The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-06-13


u than all else The Republicans left
the State Treasury so depleted and the
State indebte mess so large, that nothing
more could be done, without Reputation,
than to inaugurate a gradual system of
reduction in our taxes, which must be
continued for several years before the
proper standard can be reached A
great improvement has been made in the
character Of our civil officers, and there
is still room for further improvement.
! Confidence has been restored and the
moral effect of this change Of rulers has
infused into the people new life aud Wig
or. Men now live in anticipation of a
| bright and prosperous future who were
dying Of despair. The condition of the
country has been greatly improved and
we are now hopeful of a prosperous fu
| ture. But much yet remains to be done.
| Retrenchment and reform should be car
red forward until our people have been re
! lieved of all unnecessary burdens imposed
/ by taxation, and until we reach a point
! beyond which the public interests for
| bid US to go. Our civil service reform
| should 90 forward until all offices in the
| State are filled by the best and most com
| petent men. The great national triumph
| of 1876, has brought to us an abundant
/ harvest Of disappointment and humilia-
| ton, and to no section of the Union, has
! it, so far, brought any good save to louisa
ma and South Carolina. The bayonet has
been removed from these States, and
they stand to day by the side of their
| Southern Sisters, redeemed from Radi-
cal rule and military governments, and
/ and prosperity. At this we rejoice, and
/ give the administration credit for an act
/ of Justice performed in the discharge of a
constitutional duty, long delayed by its
predecessor, and as long demanded by the
| Democratic party Of the nation. But |
| shall abstain from discussing the election
Of 1876 and the question arising out Of
| it, because it would not be in answer TO
| your question. But We now have the
| control Of our State government, and if
we continue to control it, and have it
wisely administered, we have but little to
fear from the federal government under
| the present or any other administration.
| Our people and our State officials have
! been too much absorbed heretofore in
| Federal politics, to do full Justice to our
home interests. We should look less to
national politics and more to the devel-
| opment OF our resources and the wants of
our own State. Our greatest and most
pressing wants in Mississippi at this time,
are more population and more cap,
ital. We want immigrants, laborers,
planters and artisans, men of faml-
! lies. who will come into the State,
buy lands and settle down for life, and
improve their places, thereby adding
greatly to the wealth as well as to the
productive labor Of the State; such men
at once become incorporated into, and
form part of the community in which
they locate. and their interests and ours
become identical. The landed interest
of the country is annually shrinking in
value. and in many localities is suffering
irreparable loss for the want Of labor and
tllage Our waste places are becoming
more numerous In short, we are now
living and languishing, and we will con
tinue to anguish and to grow poorer and
poorer every year until our population
shall be increased, and our labor system
re-enforced. We want more capital, and
the inducements which will bring immi-
grants into the State will bring capital
Our State offers great inducements to the
manufacturer, and capital invested in
manufacturing here, will yield a large
profit, if the factories are controlled by
skillful machinists and otherwise proper
Iv managed 1t is undoubtedly true,
that Il State which manufactures the raw
material into fables, will grow rich faster
than the one which produces it. | need
only cite you to Massachusetts, and Mis-
sssippi in support of this position. The
Mississippi planter who raises his bale of
cotton will now get, not more than from
fifty to sixty dollars for it, while the same
bale of cotton when carried to Massaehu-
sets and converted into fabrics, and the
fabrics returned and sold in Mississippi,
will bring from two to three hundred
dollars. 1t will thus be seen that the
producer of the raw material, gets less
for it than the manufacturer does for his
labor and skill bestowed on it. Our in
terests demand, therefore, that we should
become a manufacturing, as well as an
agricultural people. If We can produce
| the cotton here and manufacture it here,
cheaper than it could be done in Massa-
cbusetts, why should it he sent off to
Massachusetts,, and our people taxed
with the freights there and back on the
, cotton and the fabrics. The great object
of our State government should now be
| to induce immigration and capital to flow
into the State IT we succeed in this
r policy, Mississippi will become a great
. and prosperous State, Astounding in all
the comforts of life, the equal of any
other State in wealth, intelligence, It's
educational advantages and all the ele
, ments Of true greatness 1t is the equal
of any other in soil, climate and natural
advantages. How then, can the State
government aid in accomplishing this
, object so much desired, of causing immi
grafton and capital to flow into Its borders'
, Let the State, in the first instance, see
/ that the laws are faithfully administered,
that life, liberty and property are well
protected, without regard to race, color OF
previous condition. The assurance must
) be given to Immigrants from every land and
| country, that ours Is community OF
peace, where law and order are properly
: respected aud enforced, before they will
seek home in our midst. nesperadoes
and bad men may voluntarily locate in 8
State. where turmoil and strife, violence
and bloodshed exist, but good citizens
never will seek homes among such a
population. The impression prevailing
abroad, that ours is land of bloodshed
E and violence, that our people look with
too much leniency upon those who violate
the laws and slay their fellow-man, ha;
, been the great impeachment to the influx
of population aud capital into our State
heretofore, and is so at the present time.
r Our people have been greatly mlsreHre'
sented and slandered on this subject.
f Such violations of law here, as are o.
crocuaDf oconrranca in the oldest and