The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1901-12-07
'S'sS'ScAe~e'SN~ovowo~N ~N~exewes
MISSISSIPPI MATTERS
NOTES OF PAST AND CURRENT EVENTS
By KATE MARKHAM POWER.

large number Of prominent rea
estate men from Illinois, Iowa ant
wisconsin toured the State last week
IN special cars, under the direction ot
capt J. F. Merry. They visited AZ
many OF the large towns on the iii.
nois central as was possible in theiI
united time, and with one accord
they pronounced themselves amazed
as well as delighted with the country
they found down South" and the ped.
pie who made their stay so pleasant
While in Jackson they were enter
famed BY the Columbian Club and well
coined by Mayor Hemingway and Gov,
Longino. Among the excellent things
said by the Governor to these guests
from the great Northwest was the fol-
lowing, touching Mississippi's Consti-
tuition:
Perhaps you have heard some criti-
cisms of our laws and our courts in
mississippi. l understand they have
peen quite general through your sec
tlon, and | will digress a moment to
discuss this subject. | want to say
that our laws cover wisely and we'll
all classes and conditions of men, and
our courts have a high and incorrupti-
lie standard of Jurisprudence. Con-
trary to the assertions of partisans and
lll-lnforme4 people, our Constitution
contains no organic infringement on
Tree citizenship. In Mississippi there
is practical appreciation of intelli-
gent citizenship. Our suffrage clause
eliminates only the ignorant class,
those who cannot read and write, and
those who do not pay their taxes. The
talk about our Constitution being I'M
Just is bugaboo. Education in this
day and age is cheap and easy, and
with our magnificent public school sys-
tenn on which we spend $l,700,000 per
year for the education of children, be
tAeir skin black or white, there is no
excuse for ignorance, while the man
who will not bear his just share Of the
burden of government by paying his
taxes has no right to participate in
the management of that government.
The man who will not qualify himself
for suffrage certainly has no legal or
moral claim to hold franchise. Ours
is an intelligent government by intelli-
gent people"
A little incident occurred during the
visit of these gentlemen that may
prove interesting. The day selected
Tor their visit was, thanks to the
weather clerk, pleasant and mild.
During the afternoon two of thenA
standing on the corner viewing the
new Capitol, saw man crossing the
park wearing white duck trousers,
black coat and hat. Look" ex-
claimed one, that's the kind of a
country to live in-where a man can
wear white duck clothes In late No
rember!" He did not know that those
white ducks" had once had broad
Hack stripes running around them,
md that it was at the cost of much
and several pounds of soap
hat the convict (for it was "trusty'
It whom they were looking) had sue
eeded in dimming those stripes Of
ishonor" SO that they could be mis-
aiken for white ducks" But, after
IL, the fact that we allow our con-
lets such freedom might have ELECTED
he same surprise. If these good
vesterners will come down and try
we believe we can prove that ours
, a good country to live in, for better
easons than either of the above.