Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1899-12-01
OUR JACKSON LETTER.
AN INTERESTING COMMUNICATION
FROM THE CAPITAL
OvorhauIing of the Primary Method is
Urged---Prospcrity Awaits Mississippfs
Energy---Three Candidates have been
Already Announced for Speaker.

Jackson.-From the large number
of complaints that have been heard Of
late with reference to the primary Law
there Ia no doubt that the forthcoming
legislature will make an attempt to
remedy that very imperfect system of
making party nominations. The SEN
timent in the State in favor OF the
primary system Is growing stronger
each day, but the sentiment that calls
for few changes il the primary
method is keeping pace with II The
Democratic State platform adopted at
at the convention In August, recon-
mended the adoption Of a general and
uniform primary system, but ii is
hardly probable that the legislature
will go to the extreme Of passing
law requiring general State primaries,
thus taking all discretion out OF the
hands of the executive committee.
The amendments to the present law
called for deal chiefly with the time of
holding the nominating primaries,
and it is upon this line that legisla-
lion will probably be had. There Is .
strong opinion prevalent that the pri-
maries for State officers should be
held in all counties of the State that
have primaries on the same day; and
this opinion is supplemented by an
other one which would require that
the primaries for State and county
officers should be held on different
days. There Is, In addition, general
sentiment that the primaries should
be more strictly guarded and the right
OF ballot denied to all except qualified
electors who are entitled to vote in
the general election. 1t will probably
be desired of the legislature also to
settle in some way just how far the
primary law may be violated with i'm
punity and the effect of the same, a
matter which, at present, enveloped
great obscurity. The passage of
law providing that all primaries for
State officers should be held on the
same day would have the advantage of
uniformity, would save the candidates
themselves a large amont Of useless
expense in cnnyassing, and would rem
der impossible the manipulation that
was frequently charged in the last
campaign, when a select cotorie
would descend on the luckless coun-
tics in succession and garner them in
to the fold. The separation of the
State and county primaries is earn
estiy advocated by all past and pros
Pective State candidates and by a
large number of people besides. AS
n rule, tho average voter takes no in
tcrest in the State ticket as compared
with county candidates, and the way
the State candidates can be bought,
sold and sacrificed in the interests of
the county contingent has provoked
many bitter tear from those who are
most concerned. As regards greater
safeguards against illegal voting, the
general opinion is. that more binding
restrictions should be adopted, 80 that
unqualified voters may occupy pre-
cisely the same position with refer
ehce to the primaries that they do in
the general elections.
Mississippi is redolent with pros
perity. The testimony Of press and
public is that the people are better of
and more conten.ed than they have
been for many, very many years; tina
Investigation of crops, wiser man.
agement and closer attention to bust
ness has yielded rich returns. Almoa
every paper that comes to hand con
tains evidence of thrift and plenty
Of contentmcnt and happiness. i
the croakers are not all dead, the.
have been shamed into silence. Or
top OF all this is the united determi
nation of the press and people to TAXI
the industrial tide that has reached
tho state at it's food aud press on t.
fortune. The first year of the nov
century will crown the commonwealth
with many mills and factories, to b.
follow ed soon with others by the score,
and what the state has lost in freight
On its raw materialto mill and factory
and for labor paid operatives who liy
in New England will be then kept q
home and swell the circulating medi
Medium. The stars, in their indus
trial courses, have at last begun 10 figh