>>I've done this many times before and I was definitely doing the correct
>>steps in the correct order.
>>    
>>
>
>And are you using the right version of autoconf , automake, et al?
>  
>

bash-2.05b$ autoconf --version
autoconf (GNU Autoconf) 2.59
Written by David J. MacKenzie and Akim Demaille.
(...)
bash-2.05b$ automake --version
automake (GNU automake) 1.9.4
Written by Tom Tromey <tromey at redhat.com>.
(...)
bash-2.05b$ m4 --version
GNU m4 1.4.1
bash-2.05b$


>It looks as if your .m4 files in /usr/share/autoconf don't match your version 
>of autoconf; is the package that supplies them in sync with your autoconf 
>package?
>  
>

All files in that directory and its subdirectories have the exact same 
time and date stamps.

>You should see in autom4te.cache a file called traces.0 . What're the first 
>few lines of it? 
>

m4trace:/usr/share/aclocal/libtool.m4:70: -1- 
AC_DEFUN([AC_PROG_LIBTOOL], [AC_REQUIRE([_AC_PROG_LIBTOOL])dnl
dnl If AC_PROG_CXX has already been expanded, run AC_LIBTOOL_CXX
dnl immediately, otherwise, hook it in at the end of AC_PROG_CXX.
  AC_PROVIDE_IFELSE([AC_PROG_CXX],
    [AC_LIBTOOL_CXX],
    [define([AC_PROG_CXX], defn([AC_PROG_CXX])[AC_LIBTOOL_CXX
  ])])
dnl And a similar setup for Fortran 77 support
  AC_PROVIDE_IFELSE([AC_PROG_F77],
    [AC_LIBTOOL_F77],
    [define([AC_PROG_F77], defn([AC_PROG_F77])[AC_LIBTOOL_F77
])])

dnl Quote AM_PROG_GCJ so that aclocal doesn't bring it in needlessly.
dnl If either AC_PROG_GCJ or AM_PROG_GCJ have already been expanded, run
dnl AC_LIBTOOL_GCJ immediately, otherwise, hook it in at the end of both.
  AC_PROVIDE_IFELSE([AC_PROG_GCJ],
    [AC_LIBTOOL_GCJ],
    [AC_PROVIDE_IFELSE([A][M_PROG_GCJ],
      [AC_LIBTOOL_GCJ],
      [AC_PROVIDE_IFELSE([LT_AC_PROG_GCJ],
        [AC_LIBTOOL_GCJ],
      [ifdef([AC_PROG_GCJ],
             [define([AC_PROG_GCJ], defn([AC_PROG_GCJ])[AC_LIBTOOL_GCJ])])
       ifdef([A][M_PROG_GCJ],
             [define([A][M_PROG_GCJ], 
defn([A][M_PROG_GCJ])[AC_LIBTOOL_GCJ])])
       ifdef([LT_AC_PROG_GCJ],
             [define([LT_AC_PROG_GCJ],
                defn([LT_AC_PROG_GCJ])[AC_LIBTOOL_GCJ])])])])
])])