The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-10-02
THE CITY OF JACKSON.


vanced towards middle age. Most o
= those who inherited the peculiarly
American instinct ofgoing ahead hav'
found theater and field for thei
efforts elsewhere. Jackson, 1t APP
pears, has certain well defined ca
=. pacity. She can feed, clothe, anG
give employment to, just so many
people. When the proper number il
eXc eeded, the excess must take the
alternative of going away or starving
to death. The idea of continual
growth and expansion has meyer
taken vigorous hold upon the digni-
fled mind of Jackson. Like Minerva
from the head of Jove she sprang into
full growth at once rs soon as the
State House was completed, and that
institution has partially paralzcd her
energies and probably caused her to
overlook the wonderful natural advan-
tages which surround her on all sides.
Her commerce, her manufactures, her
mechanics, and her enterprise, all
appear to have been gagged or unduly
stitled by the States Treasury. The
impression too much prevailed that if
II man got public job, he was to
fatten, and if man couldn't find
some road to the public crib, he was
marked for leanness. Directly or re-
motely the OPERATOR whatever he was,
must draw something from this peren-
NAL source, otherwise he could not be
expected to prosper.
1t was Il false and perniciOus and
ruinous idea from the start. 1t provi
ded for the town of Jackson condi-
tons under which it could not grow.
1t broke down every daring spirit that
took up free lance in spite of it. 1t
fixed the bulk of the property and the
bulk Of the population and the con-
trolling power of the mind into ruts
which sternly interdicted progress or
Improvement. 1t frowned upon all
cooperative enterprises. 1t killed
every project whore public approval
was necessary. The result is that
nothing has ever been done. We
have thrown away, and are still throw
ing away our opportunities We have
been content to live in the same house
for fifty years-a house big enough
when our fathers started the town,
but not big enough now. We have an
abundance of territory for town five
times as large as Jackson, and we have
a splendid country surrounding it.
Nothing is needed but the active
spirit of progress to give us what we
want. We should refuse to be con-
tented in Il house that does not give
scope and comfort to our growing
family. We should make additions,
add new wings and other out houses
as they are needed. We should point
out to our children the way to help us,
and thus keep them within the charm
ed circle, and avoid the necessity of
either driving them out or reducing
them to the ignominy of consuming
droncs. We should give them some
thing to do at home. In most cases it
would be better for them, and vastly
more agreeable to both.
Now comes the question, How are
we to do this? No one man, or firm, or
set, is strong enough to provide the
remedy. Cooperative effort is neces-
sary. There must bea community of
interest and putting forward of joint
endeavor. An enterprise is now pre-
scented to the people of Jacksonville
building of the Jackson and YaZoo
City Railroad-which promises TO turn
the scale in Jackson's favor and start
her people on the route 10 solid growth.
With the completion of Gen. Martins
Natchez narrow gauge to this point,
and the building of another from here
to Yazoo City, Jackson will certainly
take Il bound forward, and open up a
thousand channels for labor and enter
prise. She will throw off her inertia,
emerge from her stagnation, and move
rivaling in commercial i'm
pOrtance Vicksburg or Natchez, en-
the value of her zeal estate
and trade sufficient to pay the cost of
new road several times over.
The proposition to vote tax for this
'oad by the city of 100000, under the
guarantees and conditions suggested
~ the committee who have been
charged with the duty of submitting
| plan, is the most direct, feasible and {
air to all parties, and probably the
Dnly way of reaching results. 1t I'M ;;
,oses a slight additional burthen upon
taxpayers, but it proposes to indem- s
lify them fully for it by making their
more valuable. In reality it !
5 no hardship upon the owners Of pro- t
t is the way all short lines are built.
any road was ever started |
Without the town or city most to be |
'enetited and built up by it, consent q
ny to encourage it by a liberal sub f
Towns and cities which re-
use to do it are generally hanked by
hem and left to rust out in mo-
otonous existence. !.
There are those ready to oppose this !,
lxation upon the idea that it is not u
qual-that some men will be more :
enefited than Others by it. This :
rgument would apply with the same II
,rce to the doctrine of levying a pro q
rtd tax upon the property of the peO-
lie for governmental purposes Taxa q
on for any purpose always has and
ways will bear unequally upon the 7
ifierent classes of citizens. The man a
hose property consists in non-taxable 5,
Dnds is not troubled with the tax t.
,llectOr, whereas the poor widow II
loap pulv nrnnarty eangisfa il, a toxvn I -;