The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-05-29

y
all within stones throw of where Won
now sit, and we hope you will make ii d
point to see them while you are here.
We are going ahead all the time. Tn
1898 we finished nineteen miles of sewers
and are still extending them: voted the
issuance of municipal bonds to the amount
OF 100000 for street and sidewalk paw
ing; contracted for seventy-fve additional
street lights; secured an electric street
railroad; organized, through private enter
prise, 100000 cotton factory, which
will soon begin operation; erected two ad-
ditional public school buildings, and had
the smallpox-all in the same year-be-
sides various and sundry other minor in
dustries and achievements too numerous
to mention.
Besides our FIVE public schools, our
many private schools and colleges, includ-
ing our business college, one of the char
asteristic features Of Meridian is her
factories. l cannot enumerate them.
You must visit them and see with your
own eyes what Meridian manufactures.
In these institutions we have over ST.
100000 invested. They afford employ
ment to about 1000 or 800 hands, and
through their pay rolls is distributed from
$4,000 to $4,000 per week. The lowest
weekly pay roll of one of these factories
is 500; the highest is $4,000 The
doors of all of these are open to you and
am authorized to extend you cordial
invitation to visit each and all.
During your visit we want to give you
ride on the only electric street railway
in Mississippi. This is our very latest
acquisition, completed only last month;
but it will not long enjoy the distinction
of being the newest, thing in town, for
soon the whistle of the cotton factory will
sound and its wheels and machinery be-
gin to move.
There are, as yet, no paved streets in
Meridian, we are sorry to say; but if we
had few Koentgen rays, or cathode or
X rays, as they are variously termed,
and by means of them should attempt to
look into the future, l am certain you |
would see plainly Swallowed in Meridian's |
near future the handsomest paved streets
and sidewalks to be found anywhere in
the State. We are moving now upon this
work, and these paving improvements will
al materialize during the present year.
But might talk all day about Meridian
and her institutions. l want to say one
hing about Mississippi Meridian is not
'nly city with prospects and possibilities,
tut she is in a State that is great in more
aspects than one.
1t is universally conceded that Missis-
ippi is e-eminently an agricultural
State; that here is where lies her natural
trength. The Mississippi Hand book"
ssued last year, gather together some
acts from the eleventh United States
ensus reports, and presents them as fol-
)ws:
The average value of farm products.
er acre, for the whole United States, is
$50; for Ohio, 1927; Indiana, $6.27; I'LL
OILS, $120; Michigan, $S.4S; Wisconsin,
7.25; Minnesota, $6.40; Iowa, $6.27; Ne
raska, $4.3S; Kansas, $426 and for Mis-
ssippi, SOTO By these figures the av-
age crop from an acre in Mississippi is
orth more than 80 per cent. above the
Terage for the whole country, and more
ian % per cent. above that of any of the
tates named"
Further on, this Handbook" asserts
at in many places in the State the
hools are inferior to schools in some
her sections; that in Mississippi are to
found bad roads, tumbled down build
gs and dilapidated fences; that crops =
e often less than the farmer expects.
ID the manufacturers sales less Quick
an he hoped for. o
1t is only these two conditions that r a.
ii ask the time to put together. | will II
t prolong my remarks. / do not care
advise you how to run a newspaper v
tn 10 |
drop nickel in the SLOT" as it were: In
d while | do not expect it to put in o,
ton the great machine that moves the r
rid, yet it is thought which / hope OF
y at least play the part of the little We
lin OF sand in the general makeup of ~,
universe. It's my hobby, and it re- a.
res cannon to keep a man off his M,
,by.
food roads are what Mississippi needs. Ia
roads paralyze everything, Bad
DIS, tumble-down buildings and dilap-
ed fences go hand in hand Give us All
roads to the schools, to the churches ha
the neighbors, to the markets. then ar
the schools, the fences, the crops and to
manufacturers sales feel the quicken +oi
touch. This is the talisman that will &c.
e to Mississippi a practical realization. Q
he valuable acreage demonstrated bv 80
eleventh census report, ana make her N~'
ideal home nlace Of nm honost -: or
:, Industrious and thrifty citizenship. oel
dltors of Mississippi, TO whom we look 1
the intelligent and systematic a.1ta- UNI
of every good cause, welcome, thrice ena
'ome, to the city that sits upon the to
crn border of your State, the pride of the
own people, the child of their own re- ors
ces and of their own ENTERPRISE wo
which should be the pride of you all the
veil as of ourselves diamond. we +ho
y admit not yet entirely out of the 80
b. but which with your aid and YOUR ~