ALABAMA. 





suitable persons were invitod to engage as self- 

 ropporting missionaries: the establishment of a 

 Chinese mis-inn school in Chicago WHS decided 

 u|MMi; the selection was advised of young men 

 of k'ood educat inn to be sent to countries in 

 which there is no Advent ist literature, study the 

 languages, and prepare such literature in them. 

 Action was taken for strengthening or introduc- 

 ing (lie publications of the denomination in the 

 Danish, Swedish, and German languages, and in 

 Holland anil Finland; the acquisition of the de- 

 nominational periodicals to be controlled by the 

 (ieneral Conference, and a unification of the 

 publishing interests, were decided upon; a com- 

 mittee was constituted to prepare a plan for the 

 examination of candidates for ministerial license 

 and credentials. This committee reported a 

 schedule of topics upon which such examinations 

 should be conducted. Recommendations were 

 made for opening new schools in Texas ; at Park- 

 mount, near Bainbridge, Ireland ; a training 

 school for persons of mature age at Battle Creek, 

 Mich. ; a school at Grayville, Tenn., was ap- 

 proved ; and the establishment of other local 

 schools in the South for white students and 

 colored students was recommended. 



ALABAMA, a Southern State, admitted to 

 the Union Dec. 14, 1819; area, 52.250 square 

 miles. The population, according to each decen- 

 nial census since admission, was 127,901 in 1820 ; 

 309,527 in 1830; 590,756 in 1840: 771,623 in 

 1850; 964,201 in 1860; 996,992 in 1870: 1,262,- 

 505 in 1880; and 1,513,017 in 1890. Capital, 

 Montgomery. 



Government. The following were the State 

 officers during the year: Governor, Thomas G. 

 Jones, Democrat ; Secretary of State, Joseph D. 

 Ban-on; Treasurer, Craig Smith ; Auditor, John 

 Purifoy ; Attorney-General. William L. Martin ; 

 Superintendent of Public Instruction, John G. 

 Harris; Commissioner of Agriculture, Hector 

 D. Lane; Railroad Commissioners, Henry R. 

 Shorter, J. T. Holtzclaw, appointed in February 

 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Com- 

 missioner Lawler, Wiley C. Tunstall; Chief 

 Justice of the Supreme Court, George W. Stone ; 

 Associate Justices, Thomas N. McClellan, Thomas 

 W. Coleman, J. B. Head, and Jonathan Haralson. 



Finances. For the fiscal year ending Sept. 

 30, 1892, the State treasury statement is as fol- 

 lows: Balance on Oct. 1, 1891, $176,039.40; total 

 receipts for the year ensuing, $1,783,532.65; 

 total disbursements, $1,767,659.80; balance on 

 Sept. 30, 1892, $191,912.25. Of this balance the 

 sum of $132,561.80 was derived from the special 

 tax of mill for the relief of Confederate sol- 

 diers, which was then payable under the. terms 

 of the law authorizing the tax, leaving an avail- 

 able balance of only $59,350.45. In order to 

 prevent a deficit during the year 1893 and sub- 

 sequently, the General Assembly was obliged to 

 raise the State tax rate from 4 to 5 mills. The 

 State debt on Sept. 30, 1892, amounted to $9,293,- 

 100; but there is outstanding a considerable 

 amount of old bonds, which, if brought in to be 

 refunded under the terms of existing laws, 

 would increase the debt to the extent of $249,500. 



Valuations. In 1891 the total assessed valu- 

 ation of taxable property was $275,316,491, an 

 increase of $16,236,916 over the preceding year. 

 This was the highest valuation attained since 



the civil war, being more than double that of 

 1876. But in 1892 the taxable value.- .1 

 to $260,926,127, real estate being valued HI 

 $154,690,657>and personal estate at $10<;,L': ;.'..! To. 

 "The causes of this marked decrease," say- the 

 Governor in his message to the Legislature, "are 

 not far to seek. During the year 1892 cotton 

 continued to be marketed at a price below cost, 

 and there was great depression in the iron mar- 

 ket. Many premature enterprises were com- 

 pelled to cease operations and go through the 

 process of liquidation. Speculative values, 

 which discounted future prosperity with too 

 sanguine hopes, settled down under the inexora- 

 ble law of supply and demand. Unhappy differ- 

 ences, waged with unwonted bitterness over 

 State politics for more than a year before the 

 State election, disturbed public serenity and 

 retarded confidence." 



Legislative Session. The General Assem- 

 bly, which convened at Montgomery on Nov. 15, 

 1892, and adjourned on Dec. 12 to Jan. 19 of 

 this year, concluded its work on Feb. 21. Early 

 in the session the returns for State officers were 

 opened and counted, and the regular Democratic 

 candidates were declared elected. The vote for 

 Governor was found to be 126,959 for Thomas 

 G. Jones, and 115,524 for Reuben F. Kolb. The 

 friends of candidate Kolb were anxious to con- 

 test the election, but as they had not a majority 

 in the General Assembly they were unable to 

 secure the passage of a law authorizing such a 

 contest. One of the most important results of 

 the session was an act providing for registration 

 of voters and introducing the Australian system 

 of voting in all elections. Under this act the 

 duty of preparing the official ballots is imposed 

 on the probate judges in each county. The 

 ballots snail be printed on plain white paper of 

 such thickness tnat the printing can not be dis- 

 tinguished from the back. The names of candi- 

 dates shall be arranged under the designation 

 of the office for which they are nominated, and 

 in alphabetical order according to surnames. 

 At each polling place there shall be at least one 

 booth or voting compartment for each 100 elec- 

 tors registered and for any fraction of 100 ex- 

 ceeding 50. These booths or compartments shall 

 be fitted with a shelf or table, and so constructed 

 that the voter may mark his ballot secretly. He 

 shall indicate his choice by placing a cross before 

 the name of his candidate, or by writing in a 

 name and placing a cross before it. A voter 

 who can not read may, in preparing his ballot, 

 have assistance from one of the inspectors of 

 election, to be chosen by the voter, or of a per- 

 son appointed by the inspectors for that pur- 

 pose, and the inspectors may appoint as many 

 assistants as they deem necessary in the prepara- 

 tion of his ballot. 



Another important act of the session intro- 

 duces a complete change in the management of 

 State and county convicts. The entire control 

 of the convict system is thereby intrusted to a 

 board of nine managers appointed by the Gov- 

 ernor, of which he is ex omcio president. The 

 convicts are to be classified and graded, and 

 although they may still be let out under con- 

 tract, yet in every such case they shall be fed, 

 clothed, lodged, and doctored by 'the State, and 

 shall be under the immediate custody of the 



