ALABAMA. 



A I. A I'.AMA. This State seonw to make good 

 i L-33 toward regaining ami surpassing that 

 >o of material prosperity which she en- 

 joyed before tho devastations occasioned by 

 thf Into civil war. An indication of thin im- 

 provement may be seen in tho fact that tho 

 operations of that class of her citizens en- 

 I in commerce appear to rest on a more 

 s-iliil foundation, and possess greater stability, 

 than in preceding years. Tho annual report 

 ou tlio number and extent of the commercial 

 failures for 1869, in Alabama, gave 16, with 

 liabilities amounting in the aggregate to $101,- 

 000; whereas, in 1868, they had been S3, with 

 liabilities amounting to $594,000. 



Among the cotton-growing States, Alabama 

 stands foremost, her soil being eminently well 

 adapted to the cultivation of that plant. Be- 

 sides, she possesses other natural resources in 

 exceeding great variety and abundance. With 

 a view to render these available, and make all 

 branches of industry flourish within her limits, 

 she invites immigration from tho other States 

 and Europe, and causes the advantages of 

 settling upon her soil to be known abroad. 



The State is about to enlarge her territory 

 by the annexation of " West Florida." Under 

 this name is meant "that portion of Florida ly- 

 ing west of the Chattahoochee and Appalachi- 

 cola Rivers, and west of a line running due north 

 from the mouth of the Appalachicola, bend- 

 ing west, so as to pass between the islands of 

 St. George and St. Vincent." This portion is 

 composed at present of eight counties in the 

 State of Florida, named Calhoun, Escambia, 

 Franklin, Holmes, Jackson, Santa Rosa, Wal- 

 ton, and Washington. Commissioners appoint- 

 ed for the purpose by tho two States met and 

 agreed upon the section of territory to be 

 ceded, as well as its price, and the other 

 terras of the purchase, to take effect upon 

 their agreement being duly sanctioned by 

 their respective States. The Legislature of 

 Florida approved and confirmed the agreement 

 soon after it had been entered into, a joint 

 resolution for that purpose having been adopt- 

 ed by both Houses, and the act approved by 

 the Governor on January 27, 1869. In the 

 following June Governor Reed issued also a 

 proclamation ordering an election to be held in 

 each of tho above-mentioned counties, that 

 their respective citizens might express their 

 sentiments in regard to the contemplated an- 

 nexation, by voting "for" or "against" it. 

 The election took place, arid a large majority 

 of the votes cast was for annexation. A 

 letter dated December 1, 1869, from Pensacola, 

 Florida, says: "Wo have voted nearly two to 

 one in favor of the annexation of West Flori- 

 da to Alabama, and hope for its speedy con- 

 summation." At tho last session of the Legis- 

 lature of Alabama a bill " to provide for tho 

 annexation of West Florida" was introduced 

 in the Senate. By a message dated January 

 19, 1870, Governor Smith informed that body 

 of the fact that " at the election previously 



Jield in West Florida, on tho question of an- 

 ii<-.\atioii, the vote had boon favorable to tin; 

 annexation." This message was referred to a 

 joint committee of tho two Houses; but tho 

 principal matter itself was not finally deter- 

 mined upon at tho last session. In tho Senate, 

 on February 21, 1870, a joint resolution was 

 adopted, to tho effect that, as tho Legislature 

 of Florida had adjourned, the bill before the 

 Senate to provide for tho annexation of West 

 Florida to this State be postponed till tho 

 second Tuesday of tho next General Assembly 

 of this State." 



Numerous lines of railway, intersecting the 

 country in all directions, are in operation 

 already, and many others are in course of con- 

 struction. 



By an act of 18C7, State aid, in the shape 

 of endorsed bonds at the rate of $12,000 per 

 mile, was granted to railroads built within tho 

 limits of Alabama generally, provided the first 

 seventy miles were completed within three 

 years, or by November 1, 1870. The amount 

 of bonds per mile has now been increased to 

 $16,000, and in some of tho roads to a larger 

 sum, for exceptional reasons. 



In connection with this act, a bill, common- 

 ly -styled "The General Railroad Bill," was 

 introduced in the Senate at the session of 1870, 

 purporting " to furnish tho aid and credit of the 

 State of Alabama for the purpose of expediting 

 the construction of railroads within tho State." 

 The bill, after long discussion, passed the Sen- 

 ate on February llth by a vote of 29 to 1 ; and 

 on the 19th of that month tho Lower Honso 

 also passed it with some amendments, which 

 the Senate concurred in on the same day. Tho 

 main provisions of this act are the following: 

 " It extends the time, in which the endorse- 

 ment of the State may be obtained to railroad 

 bonds, to November, 1871. The endorsement 

 is at the rate of $16,000 per mile. The road 

 applying for credit must be not less than 

 thirty-five miles in length. Twenty miles of 

 the road must be completed and equipped out 

 of the fund of the company, not raised in an- 

 ticipation of the endorsement. The road must 

 be first class proven so upon inspection by a 

 committee, comprising at least one civil en- 

 gineer not connected with the road." This 

 matter was subsequently taken into further 

 consideration by the House on February 23d. 

 The special committee submitted a report and 

 bill to explain and define the meaning and in- 

 tent of the act to aid in the construction of 

 railroads. (Endorses no bonds for roads K-s< 

 than thirty miles in length.) This House bill 

 also passed the Senate on the 25th. 



A special bill, to issue $3,000,000 of Stato 

 bonds to aid in the construction of tho Ala- 

 bama and Chattanooga Railroad, was intro- 

 duced in tho Senate early in the session, which 

 aroused great excitement within the legislative 

 halls as well as in a large portion of the press 

 and people outside. Among other grounds, 

 tho opposition rested on tho fact that this 



