur- 



" After an experience of thirty years, affording 

 every necessary facility to qualify the negro for 

 the exercise of the franchise, it has been demon- 

 strated that, as a race, he is incapable of self- 

 government and the intelligent exercise of the 

 power of voting. Therefore, in the interest of 

 both races in Alabama we favor the holding of a 

 constitutional convention for the purpose of regu- 

 lating the right to vote so as to perpetuate the 

 rule of the white race in Alabama. 



" We pledge out faith to the people of Alabama 

 not to deprive any white man of the right to vote 

 except for conviction of infamous crime." 



The Republican State Executive Committee held 

 a meeting at Birmingham, Feb. 23, and adopted 

 the following: 



" Resolved, That we, the Republican State 

 Executive Committee of Alabama, as the legal 

 representatives of the Grand Old Party of the 

 State, are unalterably opposed to a State con- 

 stitutional convention/' 



At the same time the party organizations were 

 urged to make nominations for delegates, that, 

 in case the convention should be called, they 

 might be as well represented as possible and use 

 their influence against restriction of the suffrage. 



The election resulted in a majority of 24,800 in 

 favor of the convention, 70,305 for and 45,505 

 against, and it met at Montgomery, May 21. In 

 the caucus of Democratic members the committee 

 on credentials reported 141 delegates entitled to 

 sit in that caucus, and 1 more was afterward 

 admitted, leaving 13 not Democrats. Hon. John 

 B. Knox was chosen president of the convention 

 and Frank N. Julian secretary. Adjournment 



