The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1888-06-07
A BLAST FROM COPIAH.
Some Ringing Resolutions AdOp-
ted by the County Conven-
ton.


ton.
Saturday, May 18th, the delegates
selected by the various precincts met
at Hazlehurst, and after the transac-
ton of routine business and passing
resolutions renewing allegiance to the
party and endorsing Cleveland, adopt
ed the following, which as well as the
others, were offered by Mr.. Il. n.
Miller:
3rd. That the present constitution
of the State of Mississippi, i'll our de-
libcrate Judgment, is not in harmony
with democratic principles, in that it
takes too much power from the people
and places it in the hands of the Ex-
ecutive of our State, and we denounce
the system of au appOintive Judiciary;
and inasmuch as this is pretended to
he ga government for the people and
by the people," we demand the right
of the people To name at the ballot
box those who shall execute the func-
tons of this department ofthe govern
ment.
4th. We demand Il provision of
our constitution vesting the great
power of pardons in PardOning
Board, composed like the one of our
sister State, Louisiana, or otherwise.
5th. That we are opposed to our
public institutions being dependent
upon each legislature, because it
brings to jackson a vast horde of en-
ployes of those institution, which
leads to extravaganza on the one hand
and parsimony or neglect on the other
i'll their administrations, and we be-
lieve some scheme can be adopted
which will prevent these evils.
9th. We are unalterably opposed to
the present lease system of the pen
itentiary, which at least deprives the
State of one of her most solemn obi
cations, tO-wit the entire and absO-
Lutte control of the cOnvicts, and there
fore the opportunity to protect their
lives and their health.
It'll. That we demand the repeal
of the law which gives the Gulf and
Ship Island Railroad the vast area of
our pine lands, which we demand be
held as sacred heritage for the edu-
cation of the children of the State.
We therefore also demand the cutting
loose of this monster who, through
the lobby and improper influence of
State officials, has coiled itself about
the State and fastened its fangs in her
| heart.
Sth. That having observed the
previous efforts to accomplish these
reforms by amendments to the cOnsti-
tuition, where it requires twO-thirds
vote of the Legislature too pass an
amendment. to end in failure, and
believing that these necessary re-
forms in our organic law, together
with other needed reforms, and the
safety of the time-honored principles
of the democratic party and its
pledges solemnly made from 1869 to
1878, can only be accomplished and
redeemed by the assembling of the
people in their sovereign capacity in
constitutional convention, we there
fore demand that our next Legislature
call such a convention.
The following by Hon. j. l.. Ramsey
were also adopted:
! That we, as representatives OF the
democratic party of this county, be-
lieving that the present administra-
! tion of our State, in most of its exec
utive departments, is by no means in
harmony with the will of the people,
we therefore pledge ourselves to
leave no honorable effort untried to
relegate these gentlemen-every one
of them in such departmcnts-to po-
sition where the vanity and pride of
power and place, which they have so
long enjoyed, may i'll time be taken
out of them, and they may learn anew
at the feet of the sovereign majesty
of the people the principles of the
democratic party.
Resolved, That this convention
has heard with much regret and
greatest displeasure that the present
Governor of the State felt called upon
to snub and insult so large proper
ton of the people of the State through
the committee of the Alliance recent
", who hut exercised the American
citizens dearest right of speaking to
any department of their government
by petition, and we unqualitiedly con-
denim the same.