Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-06-26
A RETROSPECT.
Carpet-bag and Democratic Adminisira-
tIon in Mississippi Compared.

sissippi and the carpet baggers con
trolled the Legislature and majority
of the county offices. Real and other
property had shrunk greatly in value
as compared with former years, and
cotton had declined from $1,000 per
bale in 1870 to about S80per bale. Taxes
we're enormous as the people thought,
and there was much unrest and discon-
tent throughout the State. The State
government was expanding for general
and educational purposes between
100000 and 100000 per annum, and
the State levy ran up to l. or II mills.
At that time, as we remember it, the
State paid the costs of criminal prose-
cutions in the courts, and the privilege
tax scheme to raise revenue by indirec-
| ton had not been invented. The
county Boards of Supervisors were
| forced to make heavy levies to put the
roads. pixies and bridges in passable
condition and the building of school
houses was also source of consider
able expense. Under these depressing
conditions lands could be sold in this
section even then at from so to $40
per acre and transfers at these prices
were not infrequent. The profit on a
bale of cotton produced was so and
| the man who raised , bales could reas-
onably hope to meet an obligation OF
500 in the fall and pay his taxes heavy
as they appeared to be.
In 1871, the State was able to cash
all demands against it and there was
considerable surplus in the treasury,
for the Republican State treasurer
! turned over to his successor 5o2S.OOO
in January 1876.
Twenty years have come and gone.
Lands have deprecated one-half to
two-thirds in value, and there is scarce
| ly any demand for real estate at any
price. Cotton has declined so that the
producer is fortunate if he realizes $40
profit per bale. Our State government,
having shifted the cost of criminal
prosecution on the counties and doub-
led the poll tax, is expanding this year
for general and school purposes ST.
$4,000 and the county taxes will aver
age more than 100 per cent Ola the ad
valorem State levy. The treasury Is
empty and an issue of 100000 in Audi
-, &c, haay ont hnriuo6 RI
tide the State government through
the present summer. The gentle
man who received the S52S,000 from
the radical treasurer in 1876,
is now serving time IA the pen
itentiary for failing to account for
5315,612.19 of that money, and official
defalcations of county collectors, dur
ing the eighteen years of socalled
Democratic rule in this State, are too
numerous u mention. If Bro. Bur
kilt had delayed tits Article little
he might have said that the Democrat
ic State Treasurer who failed to at
count for 53l5,612.19 of the cash turned
over to him by his Republican prede
cesa0r. has been pardoned out of the
pen by a Democratic Governor, before
he had finished seFyiGg even mod
crate sentence. and is about to be-
come a party martyr and Idol, EA.
LEADER.
In 1874, the market value of our tax
able property, real and personal, was
at the lowest estimate double what it
is now. Cotton then, rs no1, was our
leading money crop, out of the pro
aan1C, of wi inh nanYNIp hnnn1 fn ra
alize the means to pay their debts and
meet the demands of the tax-gatherer.
In 1874, the profit on the production
of bale Of cotton being five times
what it is now, we could pay $50 taxes
with the same labor it now requires
to pay so.
Then if we take in consideration the
difference in the expenditures and the
economic conditions surrounding the
people of Mississippi in 1874 and 1894,
our taxpayers are required to eXpend
TEN TINES THE SWEAT AND TOLL 10 sup
port the government today that was
eXtorted by the carpet baggers. With
all the political rancor that could be
engendered against the alien, nobody
so far as We know ever accused Ames
of personal dishonesty. Nor is it our
purpose to lay any such charge at the
door of the present Governor, for
whom this writer entertains the kind
est personal feeling. We have sup
ported Gov. Stone in every canvass he
ever made, and we have been constrain-
ed to believe he honestly desired TO
subserve the best interest of the peO-
pie, but the demands of powerful lead
ers of his party for increased expendi-
lures of the public money have long
since become more potent than bis
ability to restrain extravaganza and
the State is surely and rapidly drifting
into bankruptcy.
This, as we think, is the solemn
truth, which the cry of ''mud-slinging"
from the cuckoo press" cannot efface.
If the Messenger has not fairly stated
the case, let the Democratic journals
show it by an open refutation through
a decent argument, If they cannot, we
notify them, that their stock of politi-
cal slop, great as it is, will not suffice
to cover the record their party has
made. We intend to turn on the light,
and we challenge any and all the faith
ful'-press, office holders and politi-
clans great or small, to meet us in a
spirit of honest inquiry after the facts
as they actually exist, that the public
may have the truth, the whole truth
and nothing but the truth.-Peopte's
MESSENGER