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3. Graduation .- When the University of Alabama was first opened in 1831, young Meek entered as a Apr. 18, student. Two years later he was graduated in the 1831 class with Marion Banks, Francis C. D. Bouchelle (boo shel), John G. Davenport, William Woolsey King, Rev. Robert B. McMullen, and George D. Shortridge. Two years later he began the practice of law ..
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4. Honors .- Honors fell thick upon him. In 1836, he was associate-editor of the Flag of the Union, and three years after edited the Southron, a monthly magazine of high merit. He spent several months as a volunteer officer in the war against the Florida Indians. Upon his return home Governor C. C. Clay appointed him attorney-general of the State. He was then about twenty-two years old. Six years later he was appointed probate judge of Tuskaloosa county. In 1844, he bore to Washington the electoral vote of Alabama for Polk and Dallas. The follow- ing year he was appointed assistant secretary of the treasury of the United States, and subsequently he was made the Federal attorney for the southern por- tion of Alabama. After this his Alabama residence was in Mobile, where he became editor of the Mobile Register.
Approved, Feb. 15, 1854
5. Father of Public School System .- His public service, his speeches upon history and literature, and his writings had already made him well known. In 1853, he was elected to the legislature. He intro- duced a bill "To establish and maintain a system of free public schools in Alabama." Thus he became the father of the educational system of pub- lic schools in the State. Possibly no other bill has ever been introduced into the legislature that has been such a blessing to the common people.
In 1859, he was again in the legislature and was elected speaker of the house.
6. Publication of His Works .- In 1855, he began to publish his writings in book form. The Red Eagle, a Poem of the South, was the first to be issued.
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This beautiful poem is the love story of William Weatherford (Red Eagle) and Lillah, the daughter of Daniel Beasley, who commanded at Fort Mims. It attracted the immediate attention of the reading public. Then appeared his Orations, Romantic Passages in Southwestern History, and Songs and Poems of the South.
7. Marriage and Death .- Judge Meek was twice married, first to Mrs. Slatter of Mobile, and after- wards to Mrs. Cannon of Columbus, Mississippi.
On November 1, 1865, he died suddenly at Columbus.
8. Meek as an Author .- Judge Meek began to write poetry when he was very young. His heart was tender and he loved beauty. His poetry touches upon many subjects.
The Day of Freedom, which he wrote before he was twenty-four years old, was read at a celebration on July 4, 1838, in Tuskaloosa. In this poem he describes the character of a patriot, the greatness of this country, the feelings of an old soldier who had fought for it, and the glory of the "Stars and Stripes." Into his argument for the union of the States he injects The Land of the South, which is a beautiful and patriotic tribute to the section of coun- try in which he was born.
Balaklava is probably the most popular of Meek's poems. It describes the fearful charge which the British made against the Russian fortress at Bala- klava in the Crimean War. It is a fit companion- piece of Tennyson's Light Brigade.
Nov. 1, 1865
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The prose writings of Judge Meek mark him as a man of great mental powers and of lofty ideals. In these writings he expresses the belief that through literature God would redeem the world and hasten the millenium.
The noble thoughts expressed by him, and the brief and skilful way in which he so thoroughly treated the facts of history, set a high standard for later writers. Scarcely anything worthy has entered into the published history of the Southwest that has not borrowed from his store of facts.
9. An Estimate by Judge Smith .- To know the man whose life has been sketched in this chapter, one must read his writings and also what his per- sonal friends have said of him. Judge William R. Smith, in Reminiscences, treats Judge Meek as a man and a poet. He tells of his kindly nature, his jolly boyhood, and his warm-heartedness. Ile notes the .remarkable fact that young Meek, when a Sunday-school pupil, repeated from memory the whole of the English Bible. He describes him as a man of fine personal appearance, though inclined to be overbearing among men, but full of gentleness and grace among women. Although he had his own imaginary world and sometimes lived as though in a dream, he was entirely at home with his friends and acquaintances. "In the parlor he was superb; on the streets he was genial, social, and cheerful; as a friend he was warm and candid; as an acquaint- .ance he was cordial; as a politician he was an unchangeable Jackson Democrat; as an editor his
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articles were crispy, clear, and cogent; at the bar he was considered an eloquent advocate; and on the bench, a profound judge."
SUMMARY
A. B. Meek, poet, orator, jurist, journalist, and one of the first students to enter the University, was an associate-editor of the Flag of the Union, and editor of the Southron, a soldier in the Florida Indian war, attorney-general of the State, probate judge of Tuskaloosa county, elector to Washington for Polk and Dallas, assistant secretary of the treasury of the United States, federal attorney for southern Alabama, and editor of the Mobile Register. As a member of the general assembly, he was the author of the bill creating the public school system. He was a Jackson demo- crat, and a strong believer in the purifying power of literature. Several books, stimulating to what is best in thought and life, were written by Judge Meek.
QUESTIONS
1. Sketch the early life of A. B. Meek. 2. Describe each of the "three distinguished Meeks." 3. Give an account of the gradua- tion of A. B. Meek. 4. What honors fell to him? 5. Of what im- portant bill was he the author? 6. Name the books that were published by him. 7. Tell of his marriage and death. 8. Give a brief outline of The Red Eagle; The Day of Freedom; Balaklava. 9. How did Judge Meek regard the influence of literature? 10. What is Judge Smith's estimate of him?
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CHAPTER XII
THE STATE BANK (1823-1853)
1. Establishment of the Bank .- The rapid influx of population into the new State of Alabama increased the demand for articles manufactured at a distance. All purchases had to be paid for in gold and silver, which was the principal money of that day. To remedy the inconvenience of sending gold and silver from place to place, and to make it possible to use checks, notes, drafts, bonds, paper money, or coin in payment of debts, the general assembly of Alabama established the State Bank. The parent bank was located in Cahawba, but it was moved to Tuskaloosa when that city was made the capital in 1826. Branch banks were afterward established in Montgomery, Mobile, Decatur, and Huntsville.
Dec. 20, 1823
2. Capital of the Bank .- When Alabama became a State, the United States government granted it 46,080 acres of land for a seminary of learning. The legislature turned over these lands to the Univer- sity of Alabama. Large quantities of them were sold, some of the most fertile tracts bringing as high as sixty dollars an acre. In 1823, the State Bank was established by the legislature. The law provided that "the moneys arising from the sale or rent of the lands given to this State by the Congress of the
1823
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THE STATE BANK
United States for the support of a seminary of learn- ing shall form a part of the capital of said bank." It further provided that the amount paid into the capital of the 'bank from funds derived from the sale of University lands should be limited to $100,000. The national government also gave a tract of land for the site of the State capital. The legislature provided that any money arising from the sale of this land, and from the sale of salt springs, and from fines and forfeits, should be a part of the capi- tal of the State Bank.
3. The Directors .- The president and twelve direc- tors of the bank were elected annually by the general assembly. A great many men wanted to be elected members on the board of bank directors. It is said that hotel-keepers once held the money-keys of the State. In Tuskaloosa, Major Charles Lewin, a typi- cal hotel-keeper, secured early election as a director of the bank. He was jolly, genial, and clever, and could readily have notes discounted at the bank for his customers, who divided with him the cash obtained. Seeing his popularity and success, the other hotel-keepers in Tuskaloosa exerted themselves until they all became directors. "This man must have camped out last night," remarked President Tyndall on one occasion when a man's note offered for discount was not especially favored by any one of the directors.
4. Effect Upon Business .- In establishing the State Bank, the legislators considered that they were doing what was best for the people, and for a time there seemed to be wonderful improvement in business.
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Good crops, cheap labor, and the paper money issued by the bank and its branches made everybody feel easy and confident. With money borrowed from the banks farmers bought slaves and land at high prices, and merchants purchased large stocks of merchan- dise. From 1836 to 1842 there were no taxes to pay, for the banks supplied the funds necessary for running the government of the State.
5. Misuse of Funds .- Since the banks had been established by the legislature, it was but natural that they should be more or less under the control of politicians. A politician, denied a loan at one bank, went to another, and by berating the directors for not lending money when it was most needed, would succeed in getting a loan of thousands of dol- lars for his personal use. Moseley Baker, lawyer, editor, and member of the legislature from Mont- gomery, who had been living ahead of his means, borrowed of the bank $24,000 on his note endorsed by John Moonshine and Adam Sunshine. He was afterwards arrested, but made his escape to Texas, where he became a member of Congress of that re- public. Rising in his place one day, he confessed his crime in Alabama, resigned his seat, communicated with Alabama bank officials, and paid the debt. Prominent Whigs and Democrats owed the banks immense sums on their own notes and on notes which they had endorsed for others, and thus the State Bank was drained by the ruling class of both political parties.
The banks every year went from bad to worse. They became corrupt and reckless, even lending
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money on cotton in the field that had not been picked. This policy was continued until finally the debt of the banks amounted to more than nine million dol- lars.
The country suffered because the people began to distrust more and more such careless bank methods. Prices changed so rapidly as to disturb seriously the transaction of business. Thoughtful men, dread- ing the collapse of the credit of the State and the financial ruin of its people, began to demand that the banks either be reformed or that they be closed altogether.
6. Charges of Mismanagement .- "Reform" be- came the cry of those who wished to save the State ,. from bankruptcy. Resolutions were introduced in the legislature of 1840 and 1841, charging that mem- bers of the legislature and officers of the banks had entered into dishonest bargains. Governor Fitzpat- rick appointed a committee of three to examine and · report upon the condition of the Montgomery branch of the State Bank. Its careless and slipshod methods of doing business, which were exposed by the com- mittee, were fiercely attacked and denounced by the newspapers of the State. Mass-meetings of citizens started investigations in which it was shown that the lawmakers were engaged in crooked dealings with the banks. It was learned that the banks had loaned more money to its officers and to members of the legislature than had been borrowed by all the rest of the people of the State.
Strong opposition blocked continuously Governor Fitzpatrick's efforts to protect the banks, but
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1842
economy was begun in their management and in all offices of the State. Taxes were reestablished. Banks were forbidden to lend money or to increase their debts, and the four branch banks were in- structed to refuse all new business and prepare to close up.
May, 1845
7. A Political Issue .- The credit of the State and the private fortunes of the people were still in danger when Nathaniel Terry was nominated for governor in 1845 by an incomplete Democratic conven- tion in Tuskaloosa. He was largely indebted to the banks and favored their continuance. Chancellor Joshua Lanier Martin, a lifelong Democrat, declared himself a candidate for governor on the issue of bank reform.
Both candidates were Democrats, and at the elec- tion Whigs and Democrats voted as they judged the merits of the issues before the country. Martin was overwhelmingly elected. His majority was more than five thousand votes.
8. The Banks Closed and State Credit Upheld. - Governor Martin, in his message to the general assembly recommended the legal removal of the president and directors of the banks. Francis S. Lyon,* of Demopolis, William Cooper, of Florence,
*Francis Strother Lyon was a North Carolinian by birth, but removed to Alabama in his youth. He was secretary of the sen- ate of Alabama, 1822 to 1830; a State senator, 1832 to 1834; rep- resentative in Congress, 1835 to 1839; bank commissioner, 1846 to 1853; a representative in the Confederate Congress, 1861 to 1865. He was a nephew of George S. and General E. P. Gaines, and the father of Mrs. Wm. H. Ross and Mrs. O. H. Prince.
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and Benjamin Fitzpatrick, of Autauga, were elected commissioners to wind up the affairs of the banks. Mr. Fitzpatrick declined to serve, and C. C. Clay, of Huntsville, was given his place. The business was soon solely in the hands of Mr. Lyon, with John Whiting his assistant.
Mr. Lyon was an able and pure man. He dis- charged the duties of his office with such judgment and discretion as to restore to par the money issued by the banks, to uphold the credit of the State, and to save from bankruptcy thousands of citizens whose financial interests depended upon his business ability and sense of justice.
Other States and Europe watched anxiously the course of Mr. Lyon. The manner in which he man- aged the affairs of the bank and kept up the credit of the State made him highly honored and respected by the business world and placed him among those most worthy to be remembered for services to the State. Governor Fitzpatrick, Judge John A. Campbell, Gov- ernor Martin, and others are sharers in the glory of the measures of reform, but to Mr. Lyon are due most directly the gratitude and pride of Alabama for the far-reaching benefits of the six years' work which he devoted to the money affairs of the State.
SUMMARY
To meet the demand for more money to carry on business, the State Bank was established by the general assembly in 1823. A large part of the capital of this bank was obtained from the sale of University lands. The election of the directors by the legislature soon became the basis of a political scramble. For awhile the State Bank and its branches were thought to answer
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all expectation, for there was a rapid increase in business, and everyone seemed to be prosperous. From 1836 to 1842 the ex- penses of running the government of the State were paid by the banks. After a time, however, it was seen that they were being run in a very unbusiness-like manner. "Bank reform" became the cry, and Joshua L. Martin was elected on this platform. The banks were placed in the hands of Francis S. Lyon and others. After several years of careful management, the affairs of the banks were wound up and the credit of the State upheld.
QUESTIONS
1. For what reasons was the State Bank established? 2. At what places were branch banks established? 3. From what sources did the capital of the bank come? 4. Ilow were the the directors chosen, and what class of men held at one time the "money keys of the State"? 5. What effect did the establish- ment of the banks have upon business and upon the government of the State? 6. In what ways were the funds of the banks misused? 7. What charges of mismanagement were made, and with what results? 8. Describe the contest for governor in 1845. 9. What did Governor Martin recommend? 10. Give an acount of the work of Mr. Lyon.
CHAPTER XIII
ALABAMA IN POLITICS (1820-1859)
1. Governor Thomas Bibb .- Governor William Wyatt Bibb died on July 10, 1820, and his brother, Thomas Bibb, of Limestone, president of the senate, took his office.
1820 to 1821
Settlers rushed into the State. They cut down the forests to make way for farms. They built houses. Preachers, doctors, lawyers, and merchants came. Carpenters and blacksmiths were busy and were well paid. The schoolmaster was around, both the ignorant and the learned type. Steamboat companies were formed; the University was chartered; and newspapers were established.
2. Governor Pickens .- Israel Pickens succeeded Governor Thomas Bibb. He won the office of gover- nor over Dr. Henry Chambers* in the elections of 1821 and 1823.
Governor Pickens gave the State a full share in "the era of good feeling." Relief through the United States Congress for the embarrassed land- holders, the establishment of the State Bank, and
*Dr. Chambers was brilliant and beloved. In 1825, he was elected to the senate of the United States, and died the next year on his way to Washington. A county bears his name. His son, Colonel Hal Chambers, represented Mississippi in the Confederate Congress. His daughter married the son of Governor Thomas Bibb.
1821 to 18:25
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provision for presidential electors to be chosen by the people, were brought about during his term of office. Apr. 3, In 1825, he entertained in Montgomery General 1825 . LaFayette, "the nation's guest," whom the people of Alabama greeted with continuous ovations in his passage from the Chattahoochee river to Mobile.
3. Governor Murphy .- John Murphy, of Monroe,
1825 to 1829
Old Cahawba
1826
was in office when the capital was removed from Cahawba to Tuskaloosa. Cahawba was situated where it was subject to overflows of both the Ala- bama and Cahawba rivers, and it was very sickly. Tuskaloosa was selected as the site for the Univer- sity, and the University buildings were begun. Con- gress granted 400,000 acres of land in north Ala- bama to be used to get money to build canals around
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Muscle and Colbert Shoals, in the Tennessee river. State laws were passed forbidding slaves to carry weapons or to leave home without a "pass" from their master. There was excitement because of the tariff laws passed by Congress, and also some trou- ble with the Creeks about their removal, and with Georgia about the boundary line.
4. Governor Gabriel Moore .- While Gabriel Moore, of Madison, held the governorship, much interest was shown in education and religion. The population increased rapidly, and the people were prosperous and happy. The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was signed September 27, 1830, by Generals John Eaton, John Coffee, and one hundred and seventy chiefs. It secured from the Choctaws all their lands east of the Mississippi river and prepared for the removal of the tribe to lands in the West. The con- stitution was changed so as to limit to six years the term of office of the judges of the supreme court. The Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur Railroad, the first railroad in Alabama and the first west of the Alle- gheny Mountains, was begun.
Governor Moore defeated John Mckinley for the senate of the United States, and resigned the gov- ernorship to take the new office. He was succeeded by Samuel B. Moore, president of the State senate. John Gayle, of Greene county, defeated both Gov- ernor Samuel B. Moore and Nicholas Davis in the heated campaign of 1831.
5. Governor Gayle .- John Gayle was of great dig- nity and force of character. In upholding the laws of the State he alnost brought on a clash with the
1829 to 1831
1831 to 1835
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Federal government. In 1832, the Creeks, by the Treaty of Cusseta, and the Chickasaws, by treaty made at the Council House on Pontotoc creek, in Mississippi, surrendered to the United States all their lands east of the Mississippi. The Creeks were not to leave the country unless they chose ; the whites were not to enter the ceded territory until it was surveyed, and those already in the territory were to be removed as soon as their crops were gathered.
The whites refused to be put out; moreover, many others rushed into the ceded territory. The Indians finally appealed to the Federal government for pro- tection. The United States marshal at Fort Mitchell was ordered to use force to check the whites. The whites quarreled with the marshal, and Federal sol- diers killed Hardeman Owens, a commissioner of roads and revenue in Russell county. As a conse- quence, there was great excitement.
The grand jury of Russell county indicted the sol- diers for murder. Governor Gayle claimed that all people within the limits of Alabama, whether Indians, soldiers, whites, or negroes, were subject to the laws of the State. Lewis Cass, the secretary of war, declared that the United States would carry out the terms of the treaty. For awhile it looked as if the United States and Alabama would have serious trouble.
To settle the questions in dispute, Francis Scott Key, author of The Star Spangled Banner, visited Tuskaloosa as Federal commissioner. He met Gov- ernor Gayle and the general assembly, which was in session, and he compromised by agreeing that the
1833
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ALABAMA IN POLITICS
United States would do no more than remove the whites from the lands expressly reserved for the Indians, and that titles to the lands occupied by the intruding whites might be purchased from the In- dians.
A cotton factory was built and operated in Madi- son county; the railroad was completed from Decatur to Tuscumbia; branch State banks were established, and the people voted against the peni- tentiary system.
6. Governor Clay .- Clement Comer Clay, of Madi- son, defeated Enoch Parsons in the race for governor. The Cherokees, on December 29, 1835, at New Echota, in Georgia, ceded all their lands east of the Mississippi for $5,000,000 and seven million acres of land in the West. They agreed to remove to the western lands within two years; but the treaty was distasteful to many of the tribe, and out of it grew bitter feuds and murders. The strong arm of the Federal government forced the Cherokees to move away in 1838.
Much excitement arose over the raids and murders committed by the Creeks in east Alabama. Roanoke in Georgia was burnt. A company of immigrants was murdered. Governor Clay made prompt arrangements to suppress what was feared to be the beginning of another Creek War. He collected sol- diers and supplies, which he turned over to General Jesup and General Winfield Scott. He met in Mont- gomery and won over to the Americans the Indian chief O poth'le yo ho'lo, who aided in quieting the Indians.
1835 to 1837
1838
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General William Wellborn attacked the Indians on Pea river, in Pike county, and routed them after a bloody battle. Some of the Indians fled into Florida. . The rest were removed to the Indian Territory.
The financial troubles began to create uneasiness- a great change from the confidence of 1836, when the policy of paying the expenses of the State out of the "bank profits" was begun.
Governor Bagby's Mansion in Tuskaloosa
Governor Clay was elected to the United States senate in June, 1837, and was succeeded in office by Hugh McVay, of Lauderdale. Mr. McVay was gov- ernor for a quiet term of four months. Arthur Pen- dleton Bagby, of Monroe, was elected to succeed him.
7. Governor Bagby .- While Mr. Bagby was gov- ernor, the Cherokees were removed from the State.
1837 to 1841
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ALABAMA IN POLITICS
Branding, cropping, and whipping were no longer allowed in the penitentiary system, and people were no longer imprisoned for debt, except in cases of fraud. The disputed boundary line between Georgia and Alabama was settled. The banks throughout the country were giving general uneasiness, and the Ala- bama State Bank was causing special anxiety. Yel- low fever and drought increased the sufferings of the people.
8. Governor Fitzpatrick .- Benjamin Fitzpatrick, of' Autauga, won the governorship over James W. McClung. He ordered investigations which finally led to the closing of the State's branch banks, and then of the "Mother Bank." The constitution was changed so as to have elections and sessions of the general assembly every two years instead of every year, as had been the order since Alabama became a . State; the capital was voted to be removed from Tuskaloosa to Montgomery.
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