The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1878-02-27

experts and competent to present them in
the very best1light, as they have no doubt
done. But our readers have seen that
no single reason which we have advanced
in favor of repeating, or essentially mod
flying these laws, has been answered. It
is not denied that they were the product
of Radical venality and speculation !;
that they are the putrid Renaissance Of
by gone Republican administration
that they were loan forced out of the
necessities of the companies doing bust
ness in the State, for the benefit of warrant
spectators. Born thus in sin, how was
good, as rule, Eve do not speak of ex-
ceptions where here and there a few
thousand dollars have been saved to
policy holders at the cost of tens of
thousands policy holders and of the tax
payers at large) to come OF them Do
men gather grapes from thorns, or figs
from thistles? Does a system which
has driven out of the State more than
one half the companies doing business
with her people, deserve to be perpetu-
ated by party whose fundamental
principle is free trade, fair play, no mo-
nopoly, and equal rights? Does a
system which wrings from the tax
payers as much in the shape of
interest as it yields of revenue,
deserve to be continued by party which
is pledged to retrenchment and reform?
But, says one of the most experienced
and thoroughly informed insurance men
who has profted by the present law : 81
agree with you that the State ought not
to pay interest. Let this law be amend
ed SO as not to pay interest, and give
companies option to substitute United
States bonds" This would be an i'm.
provement on the present system, but is
it not seen that it would still operate OPP.
pressively upon the companies outside
the State, and have the very prohibitory
effect which we are deprecating and de-
nouncing, and praying to be rid of :?
| Why not return to the system
which gave so much satisfaction before
the war, as all experienced insurance
men will remember? Require them to
furnish undoubted evidence of solvency
for the protection of our citizens and pay
| h 10 fav foy ,a %
ing business in the State AS it now
stands, large sums are sent out of the
State to pay premiums to companies
which are doing business with our peo-
pie; and are not paying cent for the
privilege. Where is the security that
these policy holders possess The
same writer above quoted, says that
| if a company is not able to de-
post $4,000 in our State Treasury
it is not worthy to be trusted by the pub
lie. Though the $40, 900 deposit is an
extortion and an injustice, when it is
considered that there are thirty six States
in the Union, and if all acted on the
same rule, SSthe capital of companies
would be largely taken up in deposits,
this does not touch the question of
right, expediency and economy to the
people of the State. Az we'll say in
favor of a prohibitory tariff, that if i'm
porters are not able to pay exorbitant
customs dues, they are not worthy to be
admitted with their goods into the
country. What the public welfare
requires, is trade as free and with
as little incumbrance as is com
patible with the collection of revenue
for the support of the Government This
is the great central principle of the Dem
ocratic party and it deserves to be uni
versally applied.
But then, the advocates of the present
Republican born. prohibitory and reve-
nue. destroying laws point to the example
of other States. ''Look at Georgia"
they triumphantly exclaim! "She re-
quires deposits" But here we have be-
fore us a circular issued in the interest
of the Georgia monopoly, in which the
benefcent and glorious workings of
the same system in Mississippi are point
ed out. And so it goes. Georgia points
to Mississippi and Mississippi points back
to Georgia, each in support of a system
which has the same common Radical
origin, and is curse to both States.
Tue example of other States is all against
the deposit system. Ohio, Indiana, Ten
nessee, Iowa, Wisconsin, West Virginia
and Alabama, all had deposit laws and