The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1867-01-31

debt, and hence the only alternative is
that the owner must remain upon it.
But let him sell and seek another loca-
ton, and you give new impetus to
his energies and industry, and infict
no injury upon the creditor. We trust
this important bill will become law.
A Law that Should be Repealed.
There is upon the statute book of
Mississippi, one law ofserious bearing,
to repeal which, an attempt will, we
understand, be made at the present
meeting of the Legislature. The en-
actment may be found on page 302 of
the Revised Code of 1857. The pecu-
liarity of the law which makes it
odious everywhereis, that it appears to
fix stigma upon religion by depriv-
ing religious bodies corporate of i'm
portant privileges conceded to all sim
liar associations. No church Or de-
nomination or society of Christians,
and no Board of Trustees acting for
them, or Institution under their care
and control can, according to this sin
-UIrL-zE=1ao1..-
any lands, tenements or Embellishments
whatever, either to be held by them as
such, or sold, or leased for their bene-
fit. Any such donation in the form of
bequest becomes the property of the
heir-at-law upon the decease Of the
grantor, while it is forfeited to the State
in case it has been given by any instru-
ment that is to take effect in the life
time of the donor. This is stringent
to say the least, and seems to trench
upon private rights as well as to clash
with religious prejudices. Since the
law was passed, some ten or twelve
years ago, several attempts have been
made to repeal it; and once an act to
that effect was passed by both Houses
and went into the pocket of Gov.
Clark. 1t is in many ways obnoxious,
however, to the people, and they seem
determined upon its repeal or altera-
ton at some time or other. The mo-
tive with the trainers of the law was,
no doubt, to prevent the rise among
us of great ecclesiastical establish
ments, dangerous to the liberties of
the people from the amount of
their property and ;. patronage
This, however, if we may judge,
is at present among the least of our
dangers. Besides any such result
would seem to be sufficiently guarded
against in the charters granted to all
corporate bodies which, of course,
limit the amount Of property to be |
held by them. Another consideration
urged in favor of the repeal is that it |
does not check benevolence but only
turns it away from our State; for it |
is only societies and Institutions within
our own limits that come under the
bar of the act. In this way il is said
many thousands of dollars are annual |
" lost to the cause of education and
religion in Mississippi, being con-
tributed by her own citizens to insti-
buttons of other States. It is well to |
be neighborly but this does really
seem like carrying good thing too
FAR. Really, if our Legislature cannot
devise some method of checking be-
levolence entirely, it does seem to US
hey might let our own State have the
benefit of it. The point We do not
propose to argue, however. All we
wish is to call attention to this grave
subject and the action upon it of our
present Legislature, which, we doubt
not, win be wise, conservative and
patriotic.