Selma Took Stock In The Railroads
From "Selma; Her Institutions, and Her Men" by John Hardy, pub. 1879:
The stalls in the market house were rented out at public auction, John J. Strawbridge and Jeremiah Pittman renting much the larger number of them. Bow street, which had been occupied heretofore by warehouse sheds, was opened for public use. A license was issued, by vote of the Council, to James Hall, for Fanny Tidwell, an old negro woman, allowing her to work for the pubic, appointing M. G. McKeagg her guardian. The salaries of officers were fixed--the Mayor to receive $250; the Clerk and Tax Assessor and Collector to receive $100, and five percent. Upon all taxes collected, the Marshal $150, and fees, and the Treasurer two and a half per cent. for all moneys that come into his hands. W. Plattenburg represented the city in a meeting of the stockholders of the Alabama and Tennessee Rivers Railroad, at Shelby Springs, and was authorized to cast the vote of the city for three thousand four hundred shares of stock. At a special meeting of the Council held the 2nd day of December, 1852, the city subscribed for fifteen thousand dollars of stock in the Alabama and Mississippi Rivers Railroad Company, upon the same terms and conditions the $85,000 had been subscribed for the Alabama and Tennessee Railroad Company, thus making the bonded debt of the city $100,000 to aid in constructing these two railroads projecting form the city. An ordinance was passed levying a tax of $20 per day upon all steamboats and all other water craft landing at any point within the city limits. This ordinance was enforced for some time, but meeting with warm opposition, was finally repealed. An iron railing was ordered and put around the two artesian wells. Wm. Waddill was paid $175 for building a brick culvert where the river road crosses Worley branch. In compliance with a petition of Dr. Hendree, Mat. Jacobs, was employed to cut a ditch from Dallas street, along Franklin to North street. On motion of W. Plattenburg, at a meeting of the Council held January 25, 1853, the office of marshal was declared vacant from the 10th day of December 1852, in consequence of the absence and neglect of duty of Joseph Hillyard; the vacancy was filled by the election of A. C. Hamilton. L. Clonaga was allowed $25 for one month’s service as marshal during Hilliard’s absence and neglect of duty. One thousand dollars was paid by Lapsley & Boyd, due the city, which sum the Council appropriated to the purchase of a fire engine. Under the amended charter it was the duty of the Council to fix upon some day in each year for the election of officers of the city. The Council fixed upon the first Monday in June 1853, and the same day for each succeeding year for an annual election of city officers. A forty foot alley was given the city by Boyd & Lapsley, the alley between the stores now occupied by Hooper & Co., and Robt. Lapsley. An artesian well was bored in Lawrence street, between Water and Alabama streets, near the residence of George P. Blevins. Ten delegates were sent to the commercial convention, to be held on the first Monday in June 1853, at Nashville, at the expense of the city.
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