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Montgomery, as your disbursing Agent This Bank is controlled
by able financiers and patriotic men who have already
done a great deal for the Governmentand the Army. Large
advances have been made, by this Bank to the Government Paymasters,
to supplydeficiencies; but in such large transactions.
it is but just that the Bank should have the resposibility
of the Government to stand upon, and not that merely of its
Agents. If your will adopt or secure the bank as a disbursing
Agent, and give an order toMaj. I. S. Calhoun - Ass't
Dr Martin here, to check for bounty money as needed, I shall
then feel satisfied, + know that every thing will work wellin
this particular, and will also be able to get up the Volunteer
regiments, with far greater certainty and despatch
and most earnestly hoping that this important suggestion
may receive your imediateattention.
I am with high regards,
Your Obt. Ser't.
(Signed) Jn Gill Shorter.
Letter from Govr. Shorter to Hon. J F. Foster
Butler, Choctaw County, Ala.
Executive Deptartment
Montgomery Ala. Feb. 1st 1862
Hon. J. F. Foster, Butler, Choctaw Co. Ala.
Sir,
I Have the honor to a acknowledge rc't of your letter, comicating
a copy of certain Resolutions adopted by a County
meeting of the Citizens of Choctaw Countyat Butler, on the 20th
ultimo. The reported proceedings of the meeting disclosed
that Col. Wm. H. Ulard, Hon Wm. Woodward and yourself, were
appointed a Committee to forward a Copy of its proceedings
+ resolution to this office, and as you are pleased to say, in your
letter to me, "after you have given the Resolutions of a meeting of the
citizens of Choctaw County at Butler due consideration please
send them to the Advertiser of your city for publication" I pressume
I am to understnd that your communications was intended
to be official, and that I am expected to intimate my views upon the
matters covered by the Resolutions. Though this informally presented
and though heavily pressed by the various duties of this Department
I will hurriedly, discuss the Resolutios communicated with
that candor & frankness due to the occaisionas well as to the people
of Choctaw County. This they have a right to expect at my hand
for the "declaration of rights" embodied in the Constitution of the State
of Alabama, expressly recited that" the citezens have a right in
a peaceable manner, to assemble together- for theirCommon good, &
to apply to those invested with the powers of Government, for redress of
grievances or other purposes, by petition, address, or remonstrance
The Resolutions before me, express dissatisfaction - first with
the "Stray-Law" adopted by the Legislature, not because it goes too
far, but because it does not go far enough in the opinion of the meeting
- toward affording releif in the present crisis and one of the rsolutions
recommend a " Constitutional Stray-Law assimilating
as near as practicable to the Stray-Lawof Mississippi."
2dly the resolutions do not favor the collection of the State taxes
assessed for the pastyear and suggest as a measure of releif
liabilities, which treasury notes shall be redeemed by taxes
to be collected at some future time.