ALABAMA 7 6 7 



Commission government was made mandatory for cities of 100,000 or over (only Birming- 

 ham in 1910) and for cities between 25,000 and 50,000 (only Montgomery in 1910); and per- 

 missive for all other cities above 1,000 on petition and favourable vote. The "recall" 

 of a commissioner is provided for. Cordova, Hartzell, Huntsville, Talladega, Tuscaloosa 

 and Sheffield (Aug. 19, 1912; in effect Oct. 5) have adopted commission government also 

 Mobile, the only city in Class "B," legislation not being mandatory for this class. Civil 

 service regulations were provided for police in cities of 25,000 or more. In November 1912 

 the people adopted an amendment abolishing the fee system in Jefferson county. 



Primary elections are taken under state control although the party state committees 

 still have much power and may fix assessments on candidates and must be held through- 

 out the state on the same day (four months or more before the regular November election) 

 for state and county elective officers, representatives in Congress and presidential electors. 

 Corporations are forbidden to contribute for or against nominations. 



Among important labour measures is one requiring the appointment by the governor 

 of an inspector of coal mines for each 2,500,000 tons of coal mined; the inspectors must 

 investigate accidents promptly and they may close mines and must oversee the re-opening 

 of old mines; the law minutely prescribes measures for insuring safety, sanitation and 

 ventilation, and forbids women and boys under 14 to work in mines. A state board of 

 mediation and arbitration was created, and similar local boards were authorised. 



On January 3, 1911 (219 U. S. 219, Bailey v. Alabama) the United States supreme 

 court (Justices Lurton and Holmes dissenting) declared the Alabama "Contract of Service" 

 (or peonage) Law counter to the 1 3th Amendment to the Federal Constitution and uncon- 

 stitutional because the state rule of evidence gave the accused no opportunity to prove or 

 testify to his uncommunicated motives, purpose or intention, and the law made breaking 

 a contract on which a cash payment had been advanced prima facie evidence of intent to 

 defraud. The legislature on March 9, 1911, provided for the conviction and punishment 

 of anyone entering into a written contract for service or rent of land with intent to defraud 

 and with like intent obtaining money or property thereon; the new act omits the provision 

 making breach of contract prima facie evidence of intent to defraud and a provision which 

 gave one-half of the fine to the injured party. 



The salary of the governor was increased from $5000 to $7500. A mansion for the 

 governor was purchased in 1911, and the legislature appropriated $100,000 (available in 

 1912-13) for the improvement of the state capitol at Montgomery. The capitol wing has 

 been completed on this appropriation. An oyster commission was created to preserve and 

 develop oyster, shrimp, terrapin and turtle fisheries and to control canneries of sea-food. 

 Columbus Day (12 October) and Mardi Gras were made legal holidays. 



Finance. The bonded debt on September 30, 1912 was 9,057,000; the balance in the 

 treasury September 30, 1911, $7,071, the receipts for the following year, $6,261,237; the year's 

 disbursements, $6,341,852. An act of 1911 taxes telephone and telegraph companies on the 

 basis of mileage of lines operated; express companies, doing intrastate business; sleeping car 

 companies, $5,500 a year besides a municipal privilege tax; insurance companies, I \-2 % of 

 gross premium less cancelled premiums, besides municipal taxes; brewers, automobile owners, 

 corporations (franchise), bottlers, rectifiers, theatres, ball-parks, travelling salesmen, peddlers, 

 lawyers, doctors, brokers, freight lines, etc. A state banking department was created in 1911. 



Charities and Penal Institutions. In 1911 the legislature provided for the Alabama home 

 of refuge, at East Lake (Birmingham), for wayward and delinquent white females between 

 12 and 18, and for a reform school at Mount Meigs for juvenile negro law-breakers, taking 

 over the reformatory formerly managed by the State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs. 

 The office of state prison inspector was created, and a juvenile court of Jefferson county 

 (including Birmingham) was established. Liberal provision was made for pensioning 

 Confederate soldiers and sailors. 



Education. For public schools the state appropriated for the year ending September 

 30, 1911, $1,933,861; county appropriations amounted to $389,164 and city appropriations 

 to $405,108. In addition $317,600 was available from general property taxes, loans, bond 

 sales, etc. The total income for the nine district agricultural schools was $56,365; and for 

 the normal schools $483,396, $102,761 for the six schools for whites (at Daphne, Florence, 

 Jacksonville, Livingston, Moundville and Troy), and $380,635, largely from non-official 

 sources, for the three negro schools (at Montgomery, Normal and Tuskegee). In 1911 

 $ioofor each county was appropriated for public school libraries in towns of 1 ,000 inhabit- 

 ants or less. Connected with the work of the rural schools is the Boys' Corn Club (first 

 organised in Alabama in 1910) for interesting boys in scientific agriculture. In 1911 the 

 Girls' Industrial School became the Girls' Technical Institute. In 1911 the legislature 

 established the North East Alabama Agricultural and Industrial Institute at Lineville 

 for whites "over the age of seven years," and the Alabama School of Trades and Industry 

 for Boys and Young Men (white) at Ragland (to be opened in 1913). In illiteracy the state's 

 percentage, 22. 9% of all 10 years of age and more in 1910 (34% in 1900), was exceeded only by 

 that of Louisiana (29%) and of South Carolina (25.7 %). Among whites the rate was 9.9% 

 in 1910 (14.7 % in 1900) and among negroes 40.1 % in 1910 (57.4% in 1900). 



