ALABAMA. 



ANGLICAN CHURCHES. 



13 



The coal product for the year was estimated at 

 not less than 8,500,000 tons. 



The cotton acreage in 1900 was 2,911,167, an 

 increase of 5^ per cent. The estimate of the crop 

 made at the Convention of Cotton States Com- 

 missioners at Raleigh, in August, gave it as 

 82 1 ,000 bales. The consumption of cotton in the 

 mills of the State, by Mr. Hester's estimate, was 

 137,922 bales. 



The Dispensary. The dispensary law passed 

 by the last Legislature, applying to some counties, 

 went into effect Jan. 1. Some of the larger towns 

 in counties where it applies are excepted. Accord- 

 ing to newspaper report, candidates favoring it in 

 some counties where primaries were held found 

 the question rather a drawback to their popu- 

 larity. 



Lawlessness. A negro guilty of criminal as- 

 sault was taken from jail at Huntsville, July 23. 

 The sheriff made a brave resistance to the mob, 

 but the doors were battered down, dynamite was 

 thrown into the prison, and the man was hanged 

 just before the arrival of militia from Decatur. 

 In October a negro boy, sixteen years old, was 

 burned . at the stake near Eclectic for the same 

 crime. In August part of a letter was published 

 said to be written by the supreme commander 

 of the so-called Regents of the White Shield in 

 Alabama to a woman who was reported to be 

 about to lead an army of negroes to avenge the 

 lynching of a Southern negro. The extract from 

 the letter read : " It gives me pleasure to inform 

 you that the Regents of the White Shield are a 

 very substantial body of organized patriots, who 

 are ready to receive you and your Ethiopian es- 

 cort and extend such other service as would be 

 appropriate to express our contempt for a white 

 with a black heart and at the' same time to add 

 another hue of darker shade to that of Hades. 

 So come on, fair Joan of Arc, and don't be too 

 modest about the number of black crusaders you 

 bring with you. Ten thousand are not enough 

 to tax our hospitalities in furnishing you sleeping 

 accommodation in our potter's field. In conclu- 

 sion, let me state that as we raise large crops of 

 cotton in this section we have an abundant sup- 

 ply of rope on hand for every emergency, and 

 we'll know when and how to use it." 



Political. The primaries in April resulted in 

 a victory for John T. Morgan as candidate for 

 re-election to the United States Senate. There 

 were originally 4 candidates: Senator Morgan. 

 Gov. Johnston, W. C. Gates, and J. D. Roquemore. 

 Col. Roquemore died and Gen. Gates withdrew, 

 leaving the contest to the two first named, who 

 " stumped the State " before the primary elec- 

 tions. The proposed constitutional convention 

 and the so-called " land scandal " (see Annual 

 Cyclopaedia for 1899, page 4) played a prominent 

 part in the campaign. Senator Morgan carried 

 all the 55 counties that acted on the senatorship, 

 and he was chosen by the Legislature, Nov. 15. 



The State elections were held Aug. 6. There 

 were 4 tickets in the field, as follow: For Gov- 

 ernor. William J. Samford, Democrat; John A. 

 Steele, Republican; G. B. Crowe, Populist; H. L. 

 Hargett, Prohibitionist. 



For Secretary of State, Robert P. McDavid, 

 Democrat: John H. Porter, Republican; T. W. 

 Powell, Populist; L. F. Whitten, Prohibitionist. 



For Auditor, T. L. Sewell. Democrat; J. C. 

 Swan, Republican; M. W. Whatley, Populist; 

 R. O. Simpson, Prohibitionist. 



For Treasurer, J. Craig Smith, Democrat; Pope 

 M. Long, Republican; O. L. McKinstry, Populist; 

 D. C. Batchelor, Prohibitionist. 



For Attorney-General, Charles G. Brown, Demo- 



crat; C. D. Alexander, Republican; Leroy Wat- 

 son, Populist; H. L. Martin, Prohibitionist. 



For Superintendent of Education, John W. 

 Abercrombie, Democrat; James I. Abercrombie, 

 Republican; W. M. Wood, Populist; Porter, 

 Prohibitionist. 



For Commissioner of Agriculture, Robert R. 

 Poole, Democrat; John B. Shields, Republican; 

 J. M. Askew, Populist; C. D. Alverson, Prohibi- 

 tionist. 



Walter H. Matthews was nominated for the 

 office of Auditor at the Democratic convention, 

 but died in July, and the State committee filled 

 the vacancy. 



Samuel M. Adams was the nominee of the 

 Populist convention for Governor. He declined 

 because he disapproved the policy of the naming 

 of a State ticket by his party. A. G. Dake de- 

 clined the nomination for Treasurer, and the two 

 vacancies were filled as above. 



Following is an abstract of the principal 

 declarations of the Democratic platform : " An 

 honest and economical government. A scrupu- 

 lous regard for the American Constitution. For 

 commercial expansion. The construction of the 

 Nicaragua Canal. Denunciation of unjust treat- 

 ment of Porto Ricans. The legitimate expansion 

 of home and foreign trade. The regulation of 

 trusts and riddance of the protective tariff. Be- 

 lief in renomination of W. J. Bryan and a demand 

 for his renomination. Belief in the Chicago plat- 

 form, but no demand or instruction for its re- 

 affirmation. The furtherance of public educa- 

 tion." 



The more important articles in the Populist 

 platform were : " That we advocate and urge upon 

 all voters who are opposed to the liquor traffic 

 the necesity of supporting candidates who favor 

 the dispensary system as an improvement upon 

 the license system. That we condemn in unmeas- 

 ured terms the proposed constitutional conven- 

 tion as being inimical to the best interests of the 

 people of Alabama. That we condemn the resolu- 

 tion passed by the late Democratic convention 

 which recommends that defeated Democratic can- 

 didates for the Legislature be consulted in regard 

 to local legislation." 



The Republicans were divided into two factions 

 at the time of their State convention, in April. 

 The dispute over the right to control resulted in 

 violence, during which a young man was seri- 

 ously wounded. The differences were adjusted 

 later, and in July the State committee put out 

 the ticket with candidates drawn from both 

 factions. 



All the Democratic candidates were elected in 

 August. The vote for Mr. Poole, the Democratic 

 candidate for Commissioner of Agriculture, was 

 105,429; for Mr. Shields, Republican, 21,525; for 

 Mr. Askew, Populist, 14,131 ; and for Mr. Alver- 

 son, Prohibitionist, 2,203. This makes a total of 

 143,288 votes cast. This is much less than the 

 regular vote of the State. The vote for Governor 

 would probably show larger figures, but the re- 

 turns are not at hand. The Democratic majority 

 was given in round numbers as 75,000. The Leg- 

 islature is overwhelmingly Democratic. One 

 Senator holding over is a Populist, and the Popu- 

 lists and Republicans have about 9 Representa- 

 tives. 



At the November election Democratic congress- 

 men were elected in all the 9 districts. The Bryan 

 electoral ticket was successful. 



ANGLICAN CHURCHES. Statistical. 

 The Official Yearbook of the Church of England 

 gives the number of communicants of the Estab- 

 lished Church as 1,941,760, with church accom- 



