ALABAMA. 



13 



fied elector may challenge the right of any 

 person to vote if he suspects he is not qualified, 

 and such person must take oath as to his quali- 

 fications before his vote is received, being liable 

 to trial and punishment for perjury if he swears 

 falsely. Returns of the election are to be 

 made from each precinct to the sheriff of the 

 county and by him to the Secretary of State 

 in the case of State officials. Pro vision is made 

 for contesting the election of any person de- 

 clared elected to any oifice, the contest to be 

 made by any qualified voter who will assume 

 the necessary obligations, and to be conducted 

 before the probate judge of the county. The 

 following provisions are made for the preven- 

 tion of bribery, fraud or intimidation : 



SECTION 92. Be it further enacted, That if any per- 

 son by bribery or offering to bribe, or by any other 

 corrupt means, attempts to influence any elector in 

 giving his vote, or deter him from giving the same, 

 or disturb or hinder him in the free exercise of the 

 right of suffrage at any election within this State, he 

 is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction must 

 be fined not less than one hundred nor more than 

 one thousand dollars, and sentenced to any work- 

 house or jail of any county in this State for not less 

 than thirty days nor more than six months, at the 

 discretion of the jury trying the same. 



SEO. 93. Be it further enacted, That any person 

 who fraudulently alters or changes the vote of any 

 elector by which such is prevented from voting as 

 he intended, is guilty of a misdemeanor, and on 

 conviction must be fined not less than one hundred 

 nor more than one thousand dollars, and shall be 

 imprisoned in the county jail not less than thirty 

 days nor more than six months. 



SEO. 97. Be it further enacted, That if any person 

 or persons disturb on election-days, or prevent or 

 attempt in any way to prevent any elector from 

 freely casting his ballot, such person or persons shall 

 be guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction shall 

 be fined not less than five hundred nor more than 

 one thousand dollars, and sentenced to any work- 

 house or jail of any county of this State for not less 

 than six months nor more than one year, at the dis- 

 cretion of the court trying the same. 



The sheriff is required to preserve order at 

 all voting-places, and the sale of liquor on the 

 day of election and the day preceding is pro- 

 hibited. Special election laws were enacted 

 for the cities of Mobile and Montgomery. 



Some of the general legislation of the ses- 

 sion was quite important. Among the acts 

 passed was one declaring what constituted the 

 school fund, and one revising and amending the 

 act of 1873 to keep in each county a propor- 

 tionate share of the school-money. The Gov- 

 ernor was authorized to lease out or rent the 

 penitentiary farm with its stock and materials, 

 and to hire to the lessee such convicts as might 

 be agreed upon, not to exceed one hundred in 

 number and for a period not exceeding eight 

 years. An act was also passed to regulate the 

 business of fire, inland, and marine insurance 

 companies of other States and countries doing 

 business in Alabama. This requires every such 

 company to have at least $125,000 capital, to 

 pay $100 into the Treasury of the State and to 

 make a report to the Auditor of the State of 

 its capital, assets, and liabilities, in detail. An 

 act was also passed redistricting the State into 



eight congressional districts. An act to in- 

 duce and encourage immigration into the State 

 provided for the appointment of a commission- 

 er of immigration, and a board of directors to 

 collect and disseminate information regarding 

 the resources and advantages of the State, and 

 to promote in various Ways the settlement in 

 Alabama of immigrants from other parts of 

 the Union and other countries. 0. F. Sievers, 

 of Mobile, was appointed commissioner. The 

 Governor was authorized and directed to ap- 

 point five centennial commissioners " whose 

 duty it shall be to secure proper apartments in 

 the exhibition buildings, and to make such 

 necessary arrangements for the display of such 

 articles as may be forwarded from Alabama 

 for exhibition, and to do whatever they may 

 deem best to have the State of Alabama rep- 

 resented upon an equal footing with her sister 

 States at the Centennial Exhibition to be held 

 at the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 

 4, 1876." 



Among other acts of the session was one es- 

 tablishing boards of health, making the Medi- 

 cal Association, organized at Tuscaloosa in 

 March, 1873, the State Board of Health, and 

 county medical associations boards of health 

 for their respective counties ; one enabling 

 aliens " to acquire, hold, and dispose of prop- 

 erty, real or personal, as native citizens ; " one 

 prohibiting the sale of agricultural products 

 between the hours of sunset and sunrise ; one 

 making persons ineligible to offices under the 

 laws of the State who hold offices of profit or 

 trust under the laws and Government of the 

 United States ; one repealing the act of Decem- 

 ber, 1868, " to suppress murder, lynching, and 

 assaults and batteries," known as the Ku-klux 

 act; and one changing the name of Baker 

 County to Chilton. 



The question of providing for a new State 

 constitution occupied a large share of atten- 

 tion. The existing constitution was framed 

 and adopted under the operation of the recon- 

 struction acts, and was in some of its features 

 obnoxious to a large portion of the people of 

 the State, and especially so to the Democratic 

 and Conservative party. A bill was introduced 

 in the Legislature and passed without much . 

 difficulty, providing that the question of hold- 

 ing a convention to frame a new constitution 

 should be submitted to a vote of the people at 

 a special election on the 3d of August. Pro- 

 vision was made for the election at the same 

 time of one delegate in each county, one for 

 each senatorial district and one additional for 

 the county of Mobile, making ninety-nine in 

 all. It was also provided that, in case a major- 

 ity of the votes cast were in favor of holding 

 a convention, the delegates elected should as- 

 semble at Montgomery, on the 6th of Septem- 

 ber, for the purpose of revising and amending 

 the constitution, subject to the ratification of 

 the people. The enabling act also contained 

 the following provision : 

 SEC. 9. Be it further enacted, That if such conven- 



