Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1901-07-11
sTUYvEsANr FIsH's LETTER
The Stigma OF Reputation Con-
ssdered


ssdered
JscS-nS. Mss. June -. isaf
NJ z =. Frasf- Jprks0a. Mfss
Nv Dear Sfr-vartous hln6-zrr.s
ks-s delayed compliance With your r--
susst for an expression. for New York
Journal on the letter of Nr Ssuyv.s-
ant Fish. President f1Ii-ots Central
Railroad Company. 10 Chancellor Ful-
ton Of our Stare University
heartily concur In all the nfcs
things that have been said % that Let
ter ~ the public press. and ~ gentle
zen whose opinions have been invited
am glad that K has been very xrner.
ally published In the newspapers. and
that Il also appears IN pamphlet
forr
Perhaps IL ts fortunate that Mr. Fish
ccult not arr-pt the invitation to al
fr.ss the Uuiver=fty at Commencement
for had he been present hts address
would probably been Of IN OF hand
kind As IL Is. We have the rtch n.
suit Of a most painssakinx invessig1-
tion OF the Material Resources oc the
State Of Mississippi and practical
and timely suggestions as TO row these
resources may be developed to their
fullest extent
Mr. Fish has been such a stesdfast
and substantial friend Of Mississippi.
40 one will question his right to give
H. Las
suggested BY him He and his great
corporation have done more To develop
the resources oc Mississippi. in the
Last twenty years. than all other agen-
eies combined He not only sees
us from afsr. but he VISITS Is occasion
ally. and his visits always mean de-
vslopment and expansion
OF course he Is thoroughly euusrfsn-
tious and un<eEf<h when be advices
the young men of Mississippi 70 see
TO It that the stigma Of rspudaiti0n Is
removed by making with the creditors
OF the STATE. such honorable settle
ment a. they may be wiling 10 ac-
espt- II any enc viii read the great
United States Senars. April Ist- 1881.
he viii eonciuds that there are two
sides TO this question Replying 70
Senator Hoar. he pronounced the re-
pudiarfou charges a -calumny on
the STATE. and then proc-esied % give
the reasons for the taith that was in
him II the young men oe Mississippi
viii read that speech. and read up On
the history OF this bond question. they
VIII not discover much stigma IN
obligations that some Of trs greatest
men have held TO have been Illegally
created The legislature OF ls4e
denied that the State was under any
obligation. legal or moral To redeem
the Uniou Bank Bonds. And this
s1s the opinion af al II. members af
the constitutional convention Of 1890
who voted for the constitution then
adopted. which declares IN Section e5s.
that the state shall not assume. re-
deem secure. or pay any Indebtedness
or pretended tnd-beedness alleged 10
be due By the State Of Mississippi. 70
any person. association or corpora
ton whatsoever. claiming the same a.
owners. holders or aSsixn-es Of any
bond or bonds. now generally known As
Union Bank honfs and Planters
Bank bonds.
That would seem 70 close the dis
cIssiou- one thing Is very certain. the
present generation Of Misssssippians
will have 20 get much new light On
this question before they viii repeal
Section e5s Of the present constitution
When cur carperba friends made a
constitution for Us IN Is6s. they pruvid-
e,l that the State Of Nississipri snail
never assume nor pay any debt or obi
CATION contracted IN aid Of the re-
bellton.- and 81 our own statesmen.
later IN. determined 70 protect the
present and future generations from
demands which they considered aRsar-
ranted and Illegal
Yours very truly.
J. l. POwER
tExrrstt from speech Delivered hy Hon
J z George N the senate af The Calrs,t
States. Friday. April I. 1851
Mr- Pr-sident--Sinss I An ~. O. ny
colleague Vas unable fOu account ae
hausrisnt To reply 70 some charges that
were made against Mississippi IN reference
tn rrpudIation I VIII make a starsmens an
that subject I had sxp-vted thAr this
ealumnx would not BE- revived INV. I viii
MAKE. tor the information at n. ssuar,lr
from hassac nu-errs. Mr. Hsarf ). Il he ~flI
H.zsn u zzE. : statement "a rhar subi-vt
which viii vtnssisa1s and Justify the acriou
OK Mis.lssippL
The eousriruriau Of fs1e Of Mi.-i--lpui
provided that the farm q ras Stafe snoalsI
never D. ple,lg~,t Tar aax Iaaa HHlsss rhe Ian
authorizing the pledge passed By 0ne
I-gislarure. then astverris-.l IN asxxuaDxrs
published IA tar stare before the 1sxr gen
erzI sisrri0n and then r=snzered by N.
su,.c--,iin- legislature That vas the euu-
s1trHriaa sf aississippi IN Is5.-
In ISIS ss. I-gislArur- sc Mzssi<slppi
passed a ia~ sHr5srixinx the pi~fxe sf the
StAt< of Mississippi esr Sl5.Jaa gaa % aid
the Unisn Rama The Law made the State
the guArantar or surely af the Uaiun BAnk
That law required the stock Of the CnIon
Bznx % Dc amply secured tar the purpose
Of tndemnifyiag the ssare against liability
0n rhose soEtsL That vas the prai-cr rhAr
was submirr-d 70 the peaple Of Mlzsissfppk
sr the succeeding election and which they
aurhaized rh-ir representatives 10 r--naer
and proceed u1ter = but iasreai az daiux
that ths iegtsiarurs passed another Law N
vhteh they made the $tarz Of Mississfrpf
stsskhoIsfrr IN the bank 90 rhe amount se
$1,000 0oe. made her tns principal debtor
On bonds TO rhe amount OF 5000 0sls in
stead Of being surety and yaA-anror rs she
Was o-for-. and without rrsubmirrfnx IL
issued the bonds under that and they were
sold The yrnfieman ls a lawyer and can
see the ci1er-nee- rhs people agreed TO be
guzrznr1rs TO the bank wirh ample indeu-
nifty 20 the auouzr sf sr5.5ao. 09ol The
bends actually issued and the law
authorizing them which was never sub
mirred according 20 tire constitution. made
her q prinrfpal Co the Rneunr sf 5000 GEO.
That law vas never. as I said suhmlrre,d
60 the people as required by the constitution
Sac a single dollar Of thar money ever
vent fnr1 the State treasury oc NIssissippL
and no Subsequent legislature ever rzrin.d
IL or ever submitted IT % the people Thar
Is the whole thing that. there Is Moth