The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1895-06-14
"GOD, GIVE Us MEN"

U VI lUt ~ ~ wy "A'N' -"
this unhappy picture Of the situation
now confronting Mlssissipplans, every
line of which is literally true:
The time has come 10 speak TO Mis-
sissippians plainly. The situation is
not onc OF pride TO high-n,.inded sons
Of the State.
II has been said that the Legisla-
ture. which assemblies in this city
next January. will not find a dollar in
the State Treasury. Those who know
best say this is literally true. Nay,
more. The treasury will be empty In
a few months, and the State Will
again be compelled to tide along until
the tax-gathcrers report on It's proml-
ses to pay. In plain terms, more
warrants must issue.
On top of this heavy load under
which the State is sweating and
granting the State-house is topping
down. The next Legislature must
either further tax the people to build
a new one or repair the old II 1t is
confessed with humiliation that the
Capitol of Mississippi is spoken of as
unsafe that 1t presents the most un-
slightly appearance Of any Capitol
building in the nation, North or
South. Its motely walls have not
seer a paint brush in twenty years.
The plastering is blistered where it
has not parted company with the
ceiling; great cracks "A foot wide grin
and yawn at visitors; walls II inches
out of plumb are held together by
hog-chains and supported by monster
pieces Of timber; and-but why 90
on? The heart sickens and the eye
seeks less Emphasizing sights.
But, alas what do we see? Melan-
cloly thought A sad commentary on
the situation. We behold candidates
for State Ot1ices-yeS, even for govern
or. the exalted Office for chief magis-
trate of this proud commonwealth
position filled by a P%OindeXter, a Nc
Mutt. a Runnels, a Foote, a Quitman,
Il Melville, a Brown, and now graccd
by a Stone-running over the State
predicating their claims to a Dem
Ocratic nomination for that office upon
a single national issue, 'tllc free and
unlimited coinage Of silver at the ra-
ito Of l6 to |. without international
agreement" to the utter exclusion Of
a discussion Of State issues. We see
candidates for beat ~conStableS doing
the same thing. They do not do it
quite so well as candidates for gov
ernor, but they do it more naturally.
We see Frank Burkitt, the apostle Of
Populiteism in Mississippi, accusing
these persons Of stealing a plank in
the P0pulite platform, the shibb0leth
Of which party is "l6 to l." We read
column after column in the State
press signed by candidates for the leg
islature, claiming that the country is
in the throes Of death, and that 'l6 to
|" is the only cure: that they will
vote for no candidate for the United
States Senate who docs not favor 80
to l." And some Of them evidently
do not know that the Senator to be
chosen by the Legislature next Jan
uary will not take the oath OF Office
until March 4, 1899, and that unless
there shall be a called session of Con-
gress-a most unlikely thing-that
we will not vote on any question be-
fore the following December, four
and a half years from now; and that
If half they say about the condition
of the country and the necessities Of
the people is true, We will all be dead
long before that tim%e-"starved to
DEATH" Like some of the candidates
for governor, they are utterly ignoring
State matters with which they must
deal, vital matters, and are prating
about matters with which they have
nothing on earth to do. IT there
shall be a change in the financial pol
icy of the United States it will be set
tied at the presidential election in
1896, or by the legislature following
Immediately thereafter, long before
the Senator to be elected in January
next evertakes his seat.
The next governor OF Mississippi
will be called upon to reorganize the
judiciary of the State. Every circuit
Judge and chancellor will have to
walk the plank or be r%eapp0inted. A
successor to Judge Cooper, on the SUI
premc bench, must also be named.
Already it is openly talked that this
man or that will get this judgeship or
that ; that this chancellor or that
will 20 to this mar or that, and So
and-so will be appointed supreme
court judge. This is scandalous.
Time was when a mere hint of such a
thing would have caused public sem
Jlment to gorge; to apply to any such
supposed cabal a scdentary farce suili-
cicnt to spread the actors at rest for
ever. But, o, the times: O, the man
ners. The appointivc judiciary sys-
tenn was kept in the new constitution
that the judicial ermine might be
kept out of the slime of pot,house
politics.
But bad as the situation is repre-
sented, there is yet time for reforma-
tl0n. 1t is never too late to do good.
And all the indications point to the
fact that the patriotism Of the State
is fast arousing that endurance has
reached its bounds.
A devoted Mississippian, after la
mcnting what he termed a day OF
small men, in conversation with the
Picayune correspondent, said: "Oh,
for Il Lamar! He would nutter the
time-servers and place-hunters, like
an eagle in a d~ove-Ccte."