The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1896-07-11
The defeat of Mckinley is the only
way for the people to rebuke the pur-
chase Of presidential nomination.
MISSISSIPPI.

Land OF romance and of mys-
terry, ancient home of the mighty
nation of the Natchez Indians,
who worshipped the sun and Of
fered human sacrifices; land ira
versed by the Spaniards in their
New World search for gold; land
made sacred by the blood of pa
triots poured out like water upon
its buttressed hills and beside
rivers flowing through dense
forests; land ennobled by having
Graded and nurtured some among
the greatest statesmen, the noblest
orators, the bravest soldiers and
most glorious women of the con-
tinent, this is Mississippi.
And to-day the people are hon
orable, brave, true, faithful TO
every trust, patriotic, religious
and lovers of learning, Churches
and school houses are seen on
every hand; there are many ex-
celIent colleges, and the press is
able and fearless, with q newspa-
per in every county.
The great >state of Mississippi
is essentially agricultural in its
character; or, rather, it has so
happened that, while it possesses
many other resources, these have
not until recently attracted atten.
tion, and the chief development
of the state has been in the way
of tilling the soil.
This is the reason that Mississip-
pi has no large cities. It's agri-
cultural population is spread over
the country, and the people who
are gathered in the towns are
only the merchants, the mechan-
les and the professional men,
whose services are necessary to
the vast farming population of
more than a million people.
Mississippi, until within a few
years past, in which Texas has
been enormously developed, was
for long period the leading cot
ton producer in the Union, and
the country along it's rivers, and
particularly the region embraced
in the great triangle between the
Mississippi and the Yazoo, and
known as the Delta, make up the
richest cotton lands in the world.
But Mississippi possesses other
natural resources of the greatest
Importance. Foremost are its
vast virgin forest of pine and cy.
press. Here have been establish
ed within the past few years enor-
nous mills and numbering estab.
lishments, and the extension OF
railways into the great forest
tracts if bringing their practically
inexhaustable resources into pro-
ductive developments. Rivers
and rail bring down logs and lum.
Der to the coast for direct ship.
ment to foreign and other mar
kets, and the expectation of tim.
Der and lumber from the Pear
river, Pascagoula'and other ship.
ping districts has already attained
immense proportions and is yearly
growing rapidly.
But the pine and cypress forests
of Mississippi, great as they are,
do not make up the whole of the
timber wealth of that great state.
In the northern counties are ex.
tensive forests of hardwood trees
of the utmost Importance for fur.
niture, machinery and wagon ma
terial, and this magnificent re-
source is practically undeveloped,
awaiting the time when capital
and enterprise shall unlock its
almost illimitable wealth.
The fisheries of Mississippi.
although they have reached con-
siderable development, present
all the material for an almost un-
limited expansion. The sea coast
of the state is indented by several
small bays and inlets from the
Gulf of Mexico, and these abound
with oysters and the most deli.