M 



aUatlk. and 



ALABAMA. 



oo that day the Senate chamber 

 scant, and also t.' 



the persons holding r. 

 n* provided in the terms of compromise 

 each. It appeared that, 

 4 the Attorney-General, the re- 

 of the inspector* of election in the con- 

 tested district* were to be counted, bat, under 

 the law of the Bute, these inspectors were 

 rtnoired to count and return all votes without 

 regard to their legality or illegality, to a 

 county board of supervisors, whose doty it 

 was to open, compare, and count the legal 

 ballots cast, and declare the resale The re- 

 turns of the inspectors, therefore, comprised 

 all votes, bat the statement of the Board of 

 Supervisors declared the result after the illegal 

 rots* bad been rejected. Now, the case was 

 each that by canting oat illegal and fraudulent 

 vote*, as required by the laws of Alabama, the 

 Democrats would have been seated, and the 

 Republicans forced to contest the . 1, rti,.n. 

 But. by adopting the inspectors' count, the Re- 

 publicans were aeated as members, and the 

 DssnotcaU forced to contest the election. 



In the Senate, the requirements of the At- 

 torney-General's plan were fully satisfied, and 

 it only remained to permanently organize that 

 body thus reconstructed by the election of it* 

 subordinate officers, which organization was 

 subsequently completed on the same day, and 

 twenty days' time was given to the contesting 

 . . - .. . . :.:.-; 



for the seats claimed by them. On the next 

 day the Ltenten ant-Governor, who presided in 

 the flmti. ruled that, under the terras of the. 

 losjaproMlsi agreed upon, no busines scould be 

 done by the Hsnati before the contested seat* 

 had been decided. An appeal was taken from 

 this decision by one of the Senators, but it was 

 denied. Meanwhile the House of Represent- 

 atives proceeded to effect it* orvanizntion. On 

 the flat of December, the motion having been 

 made proposing that the House s! 

 municau the fat of it* organization to the 



organizati 



Mr. Speaker Parsons decided that the 

 could not be declared permanently 

 Nd until It had been informed by the 

 Senate thai the conteata in that body for aeata 

 ..... .......... r : .. 



UUed to the ' ae dulv seated. Resolution^ 



until the 



ly seated. Resolutions 

 House to take a recess 

 eth of January. 1878. In the reso- 



** oonetn.eda.an 

 *J * or degree, that the 

 was en orgulced body aoconlin K t., 

 the laws of Alabama, or that there was con- 

 organiiatlon of tlio 

 the I- 1 *" proposed. 

 .% U>e Oonrt-gonse 

 which was composed of 



pnwed hills, and 

 the Governor, and 

 On December 



mr^i ., , . i . . . ! . r 



Oth this body paesed an act to authorize the 



government to complete the sale of the Ala- 

 bama ii Chattanooga Railroad ; another act 

 to authorize the Governor to sell $2,000,000 of 

 ..mis; and another to increase the rate 

 of taxation 100 per cent. The Governor, hi 

 hi* message to this body assembled in i!.- 

 Court- House, says: 



To meet these want*, I advise an issue of bonds 

 maturing at some abort time tbst your wisdom will 

 suggest, not exceeding ,000,000, bearing eight per 

 cent. InUrest. with authority to rain 

 them by pledging the same, or by sale, at satis- 

 factory rates, to meet the needs of our obligations. 



But, to make this measure of relief successful, we 

 must give the financial world a substantial guarantee 

 that our income will not only meet our cum nt ex- 

 penses, but yield s surplus annually thut will 

 afford the certain means of retiring U.i- Umporary 

 ill 1 1 after discharging the ui.ua! claims of <mr State. 



I therefore advise that our present tax-bill be 

 increased 100 per cent, on the property, as taxed 

 therein, and that, on your reassembling, the tax-bill 

 be examined in detail, and such changes in the 

 mean time of the same be perfected as the constant 

 fluctuations in the annual state of such measures 

 dasjasnd. 



This change in our rate of taxation will alone 

 iMlist substantial basis of credit whieli 

 ill i naMc herto regain her prestige in the financial 

 world. 



Meanwhile the Attorney-General addressed 

 the followiii): letter to 'one of the - 

 Senators expressive of his views relative to 

 the Court-House Assembly : 



DsrAKTVEST or Jrsncx, I 



WASHUCOTOIT, January f>, 18*8. I 

 ffon. P. Hamilton, U.lilt, Ala. 



SIR: I have received j..ur letter of tbf Sd inst., 

 transmitting a paper signed by yourself and i.tlur 

 members of the General A Alabama, 



purporting to be a statement of the action of that 

 body upon s plan of compromise which 1 had the 

 . some tune since, to submit fur its considera- 

 tion, and also of the action of a part of the As- 

 sembly at the United States Court-Room*, since its 

 meeting, in accordance with the terms of such plan 

 of compromise, and asking for such action thereon 

 a* my judgment may s] 



Apprehensive that any discussion of the facts 

 presented by von might imply an assumption of au- 

 thority which I wholly disclaim. I nil! only ., 

 1 have heard, with surprise and extreme regret, of 

 those extraordinary proceedings at the United States 

 Court-Rooms, to which the paper refers. I have in- 

 structed the United States Marshal not to allow 

 those room* to be used for any purpose connected 

 with the legislative affairs of the State, and, if I 

 bad any other official control in the matter, I would 



it in the same way. 



I have further to say with respect to the future, 

 that any nt tempt, upon any pretext whntev. 

 disturb the present organization of the General As- 

 sembly of Alabama will meet no countenance what- 

 ever from me. 



I see no reason why that body, as now organize .1, 

 may not proceed to legislate without further delay, 

 and decide contested elections and other quesi 

 that tny arise, aa ia usual in the I, ^Mature of a 

 Bute. Verv respectfully, 



>. H. WILLIAMS, Attorney-General. 



At the same time a case was brought before 

 the Supreme Court, in which the Secretary of 

 State refused to recognize as State printer 

 the Individual who had been elected by the 

 Court-Honse Assembly. The Chief-Justice 



