Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-06-09

without II corresponding reduction in
expenditures, would there not be a
deficit, which would he added to our
interest bearing debt ? Do you favor
that
If YOU do not favor creating more
government debt, then you can't favor
tariff reduction, until after reduction
of expenditures. How much reduc-
ton of expenditures do you think can
and ought to be effected within the
next two years. Remember the pop
ulation of Mississippi is 1924, 1881:
federal taxes 5000 per capita. our
State and county tax, to say nothing
of municipal taxes, and official per-
Quisites, is 3,200,000. In all $l4, 3d.
622 SO, which at the prevailing prices,
$30 per bale takes 4S5, 1897 bales of our
cotton or nearly half the crop so, we
are in IL hurry about it, and two years
is Il long time to Il man in mighty
tight squeeze.
How much reduction can we hope
for, and where will we begin The
pension list is very heavy burden,
but have not prominent Democrats
voted for the pension bills ? Is not
the same true of the resumption and
decentralization of silver, etc? VIII
they vote to repeal these laws? Have
YOU not seen them tested on the
Bland bill, Mills bill, and other relief
measures for which yOu seem to be
honestly cOntendinge What shall we
do?
Down here in Mississippi, and
throughout the South, there are a
great many of us, who have fought all
the battles of Democracy, whether
with ballots or bullets, who, not only
think, but know that relief must be
had very soon, or, we will be ruined.
We are forced to labor hard, even in
old age; our families are bereft of
many comforts, and we cannot edu-
cate our children while half our cotton
goes for taxes. The man who says
this is result of laZiness is liar; for
some of us have corn to sell and can't
get 80 cents per bushel for it, cotton
to sell and a few days ago couldn't get
over &c, stock to sell and there is no
market.
Now we knOwthat very large ma
EiOrity of Democratic voters favor re-
form. Not only so, but the North
west, which is intensely Repub-
lican upon the old sectional is
sues, voted with us to elect a
Democratic Congress, and will vote
aga in for a reform platform and
ticket. So we are determined to make
n desperate fight inside the party, for,
not "taritf reform only" (for by itself
that means national debit but reform
all along the line. The national
banks, which you forgot to mention
| in your speech, aid which you also
left out of your campaign speeches
two years ago, are largely the beneti-
Charles and supporters of the demone-
tizatiOn of silver, and other "damna-
bic schemes perpetrated in the inter
est of the moneyed> classes. There
fore, and for further reason that they
are anti-Democratic institutions ans
way, we demand their abolition, and
that the government, on some cheaper
plan, furnish the country with 4
volume of currency sufficient for the
trade or commerce of the country
which the constitution provides shal
be regulated by the government, an(
not by the banks.
The Republicans bitterly oppos,
onr demands, so does Cleveland ant
| the Wall street Democracy, SO called
oppose free coinage, or the Democrat,
dollar of hundred years. Many o
them favor subsidies, National banks
the big gold dollar to pay the bon,
holder for his 56s in currency bond
oppose tariff reform, aud always sus