The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1871-08-10

Nobody can doubt the skill Of the vet
eran editor of the Pilot as a controver-
sialist. Nobody can doubt his skill in
parrying a thrust, or in administering
blow Nor his art in distorting facts to
bewilder the mind and TO make =" the
worse appear the better cause" But his
cunning as sophist has utterly failed
him In his effort to break the force of the
logic of the figures by which THE CLA-
RIoN has exhibited the extravaganza of
the Radical party, and its reckless squan-
dering of the money which its leaders
have taken from the pockets of the tax
payers. 1t has not called the accuracy
of these figures in question. They are
from the archives of the State, and there
they will stand, firm as pillar of iron,
defying all assault-an illustration of the
dishonesty and corruption of the Radical
party, and protest against its efforts to
obtain another lease of the power they
have abused
These figures show that on a property
valuation of $500, 900, 900 before the war
the average annual tax to carry on the
citizens government did not exceed $3.50,
900. And they show that on property
valuation of $3.50, 900, 900 the average
annual tax to carry on the carpet-bag
government has exceeded one million one
hundred thousand dollars-exclusive of
the poll and privilege taxes, which are
enormous.
Aye, but says the Pilot logician, the
additional population of colored people
who have been invested with political
rights, must be taken into account. Well
let us test this plea: There were the same
number of members composing the Legis-
lature of 1870-'71 that composed the
aaate-beLL,m Legislatures, and the Legis-
Iature of 1876. The very highest
expenditure on account of the Legisla-
ture for any year from 184S to 1861, in
Guiding those years, was $63, 516. The
average expense was below $40, 900 a
year. The expense ON the same account
from October '65 to May '66, when the
cost of living was threetimes as high as
now, was ST., 567, and from May '66 to
October '67 was s72, 407. Under carpet
bag rule, in 1870, it was $685.
900; and in 1871, it was not less
probably more-Gf we are in error the
Pilot, which has access to the Auditors
Office, can correct us, than $780,
900.
Now, does it answer the purposes of
defense for the Pilot to plead that one
hundred and thirty-two members of the
Legislature is properly an average daily
tax on the people of the State four times
in excess of the expenses of the same num-
Der, simply because there has been an
addition to the voting population? Why,
even the Eminent Man" would disdain
an apology as pitifully shallow as this.
In his message of January last, he thus
proclaimed the plundering of the party
whose cause the Pilot pleads:
80
1.-THE Legislative Expenses of 1870 present
on their face a startling comparison with those
of 1861.
II am without the details of the expenses
of 1861, and will, therefore, make the COM
parison of the heads of cost of legislation in
1870 with those of legislation in 1865.
This explanation goes to the justification of
very large excess in the expenses of the
legislation of 1870 over that of 1865; but so
uery marked as the excess shO,on in this table
dctuaLyts l recommend that your honorable
bodies consider whether any means in saving
in the rate of expense may not be put in
operation at your present session."
SPECIFICATIONS.
''The mileage of members in 1870 was
aAear