The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-05-24

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ha loan ita credit dlFsotlS to-th6 psopiej I
,rA are after all the Government,
m 1t now loans its credit after d fashion
n What are called National Banks, and d
AZ stands responsible for tho good. or
~ use they make of that credit.
I'll Ours is Government of the peo,
ir Trust one another. But take ample secui
Is that no dishonest man shall escape puni
10 ment if he defrauds, or attempts to defra,
10 paternal government that reaches him
10 friendly hand when he is in distress
u If the people are capable of self -govel
vt ment, as l think they are, scheme Ii
/, this can be made to work for the inter-
: OF all classes. SO think, and SO I 81
: hope you now understand what / mea
when L promised TO tell you, when, a
o where, and how, you could get che
money. II this plan for relieving the lab
OF the country is objected to, pray sugge
, something better. 1t is admitted, | thin
on all hands, that the present state OF o,
financial affairs must be changed or Il
farming interest of this country will starv
out.
have already spoken of the planeof vol
ing large sums of money to works of il
ternal Improvement, as means of givn
relief, and promised to return to that sui
Ject again. which l now do.
Internal improvements, as means of en-
larglng commerce, and thus improving tn
general prosperity of the country are de
| slrable, and to proper extent ought to b.
encouraged. But as means of giving i'm
mediate relief to the paralyzed industries
OF the country they are not to be depended
on. Contractors generally get the lion'l
share out of the appropriation, the men
who do the work get very little, and the
general public, who pay the money, nothing
at all.
The most important Of these improve
ments now projected is the leveeing of the
Mississippi river. am for improving the
navigation of that great stream in the inter-
est of commerce. If by leveeing, and that
is good, very well. Ii by jettying, and
that is better, then take that plan. If by
opening new outlets to the sea, let us adopt
that idea. 1t is very much more import
ant that the work be commenced rightly
than that it be commenced quickly, and that
1t progress securely, than that it progress
rapidly. Tho plan that seems cheapest at
the start may prove the dearest in the end.
That which reaches the end aimed at, the
most secure and lasting improvement, is
,he cheapest. l confess myself incompe-
ent to decide on these points. The levee-
ng project strikes my untutored mind the
east favorably. If the river is leveed near
is banks, thus following its sinuosities,
here is NO estimating the cost of the work, |
md no telling how soon the levee may tum-
lie into the river after it is finished. If it
3 set back on q comparatively straight line,
With view to economy in its construction
nd safety after ii is finished, who can esti-
nate the damage that may be inflicted on
lparian proprietors who are thus fenced in
etween the levee and the river. risk
othing in saying that these propretors
i'll have just claim for the damages,
hatever they may be.
While l do not assent to the idea that as
lie Government owns the river it is bound
} keep its waters off the land of private I
vners, or be responsible in damages for /
7ertiow, do maintain that if the Govern s
emit, for its own advantage, or the advan I
&c of any one else, SO NEEDLES with the /
ltural flow of the water as to cause inun- I
Ition, it is responsible in damages to all /
no are injured by such Inundation. i
The Mississippi will be leveed, jettied, or d
! navigation improved by opening new $
tlets to the sea quite as soon as the de- n
and of national commerce require, the S
e or the other, or all together. OF this a
ere is no doubt. l am most emphatically b
favor of such improvement, and am fl
st as emphatically opposed to making Sc
CHI improvement in advance of the de-
Inds of commerce, and solely in the o.
crest of private persons. When public II
rks are undertaken, the public interest b
me should be consulted. If private in n
RITUALS get resulting advantages, l Gers III
My shall not object. But l have too Of
lg combatted the idea of protection for W
!, sake of protection, to take the ground az
W that the whole country should be taxed W
lplY to improve the value of the estates al
ng on the banks of the Mississippi. IL
The government has not, as far as [ az
ow or have reason to believe, one acre of al
d in the delta of the Mississippi that is es
nth protecting-she either sold her resi- OF
airy interest to private individuals under to
graduation act, gave it away under the &C
nestead bill, or surrendered it to the if
ties as swamp land. Whatever is done, N
refore, by the Government, must be Sc
le in the interest of commerce, and not iii
improve the value of Government land. m
5ut we hear a great deal said about how SD
CHI the lands would be improved in val> Oh
if the water was only kept off them. on
lnted. But are the people at large to be
ed to make improvement for the
eft of private individuals? This is
lection in its most repulsive form. -,
hen we are told how many millions of wi
Of ha in,
ated lands if the water were only kept u I,
them. Granted. But who wants the ",
on? The price obtained is already we
w the cost of production. Labor is me
ady fleeing from our cotton fields and pa
mo more profitable emnlovment in tha rat
Il growing fields of the West, and yet Uni
,eer aroriments in favor of imnroyn- PEE
It's based on the idea that such improve Pre-
is will increase the production of cots wa
wa
hen the world needs more cotton it :
be time enough to make improvements wn
ing to its increased production. Ior
this, and other great improvements uo
made in advance of the demands of P1oH
merce where is the money to come uie
/ to pay for them. !
anifestly the Government must issue In
PROMISES to pay with no liked purpose, - NJ
robable ability to redeem such prom tne :,
at an early day, or it must issue an
+ batch of interest bearing bonds to be IN
emed in time by another issue of aoo
eemable promises to pay. ia't
ere was, years ago, in this country, 10
linent citizen who paid his debts in par
Iissory notes.. When the notes were pro
,nted he would say with the utmost ocri
balance: "That's good note; keep it, OUT
q it wears out bring it hack and l will VIVA
you a new one." Is the government OF
o United States to repeat that grim a N. IN
on its creditors? nus
W, don't jump TO the conclusion that lner
opposed to contracting debts in all cases OF
the government has either on hand or iSle'
int the money with which to pay them. Is IT
rnment debts judiciously contracted nun !,
he debts of individuals, often strengthen but
+ than diminish the credit of the debt IL ST
There is such thing as pouring lit vent
ter into pump TO wet the feathers, so Illat
you may draw great deal more out. com
example, am decidedly in favor of Siliu'
2 subsidies to steam ship lines to sens
American ports. Yes, subsidies! stau'