The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1872-03-01
Speech Of Hon. Mr.. Higgins Of
Monroe.
HE YINDICATES HIMSELF.
His Rebulxe of the Party i'm Power
for its Extravaganza.
&c Endorses what Horace Greeley
says about the "Mournful
Facts"
Honest Wen 90 Cry Aloud
and Spare Not.

/ spa
Referring to an article in THE CLARION
Mr.. Huggins said:
Mr.. SPEAKER -
This article has been in print sometime
but was not aware of the fact that our
| differences here were so generally made the
property of the public until very receLt
date. L should have explained before if 1
/ had.
have differed with the majority of the
Republican party in certain measures since
l have been a member of this body, buC
| those measures | maintain were not CT a
political or party nature
No construction can be placed upon the
| material questions. the Railroad Subsidy
and the Public Printing. 10 make them
other than questions of financial policy.
They are not and cannot be made of politi-
cal significance.
The dill introduced by myself TO repeal
the Internal Improvement act was opposed
! by respectable minority of the Demo-
| crates who united with the majority OF the
| Republicans. and defeated IL. This act
| which proposes TO give four thousand dol
lars TO every mile of railroad hereafter
constructed in the State would not be so
dangerous If our credit were good or II we
had the money in the treasury 10 meet the
demand, but we have neither.and we have "A
provision in our State Constitution that the
| credit OF the State shall not be pledged to
| private corporations.
The Public Printing bill advocated by my
| self both in the committee and upon this
| floor was in strict conformity with our
| Republican Governors recommendation in
| his annual message. This bill. although
defective, l still consider of great merit
and one that would have saved To the state
| thousands and tens of thousands of dollars.
| My Republican friends have assigned a
number of reasons for my pursuing the
/ course that | have, all of them decidedly
/ uncOmplimentary, but, withal, rather enter
| tanning To myself. One says i have been
placed upon committees with sharp Demo-
| Gratis, and have allowed my judgment to be
| swayed by their superior reasoning. a
| direct hit at my head, il would seem. An
| other says that | am trying to convince the
| Democrats that l am not so bad man a
| the papers have represented me. And still
another, more designing and cowardly than
| the Others, would reason that / must do
something TO appease public sentiment i'm
my own section of the state. Any Of the
positions referred to would be anything but
creditable TO a man of political honesty or
firmness.
Mr.. Speaker, | will now endeavor to in
form the gentlemen with reference to the
real matter of difference. The point where
L diverge from the majority of the Rrpub-
licans, is right where the subject or policy Of
ECONOMY IN THE MANAGEMENT AND ExPEN-
DITURE OF THE PEOPLES MONEY
comes up. | have always been, and at this
moment. ana snail ever DE opposed To eX-
travagance and wanton OUTLAWS of public
monies. The course pursued by the recon-
structed State governments in this matter
has been one OF extreme and
UNHEARD OF PRoFLrGAcY
and deserves the censure of every right
thinking man of the nation. L would in
wife the attention OF members TO the pres
ent condition of affairs in our sister State,
Louisiana. Her forty millions of debt, her
reckless Governor and her revolutionary
Legislature are subjects that may well at
tract the attention Of the civilized world.
/ have understood, too. that the people OF
the State are but poorly represented in her
councils, The same course that Is seeking
to obtain in our Legislature of choosing
Representatives for the people, has obtained
in that State, and that is one of
THE CAUSES OF CONFUSION
that the world has been called to witness.
The State of South Carolina, small and
mparatively poor State, has her debt of
thirty millions. During the summer of
1871, the good people of that State, regard
less OF politics, party, race or color, met
in convention, and honestly endeavored TO
find some practicable way of even man
aging her
MAMMOTH DEBT.
Those well meaning men returned TO their
homes with heavier hearts, doubtless. than
they went there with, learning, as they
must that to pay the debt it would be
literal surrendering OF the property in the
State to the Government; and to hope TO
manage the debt, even with such men as are
now in power, would be sheer nonsense.
And, Mr.. Speaker, / doubt if there can be
found statesmen or financiers i'm this wide
world who will be able 10 solve the prob |
lem while the present Governor and Legis- /
lature rule the State
POOR LITTLE FLORIDA
has her great debt of thirteen millions, |
which is greater, counting her ability 70 /
pay than any other State in the Union if
the entire State were pledged at auction, it |
would hardly command that amount.
Tennessee, too, finds herself with
TwENTY-oNE MILLIONS
in Railroad Bonds alone; and Arkansas at /
present
is THOROUGHLY BANKRUPT
over her railroad schemes and projects and |
as yet without railroads.
Judging from the progress in
OUR OWN STATE
within the past two years in spending the /
peoples money, L am induced to conclude |
that it is simply owing to the fact that |
Mississippi has more recently been recon-
structed that she is not bearing the I'M
seemly burdens of her sisters. Time has .
"
that are already on foot.
When the Republican Legislature took
possession of the State two years ago her
financial condition
WAS SOUND AND GOOD.
This day after the payment of two heavy
taxes she
o. ORGANS UNDER A DEBT
of between one and two millions, and the
old ship of State, which has for years been
so staid and steady, to-day with her in
crease of public offices, and the great in
crease of the salaries of all pablo officers,
and the extensive improvements upon pub
lie buildings, and the lengthy sittings OF a
lavish Legislature, presents the appearance L
of fast sailing craft, but the careful among
the crew have discovered
LEAK IN THE TREASURY,
and unless that leak be checked, we are soon
ruined financially, for Mississippi. unlike
most of the States of the Union. is without
credit-in no money mart of the world can
she borrow a million dollars. And with
nothing but her miserable warrant system
to depend upon, besides the direct revenues
from the people, utter financial ruin will
speedily be reached by US IL extravaganza
be INDUCED in in any direction.
Entertaining these views when | came
into this House, cheerfully gave my sup
port to every measure, coming from any
that looked towards
RETRENcHMEST AND REFORM.