ALABAMA. 



17 



JRttolted, That, In order to bring about the success 



Of the Krpiii. '.;. in tii-ket in Novi-mi't-r next, we en- 



courag.' our j.-..i>le everywhere to the adoption of 



that great wtetmanlike idea u(><>u which parii. s 



:.i!l Imt may ever stand, the great idea that tho 



k the man and not the muu tho 



office; tlmt wo impress upon the members of the 



.11 iv in the State of Alubuiua, that they 



MF office ave those they know to 



lie tru<j ti tliu prim-ii'les of the party, and who can 



bring to the support of our State ticket the greatest 



number of voters for our district, county division, 



congressional and State candidates. 



Jtuolccti, That the members of the Republican 

 party everywhere be urged to see to it that our con- 

 ventions bo fairly and patriotically assembled, and 

 assembled solely for the purpose of advancing the in- 

 terests of the party, and not the interests of individ- 

 uals. 



Resolved, That the convention through its Stato 

 Representatives impress upon the legislative body 

 of the State of Alabama, at its next session, the im- 

 portance and urgent necessity of their creating a 

 compulsory school bill, feeling assured that, without 

 such a bill as is here asked for, the rising generation 

 will be (intellectually speaking) but little superior to 

 generations gone before, and our Government grow 

 u.:ikrr and weaker, for the want of an educated, 

 intelligent class of citizens. 



After a very exciting contest, the election 

 was held on the 3d of November, and resulted 

 in the success of the Democratic Conservative 

 ticket, the vote being as follows : 



Governor George S. Houston, 107,118 ; D. 

 P. Lewis, 93,928. 



Lieutenant-Governor R. F. Ligon, 107,- 

 109 ; II. McKinstry, 93,532. 



Attorney-General J. W. A. Sanford, 106,- 

 923 ; George Turner, 93,493. 



Secretary of State R, K. Boyd, 106,882 ; 

 N. II. Rice, 93,612. 



Treasurer Daniel Crawford, 106,575 ; Ar- 

 thur Binghnm, 93,455. 



In a total vote, therefore, of 201,046, Hous- 

 ton's majority was 13,190. At the previous 

 election of 1872, the total vote for Governor 

 was 171,239, of which Lewis received 89,868, 

 uixl Herndon 81,371, giving the former a ma- 

 jority of 8,497. President Grant's majority in 

 the same year was 10,828, the total vote for 

 President being 169,716. 



After the election the Executive Committee 

 of the Democratic party, which had now come 

 into power for the first time in several years, 

 issued an address, in which the future policy 

 of the party was indicated as follows : 



The party we represent is firmly pledged, by all 

 that is sacred among men, to use its utmost endeav- 

 ors to bring the blessings of good government to all 

 the people of this State, and, under the providence 

 of God, it remains to be seen whether our party is 

 equal to the responsible and arduous duties it has 

 undertaken to perform. These duties require of 

 us, that justice must be fairly administered accord- 

 ing to the laws of the land : that the rights of all the 

 people of Alabama, both or person and of proiurtv, 

 must be preserved inviolate: that there must oe no 

 oppression of any race or class of men ; that the 

 credit and good name of this State must be restored : 

 that harmonious relations of mutual confidence and 

 good-will must be cultivated and adjusted, among 

 all tho conflicting interests represented among the 

 people of this State; that yielding a cheerful obedi- 

 VOL. xiv. 2 A 



ence to the laws of the United 8tts, and promptly 

 ng our share of the burdens of the General 

 MUM nt, whether in war or in peace, we must 

 also cultivate such other relations that the citizens 

 of every State composing our great Union who may 

 from time to time have business with us, or come 

 into our midst, shall receive that justice and hearty 

 welcome at our hands due to brethren of the sam'e 

 great household, without regard to difference of 

 ]"'litical opinion. If we fail to accomplish substan- 

 tially these results, just so far will we disappoint the 

 hopes and expectations of a large majority of the 

 people of Alabama. A bright future is before us, 

 and we feel that, with proper exertions on our part, 

 there can be no reasonable doubt they will speedily 

 result in prosperity to all the people of our beloved 

 State. 



George Smith Houston, the successful candi- 

 date for Governor, was born in Tennessee, in 

 1809. At the age of twelve he went with his 

 parents to Alabama, and settled in Lauderdale 

 County. In 1831 he was admitted to the bar, 

 and in the following year was elected to the 

 Legislature. In 1834 he removed to Limestone 

 County, and in 1837 was elected to the office 

 of Solicitor. He continued in this office until 

 1841, when he was elected to Congress on the 

 Democratic ticket. He was reflected in 1848, 

 '45, '47, '51, '53, '55, '57, and 1859. But 

 before the expiration of the last term he with- 

 drew from Congress, when Alabama seceded 

 from the Union. In 1860 he was a "Douglas 

 Democrat," and opposed secession, but subse- 

 quently went with his State when it seceded. 

 After the war he was elected to the United 

 States Senate, but was refused admission, when 

 he retired to private life and there continued 

 until the campaign of 1874. 



The Legislature assembled on the 16th of 

 November, and continued in session till Decem- 

 ber 17th, when it adjourned until January 13, 

 1875. The most important act passed was the 

 bill authorizing the Governor to appoint two 

 commissioners, citizens of Alabama, who with 

 the Governor shall constitute a board to adjust 

 and liquidate the bonded liabilities of the State. 

 The Governor at once complied with the law 

 by appointing, for the required term of two 

 years, L. "W. Lawler, of Talladega, and J. B. 

 Bethea, of Montgomery, who are said to be 

 able financiers. The commissioners are re- 

 quired to report their action to the Governor, 

 by whom it must be communicated to the Le- 

 gislature. The powers and duties of the com- 

 mission are set forth in the second section of 

 the act as follows : 



SECTION 2. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the 

 duty of said commissioners, and they are hereby 

 authorized and empowered to take charge and ai 

 tain, liquidate, ana adjust the subsisting legal liabil- 

 ities of the State of Alabama on the bonds issued 

 and the bonds indorsed by the State of Alabama and 

 the coupons on the same in such manner as the in- 

 terests of the State may require, and by negotiation 

 to provide for the payment of such amount of the 

 said several legal liabilities as may be arranged for 

 under the powers hereby conferred, and the interest 

 that may be agreed to be paid upon the principal so 

 iirc"tiatt'tl, in such a manner ana at such times as to 

 them may seem advisable ; and for this purpose said 

 OommiBslonen shall, by advertisement or otherwise, 



