The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1900-08-17
EDUCATE OR PERISH.
Editor Democrat Star.

Editor Democrat Star.
We hear and read great deal about |
the Great Thomas Jefferson" as the
founder of our liberties and modern
civilization. All parties claim him
as their patron saint Even to old
"Grandma's Palmer and Buckner, the
political abortion" of the last ma
ticnal campaign. claimed tn be de-
scendentS of the great jefferson. Our
people of Moss Point seem tn have
forgotten that Jefferson declared,
rive must educate. we must educate,
or we perish our own pu>ferlty."
The education jefferson referred to
was common public school education,
and in the State Of Mississippi this
cannot be secured to any great degree,
except by means Of separate school
districts, and these cannot be had eX-
cept by Incorporation of the cOmmu-
mites into towns or cities. And for
over a quarter OF Il century the larg-
est property owners of our place have
prevented our Incorporation: yet we
all boast of our descent from the great
Jefferson.
As my family is not here now, and
may not he for two or three years, l
am not directly interested in schools
in our place, yet | know and admit
the fact that jefferson was right when
he declared, ''We must educate, or we
must perish our own postcrity," and
not wishing to preach one thing and
practice another, favor the nc0rpo-
ration of all our towns into one city
and allow my property taxed for the
education of the poor children of our
< city. -.
" Now | can almost hear some men
q who own ten times as much property
!, as | do SAVING. "'Old Crank Dees' is
u very liberal as his taxes would be as
nothing compared to ours | answer
!. that Dees is willing to exchange
t places with them. If | make my liv.
i ing renting houses to people who have
Il children, should be willing to let
q my property be taxed to help educate
them. II men who have children tC
n educate work for me in my mills, they
10 are in fact part Of my working capital
and should be willing 10 have my
l. mills taxed so rs to educate their chill
n dren. or else the great Jefferson was
! wrong.
n There are other benefits arising
from Incorporation, such as good
# streets and roads, but the education
IS of the poor children is by far the
greatest benefit, for we have seen the
J. danger from ignorance.
A few years ago Mnss Point thought
S herself far ahead of all other places
S on our coast. In fact, | moved my
family away from my beautiful home
q in the now thriving town of Scranton
l. simply because they desired to live in
more ''high.toned" town. Moss
" Point is by nature the most beautiful
place on the coast and had our people
y been willing to listen to Jefferson. we
l. would to-day have had at least four
common schools and one high school,
Z all public. and would have had many
IS other advantages that can be had only
through Incorporation.
!, In this connection, ! want to i'm
4 press on the few. on each side OF Es
% catawpa river. who oppose the incor'
=, poration of our whole place into only
ONE Incorporation, that if they will
canvass the question in their owr
= minds and hearts and listen to the in
= inction of the Great Jefferson" the.
"a will all agree to come together ant
Il work IN all efforts to place our tow
- alongside the other towns OF ou
:, coast. Personal spite. prejudice ant
~ fear should be laid aside and all com
10 together AS one common brotherhood
n Respectfully submitted,
- NJ. A. DEES.
~ A., Do;ot I;ee Auuuct TX 1Q0(