The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1899-02-25
An INTERESTING PAPER
BY JUDGE S. s. CALHOUN, DIS
CUSSINL STATE ISSUES.
What Should Be Done to Bring About
Prosperity.-A New State House
erative.-Education and Har-
Dor on the Gulf Coast.

progressive citizen in the COM
monwealth than Hon. S. S. CAL
! houn. A candidate for no Office,
even those who may differ from
him accord him sincerity of ex-
preston. He numbers his friends
| by the thousands. Never self
seeker, despising the demagogue,
loving the State and eager for an
opportunity to do it a service,
Mississippi has long felt proud of
this able son. The Picayune cor
respondent at Jackson asked Judge
| Calhoun for his views ON the needs
of Mississippi. He made the fol-
lowing very interesting reply:
There is no reason to withhold
my views of the situation and
needs of Mississippi, notwithstand-
ing my horror of any appearance
of intrusive self-assertion. The
people are entitled to the best
/ Judgment, frankly expressed, of
every citizen on public questions.
But this interview is under the
particular request that it must not
jumble me up in the bag of office
bunters.
AGRICULTURE.
"Agricultu1e is the base which
sustains the whole population and
should have the best thought of
our local statesmen. lie serious
condition now presented is the
lack of diversification of crops and
too absolute dependence on cot
ton alone. The effort, therefore,
should be to encourage variety.
A very able paper from the pen
of Hon. J. A. Redhead, has late
ly been printed on the general
policy and individual economy of
diversification. Nothing can be
added to that to increase its force.
The following suggestions will
be on legislative policy. and
will carry their own argument,
good or bad. on their face.
EXEMPTIONS FROM TAXATION.
"All farm products are now ex-
empt by law from taxation, if
grown in this State. 1t appears
wise also TO exempt all Touring
mills, and, in fact, all mills of
food products, now in or to be
erected 10 the State, and their
output, from what is grown in the
State, and whether for sale or not,
from any taxation whatever, and
also all hogs, horned cattle, sheep,
goats, horses and mules foaled
and raised within our borders,
and also all factories for yarns
andstextile fabrics and their out
put, and timber manufactures
where the timber is converted in
TO completed articles for use.
EXEMPTIONS FROM LEVY.
"There should be exempted
from levy under execution or at
tachment, unless for rent, all
agricultural products and fruit
and vegetable crops produc-
ed by the debtor and his family
in this State, and all horses, mules,
horned cattle, hogs, sheep and
goats raised by him and his family
in this State.
"All exemptions must, of course
be in the limits of the constitu-
ton, bnt within these limits should
be as broad as may be. The con-
stitution is our sheet anchor. He
who advocates stretching 1t to cx-
tend privileges beyond its plain
import is an enemy to the State.
He who quarrels with courts for
refusing privileges not warranted
by it in order to conform to some
| legislative intent, or to alleviate
hard cases of misunderstanding
of legislative power, is, whether
he knows it or not, dangerous to
the people.
1.-The constitution and the laws
consistent with it, and none 9th
ers, should prevail. Individual
or corporate hardship is as moth
! ing compared with the Importance
of maintaining the imperial pow
er of the constitution. The man
or the corporation who claims
privileges under the legislative
acts ultra wires, the legislative
power belongs with anarchists or
in the perfumed atmosphere of
aristocracy.
RAILROADS.
''In this connection we need
not bother about railroads. Their
history demonstrates their ability
| to take care of themselves. Near
| ly every session bf Congress and
State Legislaturess is enllyened by
the music of their requests for
special privileges. They figure in
every Congress. cvehy State Leg
islature. every State Convention;
they have in hire the best talent
of tongue and pen; they figure as
martyrs in the newspaper press
and even in the literary magazines.
! ssLet il be borne in mind that
they will always come here there
is a paying demand, either local
or to make through connAections
with the great marts of conn Aerce,
aud without this they will neyer
appear, exemption or no exefaps-
/ ion. They always see the poink
and are ever alert to snare the uI1-'
/ wary people and credulous legior
Ilatures. The people need shed 81
tears nor lose any sleep over Tbs
imaginary sufferings of railroads
i Aggregated capital is always avail