The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1884-02-23
Remarks of Hon. Jas. F. McCool, of
Attala, on the Bill to Exempt from
Taxation for ten years the Delta
Jute Company.

4 y
Jute Company.
am heartily in favor Of the passage
OF this bill. The opponents of this bill
who think that they would be recreaut
to their trust and violate their oaths tc
support the Constitution, which declare.
the property of all corporations for pc.
cuniary profit shall be subject TO taxa.
ton as that of individuals, would not
infringe upon the sanctity of their oaths
if they voted to exempt from taxation
the property of this Jute Company OF
that of any corporation, for our Su.
preme Court in the celebrated case of
Cook VS.. Mississippi Mills, reported in
the seth Mississippi Reports, in con-
STRUNG this provision of our Constitu-
ton, announced the doctrine, that
it is within the province of tho
Legislature, acting as a trustee for the
public good to- relieve the property of
corporations for given time from tax
alton, though independent of legislati i've
interposition, it would be liable and
SUBJECT to such taxation as was imposed
by the Legislature on all other property
OF the community or State, and then it
should be equal and uniform; in other
words, when the property of corpora
tons for pecuniary profits is placed on
the tax lists, it shall be taxed no more
or no less than the property of individ.
uals. Although this scheme to exempt
this company from taxation for the
period of ten years, is denounced as pro-
motive of the interests of monopolies,
maintain that it would be conducive of
the welfare of the toiling, poor people,
for what our people require is diversity
OF industries to prevent the importation
OF so many necessaries from other coun-
tries, and the greater the variety the
less cotton will be produced, and the
quantity raised will demand better
price.
1t is boldly asserted on this floor that
the farmers pay about IS per cent. of
the taxes of Mississippi, when, Yin truth,
they, as the records show, pay about
$3.50 900, and the lawyers, merchants,
whisky men, doctors, and all Others
coupled together, not directly engaged in
agriculture, pay about s650000 of our
taxes; of course this latter sum is derived
from revenue licenses, whisky licenses,
privilege licenses and the general State,
county and school taxes; but sir, this is
an agricultural country; we are all farm
ers, and the failure of one crop would
bankrupt our country; and having been
reared upon the farm, | know their trials
and hardships, and they have my pro.
foundest sympathy, and that in the ad.
vocacy of this measure and similar pro.
gressive questions, | assert that | am
laboring for the ultimate welfare of the
agricultural classes of Mississippi. in
sist that this legislation is not an effort
to exempt from taxation the property
of corporations, but it is a friendly in
yitation as one of the constituent in
ducements to capitalists to invest their
money here in factories and railroads
which will decorate the State with
towns that furnish church, school and
mail facilities, repelling rutfianism, ed
ucating the people into higher plane
of civilization, and the wise policy of
the Legislature of 1882 in extending
liberal franchises superinduced the
construction and equipment of
about $50 milse of railway in
our State, without costing the
State one cent, andmany factories
will take root and flourish from the ben
efcent legislation of 1882, and the effort
of any subsequent session to impair and
repress this progress should be rebuked
as being narrow, contracted statesman
ship.
But, sir, railroads and factories which
are the grandest opponents of mod
ern civilization, are promptly and |
vehemently denounced on this floor as
monopolies and the common enemies of
the oppressed people. Bymen, too, who !
could not engineer a one horse farm. |
have about as much landed interest MS
the members of this body who are so
fierce to vituperate everybody but
themselves who bear the burdens of /
government, so they argue. They even /
have the superb impudence to believe
that they can not only supervise corpo-
rations within constitutional limits. but |
they can suppress and extirpate them
with as much impunity as the municipal
authorities of city could abate a nui.
sance that is within their Jurisdiction.
Now, Mr.. Speaker, desire to protest and |
denounce the efforts of such argument
as the climax of fanaticism and the
elimination of demagoguery that are .
fatal, if triumphant, to the vital in
terests of the poor people of Mississip-
pi. 1t is proverbial fact, that our
State in the race of progress is fifty
years behind the average State of the
Union. Take Illinois, which has about
sixty-five trunk lines of railway besides
innumerable branches, forming a net
work ofciyilizing factors, while our State
has only five or six lines of roads, vet it is /
equal to Illinois in the area and fertility /
of soil, abouhding in extensive forests
of valuable timber, excellent water /
powers and congenial people and salu-
brious climate, but the cause of the dis
parity in railroads is the want of money.
and any legislation which will invite and
secure it commends itself to reasonable
minds, and sincerely hope that we will
do our best to place our State in p1ri
pdssu progress in the grand army of the
United States, each earnestly striving TO
reach the zenith Of a grand and perfect
development. that will reflect honor and