10 



ALABAMA. 



road, though it traverses the State of Alabama 

 and assumes her name, is not an Alabama en- 

 terprise, nor intended for her benefit, but is 

 "a Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi road, 

 for the benefit of Chattanooga and New Or- 

 leans. The road begins at Chattanooga, passes 

 through Alabama, and proposes to terminate 

 at Meridian; but the object is to swell the 

 commerce of New Orleans at the expense of 

 the commercial marts of Alabama, particularly 

 Mobile, which is outflanked by this arrange- 

 ment." Besides, the amount of aid to be given 

 was computed to exceed the cost of the road 

 within the State by $1,151,920. The Senate 

 passed the bill as proposed by an almost unani- 

 mous vote. In the Lower House it met with 

 strenuous opposition, chiefly on the above- 

 mentioned grounds ; and on February 4th was 

 defeated, having failed to obtain the required 

 two- thirds of the vote. A motion " to recon- 

 sider " having prevailed, the bill was discussed 

 anew on February 7th, variously amended 

 during the debate, and then referred again to 

 the committee, with instructions to report 

 within fifteen minutes. At the appointed 

 time it was favorably reported, with the amend- 

 ment "to strike out $3,000,000 and insert 

 $2,000,000." All of these amendments were 

 adopted. The previous question on the passage 

 of the bill as amended was then put, and the 

 bill passed by a vote of yeas 62, nays 27. 



The passage of this bill coming so close after 

 its defeat gave occasion to a renewal of rumors 

 and even specific charges of bribery, chiefly 

 against those representatives who had always 

 opposed the measure, and voted it down three 

 days before. Long after the passage of the 

 bill these charges were openly repeated against 

 the Eepublican party during the campaign for 

 the election in November, 1870. 



Other bills, granting special aid to particular 

 railroads, passed both Houses of the Legisla- 

 ture during the session of 1870 among these, 

 the bill authorizing the Governor to endorse, 

 on the part of the State, the first-mortgage 

 bonds of the Montgomery and Mobile Railroad, 

 to the amount of $2,500,000. 



By the end of September, 1870, several 

 railroads in Alabama had been partly worked, 

 which, under the operation of the general 

 State aid act, would entitle them to have their 

 bonds endorsed at the rate of $16,000 per mile. 

 Their names and estimated lengths are as 

 follows : 



Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad. 

 Cincinnati and East Alabama 

 Memphis and Savannah 

 Memphis and Selma 

 Montgomery andEnphania 

 North and South Alabama 

 Selma and Gulf 

 Vicksburg and Brunswick 



Miles. 



300 

 . 150 

 . 250 

 . 120 

 . 90 

 . 200 

 . 90 

 . 250 



Total 1,400 



The bonds to be endorsed for these roads 

 amount in the aggregate to $22,400,000, which, 

 together with the six millions of special aid 

 granted to three of them and the Montgomery 



and Mobile road, make in all $28,400,000. Be- 

 sides the above-named, there are many other 

 projected roads, of which those most likely to 

 get State aid, on compliance with the provisions 

 of the said law, are the following : 



Miiet. 



Decatur and Aberdeen Railroad 120 



Elyton and Aberdeen " 150 



Grand Trunk " 250 



Selma and New Orleans " 100 



Tennessee & Marion Rivers" 150 



Their aggregate length of 740 miles is an- 

 ticipated to be further extended by some other 

 roads to 1,000 miles. The State aid on these 

 would then be $16,000,000 more, and the 

 whole amount of her liabilities, on account of 

 railroads, $44,400,000. In this, however, it is 

 thought she runs no risk, as competent judges 

 affirm that "there is not one of the projected 

 roads which, when completed, will not be 

 worth more than $16,000 per mile." On the 

 contrary, it is confidently predicted that the 

 roads in Alabama will add immensely to the 

 wealth of the State, and be highly remunera- 

 tive in time to their stockholders, as they are 

 reckoned among the most important roads in 

 America. " The shortest line between New 

 York and New Orleans, between the cities of 

 Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, and the Gulf at 

 New Orleans, Mobile, and Pensacola, between 

 Kansas City and Brunswick and Savannah, 

 Georgia, between St. Louis and Savannah, 

 Georgia, between Atlanta, Georgia, and Cam- 

 den, Arkansas, between the Atlantic and the 

 Pacific, is through Alabama, and over her va- 

 rious railroads." 



One of the most important works of internal 

 improvement, for which the Legislature was 

 called upon to provide during the session of 

 1870, is the removal of certain obstructions in 

 the Coosa Kiver. The Coosa is formed by the 

 Oostenaula in Georgia and the Etowah, and 

 passes through "the most interesting, fertile, 

 and productive regions of the interior South 

 abounding in coal, iron, marble, limestone, 

 slate, and water-power of the first order, stone 

 and lumber unsurpassed, with climate and soil 

 adapted to the culture of grain, cotton, grass, 

 fruits, and almost every plant in the vegetable 

 kingdom." Its navigation, however, is im- 

 peded to a great extent by obstructions lying 

 between Greensport and Wetumpka. The 

 removal of these obstacles, and the consequent 

 opening of a free passage to vessels on that 

 river, are expected to confer inestimable bene- 

 fits on Montgomery, Selma, and Mobile, par- 

 ticularly the last-named city, as the circum- 

 stance of cheap transportation by water would 

 secure to her u some six hundred miles of 

 interior trade, which now finds an outlet to 

 other markets by more expensive haulage." 

 A corporation styled " The Coosa River Slack- 

 water Navigation Company " was formed 

 under the provisions of an act "to amend the 

 corporation laws of Alabama," approved on 

 August 13, 1868, which required of them to 

 file a declaration concerning the work to be 



