The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-09-01
70 ne psoDle q HoIne. cogDtv

ALIEN cor ST TUITION INTEREST
BEARING DLBTs SHOULD BE ELIMI
MATED.
To the People Of Holmes County:
1t will be readily seen that there ha'
been no fixed financial policy pursued
ia this State for more than twenty years
unless 1t be considered a policy 10 use
all the trust money drawn from the citi
zens, and then TO call on the citizens tC
pay interest on the debt thus il cured
1t is popular il seems TO blame Govern.
ors, Treasures and Auditors with this,
but it would be more honest TO blams
| ourselves aud our representatives and
senators In lhe past legislatures. These
state officers are bound 10 execute the
will Of the people &c expressed by their
| legislators; but / am compelled TO con-
clude that had 70 known, and had the
people of the State known that her &.
naHces had been mismanaged as they
have been, they would have been in
slructed by strong public sentiment,
! that The true policy OF the State was TO
| raise The necessary revenue to meet her
needs aud 10 reduce thuse needs 70 the
lowest limit consistent with the proper
administration of pubic affairs instead
of pledging the credit Of the State aud
your credit by the Issuance of interest
| bearing bonds.
>, far as my observation teaches me,
there has always been q minority of our
Legislators who wished to carry On the
sound and safe financial policy above
indicated, but they have in many in
! stance failed, aud 1t occurs 20 me that
Z
the people on that issue throughout the
state. But fairness compels me 10 say
in this connection that there has for tea
years past been an issue before our
State OF such vital Importance, an issue
50 absorbing in iIsinterest-snd an issue
so nearly involving the liberty and wei
fare OF the people OF the entire State,
that other issues have been forgotten.
| allade TO the question of whetnt we
should be governed BY strangers, and by
ignorance, or by our iLteingent home
citizens; whether the carpet igger or
the negro should control affairs, or
whether Mississippians should prevail.
IL Is to be hoped that this question il
definitely settled. IN my mind there il
40 fear Tor the neax future, because the
principles for which We had the revoiu-
ton of 1875 and 1876 are so firmly fixed
that nothing short of a superior armed
force can overthrow it.
Is it not time thai we go over our bus
mess like careful business men? Is it
nos right that we round up our business,
pay our debts, and provide by cunstitu
tiUnai safeguards il necessary for the
payment of our just debts, and against
our credit being further pledged.
There Is another matter To which |
will call your attention. Sec. 10, Ars. II
of the constitution OF this State pro
vides that the property of all CORPORA
lions for pecun,ary profit, shall be sub
jeet 10 taxation the same as that of ia
dividuals, and Sec. 20, Art. II, provides
that Taxation shall be eqaht aud uni
form throughout the State, aud all prop
erty shat De taxed in proportion 10 its
value, 10 be ascertained as directed by
law" but we see all over the Stale the
class of property alluded TO Is exempt
from taxation by legislation, and this
legislatIOa supported by the adludica-
ton OF the courts, aud the courts con-
STRUNG that the constitution means that
this property may be subjected to taxa
ton, put does not necessarily mean thai
il should be subjected 10 taxation. The
people, rs a class, teel that ii should be
differently Construed. Their coustruc
ton is hat all property shall be assessed
aud taxed IN the same way by the same
officers aud collected in the same way,
aud III accordance with its value. There
IS Il difference IL very marked difference
between The legislative and judicial
constructions, AMI the popular con
struction OF these clauses uf our con
stitution. | do not wish to be un.
derstood as questioning the judicial
construction, or beng contrary to es
established precedent, but | do say
that these Clauses as construed, are
opposed To the sentiment OF our people
aud IL jus ice. The only way to recon
cile this ditfere 1ce Is fur the people to
exercise their superior right, aud make
plain their wish. Now, let's look at this
thing as it Is; let us re :Ugnize the pre-
eminent virtue and ability of our Judi
ciary; let US remember that, If biased
at all, II ~ more reasonable To suppose il
Is IN your favor than against you, and re
member that you, aud you alone, in
conf junction. with the citizens of the en-
tire STATE, are the ones who our officers
are sOilcitOus TO serve, out if these
clauses as construed are objectionable,
amend them or frame new constitu
ton, using plain and more forcible Ian
guage. ReuIem Der, tins constitution was
framed by men who were not identified
with US, aud it Is the last remnant OF
Radical wrong and Ubiquitous oppres
sion. There are many other things whit b
could be said in support of a Cvnstitu-
tional Convention. Many other reasons
why it would be wise to revise it, but
these will be presented in due time, and
IN their order The subject Is only
touched now, because it mas larger
share in our financial system.
To return from my DEPRESSION. If the
interest which this State pays annually
could be eliminated, our State govern.
ment could be run with tax which her
citizens would hardly feel, and by re
ducing our rate of interest and ieyyine
4 tax of II mills to pay off our debts,
the whole debt could be liquidated in
ten years except the old school debt,
which is but nominal one. liz this
we're done cur colleges, our asylums and
our charities, if economically admins
tered, would be gratifying pleasure
rather than burden, as it is, though
ours is the poorest State of the oldest
states in the Union. We have happily
escaped, (it looks as though by the in
terveution of Providence rather than
the care of mani the Overwhelming
public debt that Cypress our sister
States.