ALABAMA. 



8 



general State taxes. $150,029.37 from poll tux.--,, 

 $158,784. 74 from licenses, 1 10,!M2.:i:i from hire, 

 nvicts, ,*.VJ, -I!i2.3;; from the Agricultural 

 ( 'niiiiiiissioner, $30,15!.55 from solicitor' fees, 

 and $48,000 from the United States for agricul- 

 tural colleges. Among the expenditures were 

 $683,405.27 for educational purposes, $376,350 

 for intere.-t on tin-debt. !?1. ''-.'. '">;. 50 for the Hos- 

 pital for (he Insane. $70,503.70 for feeding 

 prisoners, $23,484.32 for military expenses, and 

 $18,375 for public printing. 



The total bonded State debt on Sept. 30, 1891, 

 was $9,293,400, on which the annual interest is 

 MO. The tax rate is 4 mills for general 

 State expenses, and mill for Confederate pen- 

 sions. 



The total assessed valuation of property in 

 was $271,953,321, of which $160,085,753 

 represents real estate, and $111,207,568 personal 

 estate, including railroad property. The increase 

 over the valuation of 1890 is $12,973,746. The 

 valuation of railroad property alone was $40,- 

 7 ( .?.!)28.26, an increase of $3,459,146.79 over 

 1890. 



Lumber. Nearly all the large product of the 

 south Alabama forests passes through Mobile. 

 The total exports of lumber and timber from 

 (his place for the year ending Aug. 30 were as 

 follow: Lumber shipped coastwise in vessels, 

 -''. 7 so. 789 feet; shipped foreign in vessels. 38,- 

 ::1S,100 feet; railroad shipments, 8,200,000 feet; 

 towed to the islands in the harbor, 38,000 feet; 

 total, 09,338,895 feet. Timber shipped in vessels, 

 00,805,050 feet; towed to the islands, 4,091,478 

 feet: total. 04,950,534 feet. About 175.000,000 

 shingles were exported during the same year, 

 and 147,000 staves. These figures show an in- 

 crease over previous years. During (he year the 

 harbor of Mobile has been deepened and im- 

 proved by dredging, so that it is nearly capable 

 of receiving vessels of 1,500 tons when loaded to 

 their full capacity. 



Freshet. Early in July, owing to heavy rains, 

 the Bigbee and Noxubee rivers overflowed their 

 banks, and many people in Sumter County were 

 driven from their homes, their crops were de- 

 stroyed, and their means of subsistence wen- 

 taken away. Nearly 2,000 people were affected 

 by the flood, which exceeded anything thereto- 

 fore known in that region. On learning these 

 facts, Gov. Jones issued a proclamation on July 

 12, calling for contributions from the people of 

 the State. The money so obtained was applied 

 by the county authorities. 



The Colored Race. At a conference of 

 colored people residing in the " black belt," so 

 called, held at Tuskegee, on Feb. 23, the subject 

 of the condition of the race was discussed at 

 length, and an address or statement of their con- 

 dition and purposes was issued, from which the 

 following is an extract : 



Industrially considered, moot of otir people are de- 



iH-mlciit upoi- airriculture. The niajority of them live 

 on rented lands, mortgage their crops for food on 

 which to live from year to year, unit usually nt the 

 hcirinnin:,' of c:ii-li \i-ar are more or less in (lebt for 

 the supplies of the previous year. 



In a moral and religion* sense, while, we admit 

 that there is much laxness in morals and superstition 

 in religion, yet we feel that much progress has been 

 made, that there is a growing puolic sentiment in 

 favor of purity, and that the people are fust coming 



to make their religion Iwwof superstition and emotion 



and more a matter of daily living. 



AB to our educational* condition, it is to be. not<d 

 that our country schools are in session an aver.- 

 onlv three- and a half months each year; that the 

 (iulf States are as yet unable to provide school) 

 and a.s a result the schools are held almost out of 

 doors, or, at best, in such rude charters as the poverty 

 of the people is able to provide; that the teachers 

 are jioorly paid and often very poorly fitted for their 

 work, and, as a result of these things, both parents 

 and seholars take but little interest in the schools, 

 often but few children attend, and these with great 

 irregularity. 



We appreciate the spirit of friendliness and fairness 

 shown us by the Southern white people in matters of 

 business and in all line* of material development. 



We believe that we can become prosperous, in- 

 telligent, and independent where we are, and we' dis- 

 courage any eftorts at wholesale emigration ; and, 

 recognizing that our home is to be in the South, we 

 ur-re that all strive in everv way to cultivate the good 

 fcelinjf and friendship of those about us in all that re- 

 lates to our material elevation. 



Education. The census of children of school 

 age. taken in August, 1891, shows 309,628 white 

 children and 241,893 colored children in the 

 State, a total of 550,721. This is an increase of 

 26,823 in two years. The statement of receipts 

 and expenses for schools in the several counties 

 for the year ending Sept. 30, 1891, is as follows : 

 Balance from previous years, $48,207.39 ; received 

 from poll tax, $148,671 79 ; received from State 

 apportionment and sixteenth-section fund, $411,- 

 638.59 ; total receipts, $608,517.77; amount paid 

 white teachers, $330,895.54 ; amount paid colored 

 teachers, $208,994.95; county superintendence, 

 $16.128.88; total expenses, $556,019.37; balance 

 at the close of the year, $52,498.40. 



For the school year 1890-'91 there were enrolled 

 at the State University 220'students (30 being in 

 the department of law), and at the Agricultural 

 and Mechanical College 284 students. In the 

 Normal College at Florence there were 263 pu- 

 pils during the year ; in the Normal College for 

 Girls at Livingston, 129 pupils: in the Jackson- 

 ville Normal School, 204 ; in the Selma Normal 

 School for Colored Pupils, 838 : and in the Tus- 

 kegee Normal and Industrial Institute, 511. 



On Dec. 1, 1891, the State Institute for the 

 Deaf contained 85 pupils, and the Academy for 

 the Blind 60 pupils. A State school for (he 

 colored blind and deaf was opened in January, 

 1892. The buildings therefor cost $12.000. 



Confederate Pensions. There were 4.955 

 applications for pensions this year from soldiers 

 and widows, and each applicant received $26.50 

 from the fund, amounting this year to $131,- 

 302.02, raised by the special State tax for pen- 

 sions. Thirty-eight blind applicants received 

 $31.57 each out of the fund of $1,200 set aside 

 for them. 



Political. When the year opened, a warm 

 political contest was in progress between Gov. 

 Jones and ex-Commissioner of Agriculture Reu- 

 ben F. Kolb, rival candidates for the guberna- 

 torial nomination to be made by the Democratic 

 State Convention. Primary meetings for the 

 election of delegates to the convention had al- 

 ready been held in Jefferson County, in which 

 Jones obtained a slight advantage. Early in 

 January the Madison County primaries were 

 held, and Jones was again successful. From 



