10 



ALABAMA. 



hania in the spring convention had declared in 

 favor of the free and unlimited coinage of silver. 

 Se\eral of the State hanks were willing to loan 

 $100,000 at 8 per cent,, but that sum could not be 

 applied to the payment of salaries. The collection 

 of taxes seemed to him the only means to secure 

 the money needed for that purpose. In an inter- 

 view, in February, the Governor said the deficiency 

 in the revenues had been caused by reducing the 

 tax rate about six years previously, and at the same 

 time increasing the public-school" appropriation by 

 $100,000 per annum. During the fiscal year end- 

 ing Sept. 30, 1895, the disbursements from the edu- 

 cational fund amounted to $571,883.61, and an un- 

 expended balance remained of $167,193.37. 



The Industrial School for white girls, at Monte- 

 vallo, was opened Oct. 12, with 104 pupils. I'M of 

 whom were boarders. The plans made were for 

 buildings to cost not less than $50,000, but, as the 

 funds iii hand were not sufficient for such expendi- 

 ture, only the main building has been completed. 

 Tuition is free. and. in addition to literary studies, 

 music, art, stenography, typewriting, telegraphy, 

 dressmaking, millinery, and scientific cooking will 

 be taught. The State appropriation is $15,000. 

 This is the first industrial school for whites estab- 

 lished in the State. There are 8 for negroes. 



Prisons. The report of the convict, inspectors 

 shows that on Feb. 2!) the number of State convicts 

 in confinement was 1,659, and of county convicts 

 835. During the winter the most comfortable 

 prison buildings in the State were erected on the 

 convict farm of 1,800 acres on the Tallapoosa river, 

 known as " Prison No. 4," and at the end of March 

 they were occupied by 194 negro prisoners. Work 

 is in progress on the plans and specifications of a 

 cotton mill to be put up at Spiegner Prison No. 2 

 and arrangements on a larger scale have been 

 completed for brickmaking there. The convict sys- 

 tem is now self-supporting. The report states that 

 the cash balance to the credit of the Convict Bureau 

 was $14,797.25, and available resources made the 

 surplus amount to $39,967.07. The mortality, espe- 

 cially among convicts at the mines, was still too 

 great, and there was much fighting among the 

 prisoners. During the three months ending with 

 February one convict had killed another in a 

 fight, and one officer had been killed while trying 

 to stop a fight. The receipts into the convict fund 

 during the fiscal year ending Sept. 3, 1895, were 

 $163,235.76. 



Exports. The total exports from the port of 

 Mobile for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31 were 

 valued at $6,996,079, an increase over the previous 

 year of $1,800,000. The greater part of this in- 

 crease was in cotton exports. The exports are di- 

 vided as follow: General merchandise, $1.330.023: 

 cotton, $4.183,339; lumber and timber, $1,482.717. 

 The lumber and timber exports were as follow, the 

 measurements being in superficial feet: Hewn tim- 

 ber, 15,176,604; sawed timber, 51,896,160; lumber, 

 foreign, 36.'.;!, 514: coastwise, 3,468,432 ; total, 107,- 

 47S.730 feet, against 111.36S.461 feet exported last 

 year. The decrease is accounted for by the condi- 

 tion of affairs in Cuba, one of Mobile's besi 

 turners. The shipments to Cuba this year, in round 

 numbers, were only 4,000.000 feet, against 9.000.000 

 feet last year, and 19,000,000 the yeai before. The 

 shingle trade of Mobile is steadily decreasing. The 

 export of corn amounted to >s42.725 bushels, an in- 

 crease over last year of 76 J. 640 bushels. 



Products. The report of the Secretary of the 

 New Orleans Cotton Exchange states that the cot- 

 ton crop to Aug. 31 was 830,000 bales. Last year 

 it was about l.oon.000 bales. 



During 1*95 there were manufactured in Ala- 

 bama 6,450,595 cigars and 2,800 cigarettes. There 



were also manufactured 9,367 pounds of plug to- 

 bacco and 280 pounds of smoking tobacco. There 

 are 51 cigar manufactories in the State. 



The corn crop of 1895 was 44,376,847 bushels. 



The State Commissioner of Agriculture reports 

 that the number of fertilizer tags sold from Oct. 1. 

 IN!).",, to May 1, 1896, was 1,038,622, against 612,185 

 during the preceding twelve months. 



Legal Holidays. In 1895 Alabama made the 

 birthdays of Robert E. Lee (Jan. 19) and Jefferson 

 Davis (June 3) legal holidays. 



Political. The State Democratic Convention 

 met at Montgomery on April 21. The platform 

 adopted contained the following declarations : 



" We declare our continued faith in the old time- 

 honored principles of the Democratic party, and 

 among these principles are the following: 



" The free and unlimited coinage of silver and 

 gold at 16 to 1 as the standard money of the 

 country, without any discrimination against either 

 metal, and without the consent of foreign nations, 

 as the United States coined silver and gold before 

 the Republican party obtained control of the Gov- 

 ernment and changed the coinage laws of the coun- 

 try for the benefit of a class and to the injury of a 

 great mass of the people. 



"The unconstitutional penalty of 10 per cent, on 

 each issue of State bank notes by any State or na- 

 tional bank ought to be repealed. 



"It is our purpose to maintain a government in 

 this State fair and just to all. under control of the 

 white men of Alabama. 



" We are in favor of honest and fair elections, and 

 we recommend that laws be enacted under which 

 primary elections and other party proceedings for 

 the selection of candidates may be conducted." 



On the first ballot. Joseph F. Johnston received 

 the nomination for Governor. The remainder of 

 the ticket was completed as follows: For Secre- 

 tary of State, James Kirkman Jackson : Treasurer, 

 George W. Ellis; Auditor, Walter S. White; At- 

 torney-General. William ('. Fitts; Superintendent 

 of Education, John 0. Turner: Commissioner of 

 Agriculture, I. P. Culver. 



On April 28 the Repiiblicans met at Montgomery. 

 A strong minority was opposed to fusion with the 

 Populists, which had been agreed iipon in Novem- 

 ber, 1894. Two conventions, therefore, were held. 

 One over which Dr. R. A. Mosely, chairman of the 

 Republican State Committee, presided agreed to 

 adopt the Populist ticket. The other convention, 

 with no opposition, adopted a platform that de- 

 clared for a tariff for revenue and protection ; for 

 allegiance to the doctrine of reciprocity ; for a 100- 

 cent. dollar, whether gold, silver, or paper; and for 

 the construction of the Nicaragua Canal and the 

 permanent, vesting of its control in the United 

 States. The nomination of William McKinley for 

 President was urged, and delegates were instructed 

 to vote for him so long as his name should be be- 

 fore the National Convention. Among the declara- 

 tions of the platform were the following: 



" We believe that the long lease of power granted 

 the Democratic party of this State has resulted in 

 the machinery and offices falling into the hands of 

 a corrupt element of the party, and that it is ask- 

 ing too much of human nature to believe that cor- 

 ruption will purify itself. We are in favor of the 

 abolition of the Railroad Commission of Alabama. 



" We have always given protection to our ship- 

 builders. In late years we have neglected to pro- 

 tect our shipowners. We believe the time has come 

 to return to the policy of Washington and Hamil- 

 ton, which, by discriminating duties in favor of 

 American bottoms, secured 90 per cent, of our car- 

 r\ing trade to American ships. 



" We are opposed to a constitutional State conven- 



