Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume I.djvu/255

ALABAMA 231 NAME CF ROAD. Mil. Amount. Alabama and Chattanooga Alabama and Chattanooga, re- ported excess Issued 295 $4,720,000 580,000 820,000 820,000 2,500,000 960,000 480,000 720,000 2,200,000 820,000 $2,000,000 800,000 $18,120,000 $2,300,000 East Alabama and Cincinnati. . . Mobile and Ala. Grand Trunk. Mobile and Montgomery 20 20 Montgomery and Eufaula Selma and Gulf 60 80 45 100 20 Selma, Marlon, and Memphis . . South and North 8TATB BONDS FOB RAILKOAD PURPOSES. Alabama and Chattanooga Montgomery and Eufaula Total contingent liabilities... . $15,420,000 The present constitution of Alabama was adopted in 1868. The legislative power is vested in a general assembly, consisting of a senate and house of representatives. The lat- ter is composed of not more than 100 mem- bers, apportioned among the different counties according to population, but each county is entitled to at least one representative. The present number is 100. The number of sena- tors cannot be more than one third nor less than one fourth, that of the representatives. The present number is 33. Senators and rep- resentatives are elected on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, the former for four and the latter for two years. One half of the senators are chosen every two years. Persons qualified as electors to vote for mem- bers of the general assembly are eligible as representatives; but senators must have at- tained the age of 27 years and resided for two years in the state. The general assembly meets annually on the third Monday in November, and cannot remain in session longer than 30 days except by a two-thirds vote of each house. A majority of the whole number of members in each house is sufficient to pass a bill over the governor's veto. The executive depart- ment consists of a governor, lieutenant gov- ernor, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, and attorney general, who are elected on the same day as the members of the legislature for a term of two years, except the auditor, who is chosen for four years. The judicial power is vested in a supreme court of three justices, with appellate jurisdiction only, except that it may issue writs of injunction, mandamus, ha- beas corpus, and quo warranto ; five courts of chancery and twelve circuit courts, each of which is held by one judge ; a probate court for each county ; and city courts for Mobile, Montgomery, Selma, and Huntsville ; in addi- tion to which the legislature may establish infe- rior courts of law and equity. The supreme court sits at Montgomery. The judges of the several courts are elected by the people for a term of six years, and may be removed by im- peachment or for reasonable cause by the gov- ernor on the address of two thirds of the legis- lature. Judges of the supreme, circuit, and chancery courts cannot hold any other office of profit or trust under the state or United States during their judicial term. The salary of the governor is $4,000, and of the judges of the three higher courts $3,000 each. The right of suffrage is given to all male citizens and those who have declared their intention to be- come citizens, who have attained the age of 21 years and resided in the state six months next preceding the election, and three months in the county where their votes are offered. Those who during the late war violated the rules of civilized warfare, those disqualified on account of participation in the rebellion, those convict- ed of crimes punishable by imprisonment in the penitentiary, and those who are idiots or insane, are by the constitution prohibited from voting. The general assembly must provide from time to time for the registration of elec- tors. Every person before registering is re- quired to take an oath to support the constitu- tion and laws of the United States and of the state of Alabama, and to swear that he is not disqualified by law from registering ; that he will never countenance or aid in the secession of the state ; and that he accepts the civil and political equality of all men. All able-bodied citizens between the ages of 18 and 45 are lia- ble to duty in the militia. The governor is commander-in-chief of the militia, with power to call it forth to execute the laws and preserve the peace, and is required to appoint with the consent of the senate one major general and three brigadier generals of militia. The com- mon schools and other educational institutions of the state are under the management of a board of education, consisting of the superin- tendent of public instruction, elected by the people for two years, and two members from each of the congressional districts, chosen for four years. The board is required to establish throughout the state, in each township or school district, free schools for all children be- tween the ages of 5 and 21 years. By the law of 1870 it is forbidden to unite in one school white and colored children, except by the unanimous consent of their parents and guar- dians. The fund appropriated annually by constitutional provision for the support of pub- lic schools consists of the proceeds of all lands granted by the United States for school pur- poses, special appropriations, escheated estates, money paid for exemption from military duty, one fifth of the aggregate annual revenue of the state, and a poll tax of $1.50. The consti- tution requires a state census to be taken in 1875, and every ten years thereafter, and pro- vides for the establishment of a bureau of in- dustrial resources at Montgomery, under the management of a commissioner, whose duty it shall be to collect statistical information con- cerning the productive industries of the state, to disseminate among the people knowledge tending to promote their agricultural, mining, and manufacturing interests, and to make an annual report to the governor, to be laid before the general assembly. It also provides for the