Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1901-06-20

November. 1880. and today the farmers
Of Mississippi, are very generally out
OF debt May parts of the State nov
enjoy the blessings OF mixed farmins
and fruit culture. under which crops
are marketed during the spring and
summer months. thus furnishing the
cash with which the cotton crop is
now so largely grown.
The development OF the material re
sources Of Mississippi seems to me at
least to hare been retarded by the
following causes;
i. Slavery. This created great
family estates. constituting complete
civil communities In themselves. and
t-ereby making unnecessary. II not also
impossible. that concert OF effort which
so largely. through joint stock com.
panies and the aggregation OF small
individual contributions into the vast
corporate capital. long since furnished
the North with Its banks. factories.
turnpikes. canals. railroads and other
active agencies OF commerce. and has
kept them agrowing.
2. The Reputation by Mississippi
OF Its bonds In isii. and again In 1859.
OF this your historians say:
There can be no question that the
reputation OF the Union Bank bonds.
followed eleven years later by the for
NAL Reputation OF the Planters Bank
bonds by the votes OF the people. has
proved to have been n most expensive
luxury to every citizen OF Mississippi
engaged in any kind Of business
The repudiation OF the bonds was
an undeniable blunder. and a blunder.
according to Talleyrand. lis worse
than a crime" "A History OF Miss
issippi. Second Edition. Lowry & Nc.
Cardle. pp. 292-2s3. See also p. 33s.)
3. The four years OF Civil Strife.
4. The ten following years OF Mis-
rule.
5. The general. almost universal.
practice among your best born. best
educated and best equipped young men
OF confining their efforts to the learn
ed professions instead OF qualifying
themselves for and embarking In COM
mercial. manufacturing and other dis
tinctively productive pursuits.
s. The extent to which these highly
gifted and educated young men have
settled in the great cities OF the North
and the West. and there made fortunes
and regulations which now tie them
to their adopted homes and cut them
on from that OF their birth.
Z. The restrictive policy embodied
in your Constitution OF 1890. and In
the laws since passed in respect to
corporations.
8. The absolute control Of all civil
party. ever since the enfranchisement
- 81 k.. lwh o0 ta
Of Carpet Bag Rule" In 1876.
Touching this last. you know I am
neither a politician nor a partisan.
and yet can't help saying that while
such domination by the Democratic
party was a necessity. that necessity
ceased with the disfranchisement OF
the more grossly ignorant elements Of
the population. Nor can | help think
ing that there are today. in Mississippi
and throughout the South. thousands
Of intelligent, honorable and active
men who would. on strictly National
issues. gladly support the Republican
party tunder which. after all. the Ma
tion has prospered and Is prosperingD .
IL only they could retain full liberty
to control their own local Affairs and
their State policies. as to them may
seem best. without dictation from
Washington or elsewhere. For this.
things are ripe both 1T the North and
at the South. As write. the two
Senators from South Carolina have
rendered their designations. in order
to join issue on what Is substantially
the question here stated.
No State in the Union is more favor
ed than Mississippi in the fertility of
its soil. in the value OF its standing
timber. or. above all. in the quality Of
its men. their almost absolutely pure
American blood and their descent from
those who went to make up the best
OF II. What. then, is lacking to the
Material Development of the State7
IL IL had been given me to say a few
words of suggestion to the young men
whom you are about to graduate and
send on their journey through life. 4
would have cast them-about as follows:
Alike for the sake Of the good name
OF the state, and from m0tiUes Of en-
hghtened self-infeTcSt. see 10 10 that
the stigma Of Reputation be remOped
by making. tcith the creditors OF the
state. such honorable settlement as
they may be toilling to freely accept.
(While on this point. it Is due to my
self to say that | do not own. nor do
l know any one who does own. n single
bond of the State Of Mississippi. except.
ing only the Trustees OF the Peabody
Educational Fund. Moreover, the
Illinois Central Railroad Company and
the Yazoo 4 Mississippi velley Rail-
road Company are. and have been for
many years. probably ever since they
began operating railroads in the State.
the largest payers of taxes in Mississ-
ippi. IL will. therefore, be on their
shoulders that the heaviest part Of the
burden which l now invite, will fall }
Iwould say: Look foricdrd and not
backward. Be mindful Of your opn
future aud that Of pour children, for
Goth OF ,chich you are responsible. Let
the dead past bury its dead As Col
Henry WdtfeTsOH said some swo or
three years ago. ut is high time that
the South stopped feeding on Cob.
tcebs.''
Instead Of further orersfockinJ the
learned professions, turn your peII
trained minds to the Development OF
the rdst latent resources of your o,cn
fduored land. Bring to bear upon
commercial, manufacturing. and tchat
are noD called business pursuits, the
cedlth Of Inherited and acquired in
feiIectadi capacity Uifh phich it has
pleased God to endotC you. Be mindful
that to you much has been gipen and
that OF you much tcilI be required. Do
not tcrdp your talent in a napkin and
bury tt in the ground Of sloth and idle
coHteHfment
l would say with Horace Greeley:
Young man, 90 West" but / tcould not
add. as he did, and groio up tCith the
country" No, tcould rather add.
Find out tchdt Of good there is in the
West. ichich has tcifhin a generation
made q desert blossom as the rose.
Solue that riddle. bring the secret bach.
to the far more faUored land in tohich
you had the fortune to be born, ana
apply It ioifh energy and perseverance,.
and doubt not as to the outcome, alike
for yourself and for the State.
And. finally, l would say: Combine
your capital ftohich may not be in
money but consist of far more potent
and Udluable things, such as education.
character, capacity. perseverance and
honesty of DurDosel rffh the r1nifn;