History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume II, Part 85

Author: Owen, Thomas McAdory, 1866-1920; Owen, Marie (Bankhead) Mrs. 1869-
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 724

USA > Alabama > History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume II > Part 85

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"This will become apparent to the General

Assembly, when petitioned to reduce taxation upon all railroad property. If railroads, when completed, cannot pay without em- barrassment a state tax of three-fourths of one per cent upon a valuation of less than thirteen thousand dollars per mile, will they not be further embarrassed, if not bankrupt- ed, in attempting to pay eight per cent in- terest upon first mortgage bonds to the amount of sixteen thousand dollars per mile? The railroads that have not received 'state aid' in their construction, as well as all other taxpayers, are largely interested in the action of the General Assembly upon this question. Should default be made by companies receiv- ing state endorsements, all railroad com- panies, together with other taxpayers, would be required to pay their equal proportion of the burden thus thrown upon the state. The history of endorsement of railroad bonds in other states should be carefully studied, and this would, in my judgment, secure a change in the law at least to the extent of a reduc- tion to the constitutional requirement of 'un- doubted security.' The state would then be fully protected should default be made by railroad companies in payment of interest or principal."

Notwithstanding these warnings, the legis- lature proceeded to pass yet another "state aid" law, in which the endorsement provis- ions of the former laws were virtually re- enacted. Provisions were included, however, to the effect that the new law should not ap- ply to railroads which had already received endorsement under existing laws; that before endorsing the bonds of any company, the

governor should require proof, by affidavit of the president and treasurer, that the first twenty miles of the road were built from other resources of the company than the pro- ceeds of state-endorsed bonds, and that the amount expended in building the first twenty miles was not to be refunded, wholly or in part, from the proceeds of state-endorsed bonds; and penalized procuring of such en- dorsement by "any false statement, in viola- tion of the true intent and meaning of this provision," by imprisonment in the peniten- tiary not less than five nor more than ten years; "that the said railroad company shall make return to the governor, showing the uses to which the money realized on each installment of endorsed bonds has been ap- plied, and unless the governor shall be fully satisfied that the money has been faithfully, honestly and economically expended, at the usual rates for the labor performed and the material purchased, he shall not endorse further for said company failing to make such satisfactory statement"; that no road should be entitled to the benefits of the act which should not complete the first section of twen- ty miles by November 1, 1871, and complete, ready for use, an average of at least twenty miles annually, from and after the first en- dorsement by the governor."

Section 14 of the new act embodied an at- tempt to safeguard the interests of the state in its endorsement of railroad bonds by pre- scribing certain conditions as to the charac-

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ter of the roads built which should be com- plied with before endorsement was obtained. The same legislature passed the notorious "Stanton bill," lending to the Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad Company, $2,000,000 of the state's bonds, upon the security of the land-grants held by that company. The pas- sage of this bill was secured by open bribery of legislators and constitutes one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the state. (For the details of the transaction, see that sub-title under "Alabama Great Southern Railroad Company.")

Several other laws making special provis- ion for impecunious or avaricious railroad promoters were passed by this friendly legis- lative body, i. e., providing for the pro rata distribution of the stock of the Mobile and Girard Railroad Company (q. v.) among the taxpayers of Troy, on account of $65,- 000 in town bonds issued to that company; confirming the action of the municipal au- thorities of Mobile in aiding the Mobile and Alabama Grand Trunk Railroad Company (see East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway Company) ; legalizing and validating the acts of the corporate authorities in sub- scribing for $65,000 of the capital stock of the Mobile and Girard Railroad Company in be- half of the town of Troy and issuing bonds in payment therefor; making special provisions for the collection of taxes and penalties there- on from railroad companies and exempting them from all taxation until twenty miles should be completed and in operation- permitting. the meetings of stockholders of the Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad

Company (see Alabama Great Southern Railroad Company) to be held either within or without the state; authorizing executors and administrators to sell stock in Selma and Meridian Railroad Company (see East Ten- nessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway Com- pany) at private sale; authorizing the gov- ernor to endorse the bonds of the Mobile and Montgomery Railroad Company (q. v.) for $2,500,000; ratifying and confirming a con- tract between the Selma, Rome and Dalton Railroad Company (see East Tennessee, Vir- ginia and Georgia Railway Company) and John Everitt and others for the transfer of the portion of the road between Jacksonville and Gadsden; "to legalize, ratify and con- firm all acts and things of every kind here- tofore done and performed in this state, in substantial compliance with an act. entitled 'An act to authorize the several towns and cities of the State of Alabama to subscribe to the capital stock of such rail- roads throughout the state as they may con- sider most conducive to their respective in- terests' approved December 31, 1868"; re- leasing the Tennessee and Coosa Railroad Company (see Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway Company) from its indebted- ness to the state on account of loans from the two and three per cent funds; ratifying elections held in the towns of Greensboro and Eutaw, and in the counties of Hale, Greene, and Pickens, to subscribe to the stock of the Selma, Marion and Memphis Railroad Com-

pany (see East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway Company); amending the general corporation law of the state so as to authorize the consolidation of railroad com- panies, before or after their completion; re- quiring the governor to endorse the bonds of the South and North Alabama Railroad Company under Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company, for six thousand dollars per mile in addition to the sixteen thousand dollars per mile authorized by the general endorsement law; loaning $300,000 in state bonds to the Montgomery and Eufaula Rail- road Company (q. v.); extending the time for beginning and completing the Alabama portion of the Savannah, Griffin and North Alabama Railroad (see Central of Georgia Railway Company) from two to four years in the first, and from seven to ten years in the second instance; authorizing the Mem- phis and Charleston Railroad Company (q. v.) to borrow a million dollars upon bonds secured by a third mortgage on its "charter, road works and depots"; author- izing the Vicksburg and Brunswick Railroad Company (see Central of Georgia Railway Company ) to build branches from Troy via Elba to the Alabama-Florida line in the di- rection of Pensacola or Marianna, and from Greenville to Selma, and declaring those branches entitled to state aid hy endorsement of their bonds upon completion of twenty miles.

The next legislature was induced to pass two special acts exempting the Savannah and Memphis (see Central of Georgia Railway Company) and the Selma and Gulf (see Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company) railroad companies from the provisions of the law with respect to the time allowed for con- struction of twenty mile sections. The first was allowed until July 1, 1872, and the sec- ond until July 1, 1873.

When Governor Lindsay came into office he made an effort to ascertain the exact status of the state's actual and contingent liabilities on account of railroads, but was unable to find any records showing what com- panies had received endorsement, the amount of such endorsed bonds or the date of en- dorsement. He reported the situation of the state with respect to the lack of information as to its own liabilities to the legislature in his message of January 24, 1871. The leg- islature enacted a law on February 26, 1872, to protect the state in its liability on account of railroads, which provided: "That in any case where it shall be necessary under judi- cial process issuing from any of the courts of the United States to sell any railroad in this state, either in whole or in part, for which the state is or may became liable on account of having endorsed or issued bonds in aid of the construction of such road, the governor is hereby authorized to bid for such road at any sale to the full extent of the liability of the state, so contracted; and if the state shall become the purchaser, to resell the same for the amount of such liability, including principal and interest, re- taining the title until the purchase-money

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HISTORY OF ALABAMA

shall be paid, and taking such further security for its payment as may be necessary."

Meanwhile Governor Lindsay continued to endorse the bonds of various railroads, keep- ing little better record of his acts in that respect than his predecessor. In fact, it de- veloped ' later that large numbers of bonds were outstanding which must have been en- dorsed after the expiration of Governor Smith's term. It was claimed in certain quar- ters that these bonds really had been endors- ed by Smith after his term expired, while oth- ers suggested that his former secretary had forged his chief's name to the bonds. Other acts of Governor Lindsay in connection with the railroad bond adjustment, and the phrase- ology of his legislative message of Novem- ber 21, 1871, seem to point to the likelihood of his having himself endorsed all, or at least some of the bonds otherwise unaccounted for. In the message referred to, he said: "The endorsement by the state of the bonds of railroad companies, under laws first enacted at the legislative session 1866-7, and enlarged and continued by subsequent statutes, has imposed upon the executive department un- usual responsibility, solicitude and labor.

"Finding on my accession to office, the system of endorsement already on the sta- tute book, and being invested with neither the power of determining its wisdom, nor the prerogative of adjudicating its validity, I have diligently and earnestly endeavored to execute the various laws pertaining to it, according to their letter and spirit. Unde- terred by the malevolent attacks of the slanderer and his venal, subsidized or ignor- ant emissaries and agents on the one hand, and repelling on the other, with equal seorn, the thoughtless, if not dishonest, counsel of repudiation, I have labored with constant and unremitting earnestness, to maintain the honor and protect the credit of Alabama, and guard her against entanglement and loss through the villainous schemes of men, who plotted their own enrichment upon her ruin."

During the administration of Governor David P. Lewis, a law was passed which authorized the issuance of state bonds, ma- turing in thirty years and bearing interest at seven per cent per annum, payable semi- annually in gold coin, to be exchanged for outstanding state-endorsed railroad bonds on the basis of four thousand dollars per mile of the new bonds in lieu of the total out- standing endorsement per mile, whether more or less than the general rate of sixteen thou- sand dollars, and also to be substituted, on the same basis, for the endorsement to which any railroad company would become entitled under previous laws. It also provided that before any company which had defaulted in payment of interest coupons subsequently paid by the state should receive its quota of the new bonds, it must refund such unpaid interest to the state in cash; otherwise the amount should be deducted from the amount of the new bonds it was entitled to receive; granted further indulgence in the matter of time limit for completing the twenty-mile

sections of track; provided for issuing bonds to narrow-gauge railroads at the rate of three thousand dollars per mile; conditioned the participation of certain specified companies in the benefits of the law upon the construction of extensions of their roads between stipu- lated points; required the creation of a sink- ing fund with which to retire the bonds by means of annual assessments from the rail- roads of a sufficient percentage of their gross earnings to aggregate a sum equal to the to- tal amount of the bonds by the date of their maturity.

Many of the railroads which received en- dorsement or loans, or both, from the state under these statutes never paid any inter- est, and some of them doubtless made no effort to do so, nor ever had any intention of so doing. The most flagrant case of this kind was the Alabama and Chattanooga Rail- road Company (see Alabama Great Southern Railroad Company) which was manipulated by the Stantons and their satellites.

During the administration of Governor Houston, a commission was appointed to in- vestigate and adjust the public debt, includ- ing the railroad liability, actual and contin- gent. An elaborate report with recommenda- tions was made by the commission, and the legislature passed laws for effecting a settle- ment upon the basis recommended. (For the details, see State Debt.)

REFERENCES .- Acts 1819-75; Auditors Reports, 1868-75; Berney, Handbook; Comptroller, Re- ports, 1867; Memorial Record of Alabama, v. 1, 1893; Messages of John A. Winston, gov- ernor of Alabama, to the General Assembly, Montgomery, 1855, 1857-58, 59-60, 66-67, 68, 69-70, 71, 72, 72-73; Message of Robert B. Lindsay, Governor of Alabama, to the General Assembly, November 21, 1871, Mont- gomery; Message of William H. Smith, Gover- nor of Alabama, to the General Assembly, Mont- gomery, November 15, 1869; Mss. in Dept. of Archives and History; Toulmin, Digest.

RANDOLPH. Postoffice and station on the Southern Railway, in the southeastern cor- ner of Bibb County, about five miles south of Ashby, and about 18 miles east of Center- ville. Population: 1880, Randolph Beat 7- 1,929; 1890, Randolph Precinct 7-1,326; 1900, same-1,891; 1910, same-2,279; 1912, the village-375. Altitude: 541 feet. It is in a farming region.

REFERENCE .- Manuscript data in the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

RANDOLPH COUNTY. Created by the legislature, December 18, 1832. It was formed from the last Creek cession, March 24, 1832. It has an area of 583 square miles, or 372,120 acres.

It bears the name of John Randolph, of Petersburg, Va., a member of congress in 1799.

The first county seat was at Hedgeman Trylett's ferry, on the west bank of Big Tal- lapoosa River, about ten miles west of Wedo- wee. Here, in November, 1833, Judge Archi- bald Sawyer, sat on a log and leaned against

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an oak tree while presiding at the court. In February, 1834, the commissioner's court was held under a large mulberry tree near Hedge- man Triplett's house. The following April a second meeting was held. The first circuit court was held in April, 1834, one mile west of Triplett's Ferry. In the fall of 1834 or the spring of 1835, the county seat was moved by the commissioners to Wedowee.

Location and Physical Description .- It lies in the eastern central part of the state. On the east it is bounded by Carroll, Heard, and Troup Counties, Ga., on the west by Clay County, on the south by Chambers and Talla- poosa, and on the north by Cleburne. The altitude ranges from 550 to 1,550 feet above sea level. It is included, physiographically, in what is known as the Piedmont. plateau, which extends from central Alabama to New Jersey. At one time this was a high moun- tain range bordering the Atlantic Ocean and by ages of weathering and erosion was re- duced to its present appearance. The Atlan- tic Coastal Plain now flanks it on the east and on the west the Appalachian Moun- tains. The various soils are derived from the underlying rocks which are known geological- ly as igneous and metamorphic. The upland soils are derived directly from the disintegra- tion and decay in place of the various rocks. The alluvial soils of stream bottoms repre- sent material washed from the uplands and deposited by overflow stream water. The bottom lands are largely composed of the Congaree fine sandy loam and Congaree loam. Mica flakes are prominent in some sections of the soil as are also geiss and granite. Gold, copper, mica, tin, graphite and kaolin are found in the county. It also offers good opportunities for the development of truck, dairy and stock raising industries. It is well watered by the Tallapoosa and Little Tallapoosa Rivers and their tributaries, Knokes, Cutuouse, Cohobadiah, Cane, Bear, Wolf, Piney, Kitchabadoggo, Lost, Little Piny Woods, Sand, Mad Indian, Fox, Crooked, Cornhouse, Wild Cat, Hurricane, Cedar, Hul- ton, and High Pine Creeks, and the Chatta- hoochee River and its tributary, Wehadkee Creek. Its forest trees are the long leaf pine, various, species of the oak, poplar, beech and sweet gum. The annual mean pre- cipitation is 49.1 inches and the climate is temperate and salubrious.

Aboriginal History .- The county is situ- ated in the old Creek territory and several of their former town sites are located therein. Among them are Kitcho-Pataki, probably on a creek of the same name, a few miles below Okfuskee. 'Lap 'Lako, of which there were two mentioned in 1832. Okfusku 'dski, which was probably in the extreme southern part a few miles above Ninyaxa. This is Little Ok- fuski. Talua Mutchasi, the new name for Tuckabachi Talahani was on the west side of Tallapoosa River near or across from Little Okfuski. It is "old town Tukabachi." Tuxtu- kagi or "Corn house," was on the western hank of Tallapoosa River twenty miles above Ninyaxa. At Hunters Ferry on the Talla-

poosa River at Louina, on the west side of the stream, is a large stone mortar which is said to hold perhaps twenty bushels. On an island half a mile south of here is evidence of a large town site and cemetery. Many relics were unearthed by the freshet of 1886. A short distance below Walker's ford is an- other cemetery. Seven miles northeast of Wedowee on property formerly owned by G. O. Hill, and ahout half mile southwest of his former residence is a circular structure of stones about 2 or 3 feet high, which has two entrances, one on the east and one on the west. Running from the structure in a north- easternly and a southwesternly direction, several years since, could be traced for more than a mile, stone piles two feet high and about one hundred yards apart.

Early History and Settlement. At the time of the organization of the county Wedo- wee, then McDonough, Roanoke, and Louina were the chief trading points. The county was covered with a heavy growth of trees and a part of the area was occupied by the Creek Indians, but they were removed in 1836 and 1837. The early pioneers acquired the lands by government entry and the Indian lands at public auction. The families came almost wholly from Faytete County, Ga. The first court house built in the county was without door or shutters. There were no seats for the judge and jury, and no table for the clerk. The proceedings were written with pencil on poplar bark as there was no paper to be had nearer than Wetumpka. The commissioners court in February, 1837, issued an order to the sheriff to have all necessary repairs made on the courthouse and to finish it with a judge's seat, a clerk's table, seats for the jury, and a substantial shutter for the door. In September, 1837, the commissioner's court let a contract for the building of a jail, and in September, 1839, a contract was let to build a new courthouse. The jail was com- pleted September 14, 1839, and the court- house, September 5, 1840. This section of the county was almost entirely given to stock raising before the War of Secession. Cotton was the important crop.

Agricultural Statistics .- From U. S. Cen- sus, 1910:

Farms and Farmers.

Number of all farms, 4,300.

Color and nativity of farmers:

Native white, 3,383.

Foreign-born white,

Negro and other nonwhite, 917.

Number of farms, classified by size:

Under 3 acres, 1.

3 to 9 acres, 128.

10 to 19 acres, 479.

20 to 49 acres, 1,661.

50 to 99 acres, 1,057.

100 to 174 acres, 659.

175 to 259 acres, 207.

260 to 499 acres, 92.

500 to 999 acres, 16.

1,000 acres and over, - -

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HISTORY OF ALABAMA

Land and Farm Area.

Approximate land area, 377,600 acres. Land in farms, 302,254 acres. Improved land in farms, 147,090 acres. Woodland in farms, 123,095 acres. Other unimproved land in farms, 32,069 acres.

Value of Farm Property.

All farm property, $5,197,223. Land, $2,954,229. Buildings, $1,055,354. Implements and machinery, $294,440. Domestic animals, poultry and bees, $893,- 200. Average values: All property per farm, $1,209. Land and buildings per farm, $932. Land per acre, $9.77.

Domestic Animals (Farms and Ranges).

Farms reporting domestic animals, 4,046. Domestic animals, value, $858,059.

Cattle: total, 11,043; value, $175,547. Dairy cows only, 5,277. Horses: total, 1,953; value, $216,117.

Mules: total, 3,184; value, $416,234.

Asses and burros: total, 2; value, $250. Swine: total, 8,297; value, $48,266.

Sheep: total, 882; value, $1,517.

Goats: total, 100; value, $128.

Poultry and Bees. All poultry, 72,997; value, $31,923. Bee colonies, 2,383; value, $3,218.

Farms Operated by Owners.

Number of farms, 1,966. Per cent of all farms, 45.7. Land in farms, 200,466 acres. Improved land in farms, 81,256 acres.

Land and buildings, $2,577,314. Farms of owned land only, 1,744. Farms of owned and hired land, 222. Native white owners, 1,764.

Foreign-born white,

Negro and other nonwhite, 202.

Farms Operated by Tenants.

Number of farms, 2,331. Per cent of all farms, 54.2. Land in farms, 101,001 acres. Improved land in farms, 65,644 acres. Land and buildings, $1,424,829.

Share tenants, 1,643.

Share-cash tenants, 27. Cash tenants, 526. Tenure not specified, 135. Native white tenants, 1,616.

Foreign-born white, - Negro and other nonwhite, 715.

Farms Operated by Managers.

Number of farms, 3. Land in farms, 787 acres. Improved land in farms, 190 acres. Value of land and buildings, $7,440.

Live Stock Products. Dairy Products.

Milk: Produced, 1,496,688; sold, 13,215 gal- lons.

Cream sold,-

Butter fat sold, 40 pounds.

Butter: Produced, 652,393; sold, 31,066 pounds.

Cheese: Produced,

Dairy products, excluding home use of milk and cream, $98,086. Sale of dairy products, $6,622.

Poultry Products.

Poultry: Number raised, 229,073; sold, 71,- 593.

Eggs: Produced, 376,774; sold, 177,651 dozens.

Poultry and eggs produced, $120,572.

Sale of poultry and eggs, $47,949.

Honey and Wax.

Honey produced, 15,256 pounds. Wax produced, 455 pounds.

Value of honey and wax, $1,707.

Wool, Mohair and Goat Hair.

Wool fleeces shorn, 509. Mohair and goat hair, fleeces shorn, Wool and mohair produced, $471.

Domestic Animals Sold or Slaughtered. Calves-Sold or slaughtered, 579. Other cattle-Sold or slaughtered, 2,488.

Horses, mules, and asses and burros- Sold, 272. Swine Sold or slaughtered, 6,301. Sheep and goats-Sold or slaughtered, 490. Sale of animals, $60,453.

Value of animals slaughtered, $94,300.

Value of All Crops.

Total, $2,261,015.

Cereals, $563,973.

Other grains and seeds, $8,494.

Hay. and forage, $28,576.

Vegetables, $116,229.

Fruits and nuts, $43,380.

All other crops, $1,500,363.

Selected Crops (Acres and Quantity).

Cereals: total, 48,859 acres; 580,874 bushels. Corn, 42,119 acres; 516,770 bushels. Oats, 5,378 acres; 54,017 bushels. Wheat, 1,362 acres; 10,085 bushels. Rye, 2 bushels.

Kafir corn and milo maize, Rice, Other grains: Dry peas, 1,121 acres; 4,382 bushels.

Dry edible beans, 13 acres; 31 bushels. Peanuts, 107 acres; 1,217 bushels.

Hay and forage: total, 1,520 acres; 1,863 tons.

All tame or cultivated grasses, 400 acres; 473 tons.

Wild, salt, and prairie grasses, 108 acres; 120 tons. Grains cut green, 894 acres; 1,054 tons. Coarse forage, 118 acres; 216 tons.

HISTORY OF ALABAMA

1181

Special crops:

Potatoes, 52 acres; 4,470 bushels.

Sweet potatoes and yams, 832 acres; 83,- 365 bushels. Tobacco, 7 acres; 3,539 pounds.

Cotton, 47,213 acres; 17,476 bales. Cane sugar, 188 acres; 1,988 tons. Sirup made, 33,056 gallons. Cane-sorghum, 464 acres; 2,039 tons. Sirup made, 28,289 gallons.

Fruits and Nuts.

Orchard fruits: total, 137,908 trees; 55,098 bushels.

Apples, 63,370 trees; 23,788 bushels.

Peaches and nectarines, 61,133 trees; 28,591 bushels.

Pears, 2,238 trees; 978 bushels.

Plums and prunes, 9,798 trees; 1,370 bush- els.

Cherries, 798 trees; 184 bushels.

Quinces, 493 trees; 132 bushels.

Grapes, 3,939 vines; 51,578 pounds.

Tropical fruits: total, 548 trees.

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History of Alabama and dictionary of Alabama biography, Volume II, Part 85

Author: Owen, Thomas McAdory, 1866-1920; Owen, Marie (Bankhead) Mrs. 1869- Publication date: 1921 Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company Number of Pages: 724

Author: Owen, Thomas McAdory, 1866-1920; Owen, Marie (Bankhead) Mrs. 1869-
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: Chicago, The S. J. Clarke publishing company
Number of Pages: 724