USA > Alabama > History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume I > Part 104
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On March 6, 1887, the Church of the Holy Comforter, Montgomery, was opened. During the War of Secession the Rev. Dr. Scott of Pensacola had started, under this title, a congregation which was composed mostly of refugees from Florida and other states. The building was removed after the war. The present building was erected with the proceeds of the original property which had been appropriated for that purpose. About the same time St. Mary's, Birming- ham, St. Michael and All Angels', Anniston, the latter the gift of John W. Noble, of An- niston, and the Church of the Nativity, Huntsville, the gift of Mrs. Wilson Bibb, as a memorial of her husband and little daugh- ter, were completed.
In 1888 the council created an office to
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HISTORY OF ALABAMA
which the board of missions gave the title "archdeacon." The archdeacon's duty was to relieve the Bishop, who was becoming feeble, of all detail work and to have gen- eral supervision of missionary posts. Rev. Dr. Horace Stringfellow was elected to this office.
The council of 1890 which met in St. John's chapel again reopened the matter of electing an assistant bishop. Three clergy- men were nominated, Rev. Thomas F. Gailor, of Sewanee, Rev. Robert S. Barrett, of At- lanta, and Rev. Dr. J. S. Lindsay, of Boston. The choice fell upon Dr. Lindsay who de- clined. On October 29, 1890, a special council met at Selma, and the Rev. Henry Melville Jackson, D. D., of Richmond, Va., Rev. R. W. Barnwell, of Selma, and Rev. Joseph Blount Cheshire, of Charlotte, N. C., were nominated. Rev. Dr. Jackson received the election.
The congregations organized during the first thirty years of Bishop Wilmer's episco- pate were: Athens, Anniston (3), Avondale, Auburn, Bessemer, Birmingham (2), Bon Secour, Clayton, Coalburg, Columbia, Grace parish in Dallas County, Decatur, Evergreen, Fowl River, Gadsden, Gainesville, Hayne- ville, Mount Meigs, Montevallo, Montgomery (1), Prattville, Piedmont, Sheffield, Scotts> boro, Talladega, Trinity, Troy, Union Springs, Whistler and Woodlawn.
Noble institute, a diocesan school for girls, at Anniston, the gift of Samuel Noble, was destroyed by fire in 1895, and June 20, 1896, the property was conveyed to Grace church, Anniston, and is now a church school for girls.
Between 1890-94 ten parishes were or- ganized. In 1890 Christ church, Avondale, and St. John's, New Decatur, were organized; in 1892 the mission at Sylacauga; and in 1893, Christ church, Bridgeport, Grace church, Mt. Meigs, the missions at Mt. Pleasant, Orrville, Perdue Hill, Stanton and Tyler's.
St. Thomas', Citronelle, and St. Thomas', Greenville, and Trinity church , Florence, were consecrated in 1898. In 1899 the coun- cil adopted a constitution and canon which were amended in 1900.
On January 1, 1900, Rt. Rev. Henry Mel- ville resigned as Bishop Coadjutor of the diocese on account of ill health. Rev. Robert Woodward Barnwell was elected to this office on May 8, 1900, but Bishop Wilmer died before his consecration as such, so on July 25, 1900, he was consecrated bishop. For many years Bishop Wilmer had been unable to attend the council meetings so it was still necessary to have an assistant to the Bishop. Bishop Wilmer died June 14, 1900.
Bishop Barnwell's Episcopate .- On October 1, 1900, St. Alban's, at Gainesville, was con- secrated and on November 18 and December 30, respectively, of that year the Church of the Heavenly Rest, Atmore, and Christ Church, Avondale, were also consecrated. The church at this time had three colored priests and three colored congregations, namely, Mobile, Montgomery and Birming-
ham. Trinity Church, Demopolis, was con- secrated June 19, 1901, and two other churches, Church of the Holy Cross, Union- town, November 6, 1901, and the church at Magnolia Springs, April 3, 1902. Bishop Barnwell died July 24, 1902.
Bishop Beckwith's Episcopate. Rev. Dr. Charles Minnegrode Beckwith, a mission- ary in the diocese of Texas, was on October 8, 1902, unanimously elected to succeed Bishop Barnwell. Barnwell, Blockton, Pell City, Marion, Tuskegee, and several other places have had churches consecrated, but the chief growth has been in the mission field and work along educational lines.
Hamner Hall .- Incorporated by an act of the Alabama legislature, February 23, 1860. It was the outcome of the earnest request of Bishop Cobbs addressed to the Conven- tion, 1857. A committee was appointed con- sisting of Rev. Messrs. J. M. Barrister and F. R. Hanson, of the clergy, and Charles T. Pollard, A. W. Ellerbee, and A. R. Bell, of the laity. This committee reported favor- ably on the Bishop's communication and sug- gested that a committee be appointed with power to act in the establishment of a dio- cesan seminary. Bishop Cobbs was chairman of this committee, and the other members were Rev. J. M. Mitchell, Samuel G. Jones, and Thomas B. Taylor, all of Montgomery.
At the next convention a report was made which the finance committee endorsed and the convention adopted by unanimous vote. Montgomery had been decided upon as the, location for the school, and a grove of nearly ten acres had been purchased in the west- ern part of the city at a cost of $6,000. Montgomery, by popular subscription, had already raised nearly the whole of this amount, and expected to raise at least $10,- 000. The diocese was asked for $20,000 more with which to erect suitable buildings. The following year the committee an- nounced that $15,000 had already been raised by Montgomery. An increase to $20,000 was promised by this city, provided the diocese raised the same amount. The convention then discharged the committee and elected in its stead a board of trustees, the mem- bers of which were Dr. T. B. Taylor, Charles T. Pollard, Samuel G. Jones, and the Rev. J. M. Mitchell, whose terms of office were, respectively, one, two, three, and four years, and each trustee's successor was to be elected for a term of four years.
In October, 1860, it was leased, rent free, for the first two years to Rev. J. Avery Shepherd. The buildings were not com- pleted but a dwelling-house was rented for the boarding department and an adjoining house for school rooms. By the middle of the first year the school had reached its utmost limit. The buildings were not com- pleted until 1862. During the confusion of the War of Secession no attempt was made to collect the rent. At the close of this period satisfactory terms could not be made with Rev. Mr. Shepherd, so the school was transferred to Prof. H. P. Lefebvre, who took charge in October, 1865. Under his
540
HISTORY OF ALABAMA
principalship it was successfully managed until his death four years later.
In 1863, the board of trustees found it necessary to borrow $4,968 from the Bishop's fund. For seven years this indebtedness re- mained unpaid, the interest not even hav- ing been paid.
Rev. Dr. Horace Stringfellow, rector of St. John's, Montgomery, and his vestry decided, in 1870, to purchase this property and make it into a parish school, as it had not been open since the death of Prof. Lefebvre. It was therefore bought by St. John's church vestry and they assumed the debt of the trustees of the school to the trustees of the Bishop's fund. A note of $5,000 with inter- est was given to the trustees of the Bishop's fund as security. The note was made pay- able in five years and the mortgage was fore- closable upon failure to pay the principal at maturity and also upon the first default in annual interest. For two years the inter- est was paid by the parish.
In 1873, after two years as a girls' school, the institution was declared a failure. It was then converted into a boys' school under the principalship of Francis K. Meade, of Virginia.
In 1879, with the debt and interest still unpaid, it was decided to convey the entire Hamner Hall property, including the Bishop Cobbs' orphan home, to the Bishop's fund in payment of the debt. St. John's parish was to retain use of a part of the property until it should be needed as a residence for the future bishop.
From 1879-89 the property was leased to the Rev. Dr. George M. Everhart, who con- ducted a girls' school, and the school not proving a success during the latter part of that time was again pronounced a failure.
The property was then rented as a board- ing house and later was used as a boys' school by Prof. J. M. Starke. Along the south side a street was cut, and another was made at right angles to this. The prop- erty on the east side was made into huild- ing lots which were soon sold.
On the morning of August 29, 1909, this historic old building was burned to the ground. It had been rented to the Wom- an's College of Montgomery, and the library, furniture, etc., of this college was destroyed with the buildings. The city of Montgom- ery purchased the property and it is now used as a public park.
Statistics .- In 1920 in Alabama there were 36 parishes; 41 organized missions; 21 un- organized missions; 38 clergymen; 1 bishop; 34 priests; 3 deacons; 96 church edifices; 36 rectories; 36 parish houses; whole num- ber baptized persons, 12,283, white, 11,962, colored, 321; whole number of communicants, 9,518, white, 9,205, colored, 313; orphan asylums, 1; industrial schools, 1; total value of church property, $1,796,813.57.
Diocesan Officers .-
Right Rev. Charles M. Beckwith, D. D., Bishop, ex officio president of the Council. Secretary-Rev. V. G. Lowery, Troy.
Assistant Secretary-Rev. C. K. Weller, Jacksonville.
Registrar-Frank Stollenwerck.
Chancellor-A. Pelham Agee, Anniston.
Histiographer-Rev. R. H. Cobbs, D. D., Greensboro.
Treasurer-R. H. Cochrane, Tuscaloosa. Convocations .-
Mobile: embraces Mobile, Baldwin, Es- cambia, Washington, Clarke and Monroe Counties; 6 parishes; 10 organized missions; 9 unorganized missions.
Montgomery: embraces Montgomery, Con- ecuh, Butler, Lowndes, Autauga, Lee, Rus- sell, Pike, Bullock, Barhour, Covington, Coffee, Geneva, Dale, Henry, Macon, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore, Tallapoosa, Chambers and Houston Counties; 4 parishes; 13 organized missions; 4 unorganized missions.
Selma: embraces Dallas, Marengo, Perry, Wilcox, Hale, Choctaw, Sumter and Greene Counties; 9 parishes; 6 organized missions; 2 unorganized missions.
Birmingham: Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, St. Clair, Shelby, Bibb, Talladega, Calhoun, Walker, Blount, Cullman, Etowah, Pickens, Lamar, Fayette, Marion, Winston, Cherokee, DeKalb, Clay and Randolph Counties; 12 parishes; 8 organized missions; 3 unorgan- ized missions.
Huntsville: embraces Colhert, Madison, Jackson, Limestone, Morgan, Lawrence, Franklin, Lauderdale and Marshall Coun- ties; 5 parishes; 3 organized missions; 3 un- organized missions.
Publications: The first church paper, the "Church Register," a weekly, was launched in June, 1868, under the directorship of the Rev. J. H. Ticknor, of Montgomery, but was soon discontinued. Rev. George H. Hunt, in 1878, hegan the publication at Tuscaloosa of a monthly magazine, "The Old Church Path," but this also was short lived. "The Alabama Churchman" was published for a few months in 1889 by the Rev. L. W. Rose of Birmingham. In 1892, the "Diocese of Alahama,' later changed to the ""Church Rec- ord," was hegun in Montgomery, the place of publication. It was discontinued after a number of years.
Brotherhood of St. Andrews .- An organ- ization whose object is to spread Christianity among men, especially young men. James L. Houghteling and others founded it in 1883 in St. James' parish, Chicago.
In 1920, in Alabama there were five branches of this organization, Anniston, Bir- mingham, and Mobile (3), with a total mem- hership of 45.
PARISHES AND MISSION STATIONS OF ALABAMA.
Parishes .-
Albany . St. Johns
Anniston . Grace Church
Anniston . St. Michaels & All Angels
Bessemer Trinity Church
Birmingham .. Advent
Birmingham St. Andrews
Birmingham St. Marys
Boligee St. Marks
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HISTORY OF ALABAMA
Carlowville St. Pauls
Decatur . St. Pauls
Demopolis Trinity Church
Eutaw . St. Stephens
Faunsdale St. Michaels
Florence . Trinity Church
Gadsden . . Church of the Holy Comforter
Greensboro . St. Pauls
Greenville
St. Thomas
Huntsville . Nativity
Jacksonville . St. Lukes
Marion St. Wilfrids
Mobile . All Saints
Mobile
Christ Church
Mobile
. Church of the Good Shepherd
Mobile . St. Johns
Mobile Trinity
Montevallo St. Andrews
Montgomery Church of the Ascension
Montgomery. . Church of the Holy Comforter Montgomery St. Johns
Selma . St. Pauls
Sheffield . Grace Church
Spring Hill St. Pauls
Talladega . St. Peters
Tuscaloosa Christ Church
Uniontown . Church of the Holy Cross
Grace Church Woodlawn
Missions, Organized.
Alpine Trinity
Athens . St. Timothy
Auburn
Holy Innocents
Avondale Christ Church
Bay Minette
Immanuel
Birmingham
St. Marks
Birmingham
( West End) Trinity
. St. Peters
Bridgeport . Christ Church
Burnsville
.Christ Church
Camden . St. Marys
Chicakasaw . Immanuel
Citronelle St. Thomas
Dothan
. Nativity
Ensley St. Johns
Eufaula
St. James
Evergreen
. St. Marys
Forkland . St. Johns
Gainesville St. Albans
Geneva Christ Church
Grand Bay Holy Trinity St. Andrews
Irvington
St. Pauls
Livingston St. James
Lowndesboro St. Pauls
Loxley St. Albans
Maylene All Saints
Montgomery Christ Church Montgomery. .. Church of the Good Shepherd Oakdale Grace Church
Opelika . Emanuel Pell City .
Perdue Hill
St. James Piedmont Christ Church
Prairieville
St. Andrews
Prattville
St. Marks Toulminville St. Marks Troy St. Marks
Tuscumbia
St. Johns
Union Springs . Trinity Church
Whistler
. St. Pauls
Missions, Unorganized .-
Atmore Heavenly Rest
Barn well St. Marks
Berlin . St. Pauls
Blockton . Church of Our Savior
Clayton . Grace Church
Delchamps . St. Marys
Fairhope
Gladstone
Guntersville Epiphany
Gurley . Nativity
Letohatchie . St. Elizabeth
Magnolia Springs . St. Pauls Maysville . St. Augustine
Mt. Meigs . Grace Church
Newbern
Oak Grove St. Andrews
Oakman . St. Marks
Point Clear
St. Lukes
Robertsdale . St. Johns
Scottsboro . St. Lukes
Tuskegee . The Advent
Annual Councils, 1830-1920 .-
Primary convention, Mobile, Jan. 25 and May 12, 1830.
1st, Tuscaloosa, Jan. 3-8, 1831.
2nd, Tuscaloosa, Jan. 2-5, 1832.
3rd, Tuscaloosa, July 7-8, 1834. 4th, Tuscaloosa, Jan. 19, 1835. 5th, Mobile, Feb. 8-9, 1836.
6th, Greensboro, June 10, 1837.
7th, Montgomery, May 5, 1838. 8th, Selma, May 3-4, 1839.
9th, Mobile, April 25-29, 1840.
10th, Tuscaloosa, May 7-8, 1841.
11th, Mobile, Feb. 17-19, 1842.
12th, Mobile, Feb. 16-18, 1843.
13th, Greensboro, May 2-4, 1844.
14th, Montgomery, May 1, 1845.
15th, Carlowville, May 7-9, 1846.
16th, Tuscaloosa, - 6-8, 1847.
17th, Mobile, Feb. 24-26, 1848.
18th, Selma, May 3-5, 1849. 19th, Greensboro, May 9-11, 1850. 20th, Montgomery, May 8, 1851.
21st, Tuscaloosa, May 13-15, 1852.
22nd, Selma, May 12-14, 1853.
23rd, Carlowville, May 11-13, 1854.
24th, Greensboro, May 10-12, 1855.
25th, Mobile, May 1-3, 1856. 26th, Montgomery, May 7-9, 1857.
27th, Huntsville, May 20-22, 1858.
28th, Cahaba, May 5-7, 1859.
29th, Selma, May 3-5, 1860.
30th, Montgomery, May 2-6, 1861.
* Selma, Nov. 21, 1861.
31st, Mobile, May 1-2, 1862.
32nd, Greensboro, May 7-9, 1863.
33rd, Montgomery, May 5-7, 1864.
34th, Greenshoro. May 3, 1865. * Montgomery, Jan. 17, 1866. 35th, Montgomery, May 2-5, 1866. 36th, Mobile, May 8-11, 1867.
37th, Mobile, May 13-16, 1868. 38th, Selma, May 12-15, 1869.
39th, Montgomery, May 11-14, 1870.
40th, Huntsville, May 10-13, 1871.
41st, Montgomery, May 8-11, 1872.
42nd, Mobile, May 14-17, 1873.
43rd, Eufaula, May 13-15, 1874.
St. Mary the Virgin
Hayneville
Bon Secour
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HISTORY OF ALABAMA
44th, Tuscaloosa, May 26-29, 1875.
45th, Selma, May 10-13, 1876.
46th, Mobile, May 2-5, 1877.
47th, Demopolis, May 8-11, 1878.
48th, Greensboro, May 14-17, 1879.
49th, Birmingham, April 28-May 1, 1880. 50th, Huntsville, May 11-14, 1881.
51st, Montgomery, April 26-29, 1882. 52nd, Tuscaloosa, May 2-5, 1883.
53rd, Selma, May 7-10, 1884.
54th, Mobile, May 20-23, 1885.
55th, Anniston, May 19-22, 1886.
56th, Greensboro, May 11-15, 1887.
57th, Huntsville, May 23-29, 1888.
58th, Birmingham, May 21-24, 1889.
59th, Montgomery, May 20-23, 1890.
* Selma, October 29, 1890.
60th, Anniston, May 19-22, 1891.
61st, Mobile, May 3-7, 1892.
62nd, Montgomery, May 16-20, 1893.
63rd, Birmingham, May 30-June 2, 1894.
64th, Tuscaloosa, May 15-18, 1895.
65th, Greenshoro, May 20-23, 1896.
66th, Greensboro, May 12-15, 1897.
67th, Huntsville, June 7-11, 1898.
68th, Anniston, May 3-6, 1899.
69th, Mobile, May 16-19, 1900.
70th, Montgomery, May 8-11, 1901.
71st, Birmingham, May 21-24, 1902.
72nd, Montgomery, May 6-9, 1903.
73rd, Tuscaloosa, May 4-7, 1904.
74th, Anniston, May 17-19, 1905.
75th, Selma, May 16-18, 1906.
76th, Greensboro, May 15-17, 1907.
77th, Huntsville, May 20-22, 1908.
78th, Birmingham, May 5-7, 1909.
79th, Mobile, May 11-13, 1910.
80th, Montgomery, May 3-5, 1911.
81st, Birmingham, May 15-17, 1912.
82nd, Tuscaloosa, May 7-9, 1913.
83rd, Selma, May 6-8, 1914.
84th, Anniston, 1915.
85th, Mobile, May 10-12, 1916.
86th, Birmingham, May 9-11, 1917.
87th, Huntsville, 1918.
88th, Selma, May 14-16, 1919.
See also: St. Mark's Industrial School; Rt. Rev. N. H. Cobbs; Rt. Rev. R. H. Wilmer; Rt. Rev. H. M. Jackson; Rt. Rev. R. W. Barnwell; Rt. Rev. C. M. Beckwith; Rt. Rev. Henry Lay; Rev. Horace Stringfellow; Rev. Phillip A. Fitts; Noble institute.
REFERENCES .- Whitaker-Church in Alabama; Diocese of Alabama, Journal Proceedings, 1892-1920; Acts, 1864, 1886-87; Manuscript in the Alabama State Department of Archives and History.
EPISCOPAL ORPHANAGE. See Child Welfare; Episcopal Church, The Protestant.
EPSOM SALTS. See Copperas, and Alum.
EPWORTH LEAGUE. See Methodists, various branches of:
EQUALIZATION, STATE BOARD OF. A State board of three members, appointed by the governor for terms expiring October 1, 1917, 1919, and 1921, respectively, and for
6-year terms thereafter, one of whom shall at the time of appointment be designated as chairman. The board was established by the general revenue bill, September 14, 1915, which provides that "the members of the State board of equalization shall be qualified electors known to possess high character and knowledge of the general subject of taxation, and matters pertaining thereto." They are forbidden to hold other offices and may not be employed by nor financially interested in any public service corporation, and "shall have been a citizen of Alabama for a period of five years, and shall be over thirty years of age, and shall be a freeholder." Each of them is required to give a $5,000 surety bond, and receives a salary of $3,000 a year. The employees authorized by law are a secre- tary at a salary not exceeding $2,400 a year, and such experts, engineers, stenographers, and assistants as may be necessary. The amount expended by the board for assistants, "and all other expenses of every nature and character whatsoever shall not ex- ceed twenty-five thousand dollars per annum for the fiscal year beginning October first, 1915, and for each fourth year thereafter, and for every other year shall not exceed the sum of ten thousand dollars.
It is the duty of the board "to carefully examine the tax abstracts and all tax returns of the several counties of this State filed in the office of the auditor, and to compare said tax abstracts and tax returns for the purpose of ascertaining whether the tax valuation of the various classes of property as made by the respective counties of the State is reasonably uniform as between the respective counties. It Is the purpose and intent of this act to bring about as far as practicable an equaliza- tion throughout the State of the values of the various classes of property subject to be taxed, so that values fixed in one county shall not be out of due proportion to values fixed in other counties on the same classes of property."
In addition to its supervisory duties with respect to the appralsement of property by the county boards, the State board is given exclusive jurisdiction, initiatory as well as supervisory, over the evaluation and assess- ment of all the property, both tangible and intangible, of all persons and companies operating railroads, sleeping cars, street or suburban railroads, express companies, tele- phones, telegraph lines, and all gas, water, electric lights or power, steam heat, refrig- erated air, dockage or cranage, toll road, rail- road equipment and navigation companies,
. and all other public service or public utility corporations. Some of these powers formerly were exercised by the State board of assess- ment, but they were increased, in number and scope, by the act of 1915.
State Tax Commissioner .- For many years it had been apparent that the tax laws of the State were not effectively and impartially ad- ministered. In 1896, Gov. Joseph F. Johns- ton, in his first message to the legislature, called attention to the irregularities and in- equalities which existed in the assessment of
543
HISTORY OF ALABAMA
property for taxation, and recommended the creation of a State board of equalization.
In response to this recommendation, the legislature, February 3, 1897, authorized the appointment, by the governor, of a State tax commissioner. No salaries or other emolu- ments from the State treasury were permitted. The commissioner worked under the super- vision of the auditor, but he had immediate supervisory jurisdiction over all matters of property valuation and taxation, and might, with the consent of the governor or attorney general, employ counsel. He was required also to prepare and submit to the auditor, to be by him transmitted to each session of the legislature, assessment and revenue bills or such amendments to existing tax laws as might be necessary or expedient, for which service he should receive no compensation.
Under date of November 14, 1898, Wm. J. Wood, the first commissioner, stated in his report to the auditor: "A State board of equalization has been recommended, I be- lieve, by every Governor of Alabama for many years; the best systems of State taxation pro- vide for this board; from information I have gathered to submit to the General Assembly, as to different measures of valuation in the counties of the State, and the disregard of the requirement of the law to assess and place the taxable value of property at its fair cash value, this enactment appears to be absolutely necessary, in order to secure fair and uniform taxation in the State. The tax commission law has accomplished a great deal in equaliz- ing values, but there is still a great dif- ference in counties, which can best be regu- lated by the State board."
In 1899, the legislature amended the origi- nal law, and provided that in lleu of fees, the commissioner should be paid a salary of $2,400 a year from the State treasury, be assigned an office in the capitol, and have his stationery, books, and other office supplies furnished by the State.
In his first message to the legislature, Gov. William J. Samford, said that he was free to confess that he doubted the wisdom of repealing the back-tax law. "If there are defects in it," he said, "amend the law so as to have it operate fairly, justly and equally upon all."
"Real and personal property, when aggre- gated," said Gov. William D. Jelks, in his message of January 9, 1907, to the legisla- ture, "does not bear taxes on 30 per cent of its real value. Personal property escapes almost entirely unless it is in shares in a cor- poration. It is almost unrepresented in the tax returns. Real property in many counties is not itself given in for an amount above one- third of its value, and there are counties where 20 per cent on real estate is considered a most liberal estimate. Every effort has been put forth by the Auditor to get personal property on the list and to have real prop- erty assessed at a reasonable per cent of its value."
State Tax Commission .- The legislature, at that session, passed a bill, "To better pro- vide for the revenue of the State and the
more efficient assessment and collection of taxes and for this purpose to create a commis- sion to be known as the State Tax Commission of Alabama; and to prescribe powers and duties of said commission, and its mode of procedure, and to abolish the office of State Tax Commissioner." The commission estab- lished thereby consisted of a chairman and two associates, appointed by the governor, who designated which should be the chair- man, all of whom served for four years and until their successors were appointed and qualified. The salary of the chairman was $3,000, and of each of the associates, $2,400 a year, payable as other State officers. It was authorized to employ a secretary at a salary not exceeding $1,800 a year, and such experts, engineers, stenographers and assistants as might be necessary to enable it to perform its duties, their compensation to be fixed by the commission with the approval of the gov- ernor, provided the total expenditure for that purpose should not exceed $3,000 a year. The traveling expenses of the commissioners, the secretary, and other employees of the com- mission, were paid by the State, but the total annual expenditure by or on account of the commission was limited to $25,000.
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