ALABAMA. 



For 1893 the total assessed valuation of prop- 

 erty in the State was $260, 172,500. 1(5, on which a 

 tax of 5 mills was levied, yielding a revenue of 

 f 1,302,473.915. The valuation for l's)2 was s250.- 

 926,127.23. on which a 4-inill tax was levied, 

 yielding $1,048,899.86. 



Education. "The public schools are at a 

 standstill. The State does not increase its ap- 

 propriations as fast as the population increases, 

 and there is no prospect that it will." This 

 statement is found in a circular issued this year 

 in behalf of the adoption of a proposed consti- 

 tutional amendment, giving to local school dis- 

 tricts the right to levy a special tax for schools 

 in addition to the State appropriation. This 

 amendment failed to secure the approval of the 

 people, and the schools in the rural districts 

 must still remain weak and inefficient, as the 

 State can not well afford to do more for public 

 education than it is now doing. 



Penitentiary. A gradual reformation in the 

 methods of prison management is in progress in 

 the State. Under the operation of the act of 

 1892 the State convicts are being gradually with- 

 drawn from the coal mines and placed under the 

 direct control and supervision of State officials. 

 In order to effect this change it was necessary 

 for the State to secure larger prison accommoda- 

 tions, and for this purpose the board of convict 

 managers in 1893 purchased 4,000 acres of fine 

 woodland on Coosa river, at Speigner, in Elmore 

 County. The land lies on both sides of a creek, 

 and is only nine miles from the old prison at 

 Wetumpka. In October, 1893, a party of 15 con- 

 victs from the mines at Birmingham was brought 

 to this wilderness. They camped out in tents and 

 began to fell trees and clear up a place upon which 

 the first temporary stockade could be built. The 

 work rapidly progressed, and in a short time two 

 houses were completed, and these were followed 

 by others, until more convicts could safely be 

 brought down from the mines. The buildings 

 were called Prison Xo. 2, in contradistinction 

 from " The Walls" at Wetumpka, which is termed 

 Prison No. 1. Work was also begun at clearing 

 up a plat across the creek for what is called Prison 

 No. 3. As soon as a stockade was built more 

 prisoners were brought down, and the building 

 operations were pushed with greater rapidity. 



Before April of thb year a kitchen, dormitory, 

 stable, and 3 other small buildings had been 

 erected at Prison No. 2, where 120 convicts wen- 

 quartered. Three hundred acres of land adjacent 

 had been cleared and planted with cot ion. At 

 Prison No. 3 6 buildings had been erected, and 

 20!) convicts were brought thither from the mines. 

 Here also 300 acres had been cleared and planted. 

 These buildings, which, with the aid of convict la- 

 bor, were erected at a cost of only about $5,000, 

 are intended merely for temporary use. Substan- 

 tial brick structures a. re to be erected forthwith. 

 Good clay for brick is found on the premises, and 

 as early as June of this year preparations had been 

 completed so that a portion of the convicts could 

 be employed in making brick. 



African Migration. A State convention of 

 representative colored men met at Birmingham, 

 on March 21, for the purpose of considerini: and 

 promoting the migration of the race to Africa, 

 Addresses in favor of the movement were deliv- 

 ered by Bishop Turrer and by various colored 



orators. The sentiment of the convention was 

 strongly expressed in favor of this solution of 

 the negro problem. 



Pensions. The special State tax levied for 

 the relief of Confederate soldiers and their wid- 

 ows yielded a fund in ls.i;; amounting to $126,- 

 826.95. This was distributed among .".<;.">:> needy 

 soldiers and widows, each tvcei\m^ SUM.!)."), and 

 a mom; 45 blind soldiers, each of whom received 

 $2G.(5(i. The fund for distribution in is<)4 was 

 $117,4S4.7S, and the beneficiaries numbered 0,506, 

 of whom HI were blind soldiers. 



Labor Troubles. In April of this year a 

 strike was inaugurated among the coal miners 

 of northern Alabama, which at length attained 

 such serious proportions as to lead (iov. Jones 

 to call upon the militia. The FirM Uegiment 

 of State troops was ordered into camp at Ensley 

 City late in May. whence it was several times 

 called out to prevent threatened trouble. Not 

 until late in -I line did the (iovernor deem it safe 

 to dismiss the troops: and his order, dated June 

 29, directing their dismissal, had scarcely been 

 executed when the railroads at Birmingham and 

 vicinity were tied up by a strike inaugurated as 

 a part of the great Chicago strike. C.ov. Jones 

 at once ordered the troops to Birmingham, 

 where the railroad companies were protected 

 in hiring new men and opening their lines to 

 traffic. On July 1(5 he was compelled to order 

 the troops to Prat I mines, where the striking 

 miners had attacked a. company of negroes hired 

 to supply their places, and had killed several. 

 The presence of the militia restored order. They 

 were kept underarms for several weeks and were 

 then dismissed gradually. 



Negro Persecution. In certain portions of 

 Pike and Crenshaw Counties an organi/ed effort 

 appears to have been made early in the year to 

 rid the locality of its colored people liv making it 

 unsafe for them to remain. All sorts 'of outrages 

 were heaped upon I hem. and mat ters had reached 

 such a state in March that (Jov. Jones issued his 

 proclamation invoking the aid of the good citi- 

 zens in those counties in enforcing the law. The 

 local courts had been unable to reach the offend- 

 ers, owing to the fear of the negroes to testify. 

 This action of the (iovernor seems to have had 

 the desired effect. 



Lumber. The following is a summary of the 

 lumber and t imber business done in the port of 

 Mobile for the fiscal year is 1 .):! 'ill. compared with 

 that of 1892-'93, the timber being reduced to su- 

 perficial feet: 



In hard woods the exports were 223,192 cubic 

 feet, against 1,320.726 in 1892-93, and 282,451 



