Mexico weekly ledger., 1902-11-20
THE SUNNY SOUTH.
]. v. Williams Writes the Ledger
About Politics in Mississippi.
10 the Editor of the Ledger.


and endorsement Saturdays Globe
Democrat in its editorial eulogy Of At
Folks prosecution of Million
aire Butler, Of st. Louis, and bis con-
by the intelligent jury Of Col
umbia. No matter what the Globes
motive was, the fact remains, that
corruption is punished In Missouri
whether committed by Democrats or
Republicans. There is a triangle In
Missouri, each side Of which is about
40 miles long, and at each conyerging
point Of this triangle there is a city,
each n Of which has about the same
population Of 5000, and within these
three cities are more fine educational
institutions, universities, colleges and
academies than can be found any
where west of Yale or Harvard, and
these three cities are Mexico, Audrain
county; Columbia, Boone county, and
Fulton, Galloway county, and woe be
unto the evil doer whose case comes
before the bar and jury Of any of these.
l see answers given as to how Butler
came to be convicted. 1t seems plain
to me. First his guilt, second the in
telligence of the community in which
he was tried, for within this triangle
are eight of the Oldest and best col
leges in western United States, and as
a result the masses are an educated,
intelligent and moral people.
The people of the south are jubilant
over MI. Folks victory, for his father
was a Tennesseean, and be was a DEM
ocrat prosecuted and tried by Demo-
Gratis. II the same honesty and cour-
age was practiced by our Republican
friends in enforcing law and justice
there would not be enough Republic
cans outside Of jefferson City to elect
a constable in the State of Missouri.
There is little or no political talk
here in the south now, for the negro
in six of the southern states has been
eliminated from politics by constitu-
tional amendments, which say, mo.
one shall exercise the right of elective
franchise who cannot read and write
and explain the constitution of the
United States intelligently." 1t ap-
plies to whites as well as blacks and
depriyes many white as well as a vast
majority Of blacks,
The law is the result of perfect cOn-
cert Of action between white Repnb-
licans and white Democrats of the
south, for no man who lives in the
south or north and who knows the
condition of the southern inter
est, socially and commercially, but
who knows that the white man, wheth-
er Republican or Democrat, must rule
In the south.
| wal In Grenada, Miss, on Novem-
Der A election day. There was no ex-
element, no contention. The negroes
did not try or care TO vote. There
was never better feeling in the south
between white and black than now.
The white man Of the south will not
work, and he is willing to pay well to
have some one do it for him, and he
prefers the negro. 1t is Coon, coon,
coon, morning, night and noon" all
over this country; ten to one, seeming
~, and they are well dressed and we'll
fed, for they work down here, in fact,
they do about all the work.
have travelled since l left Mexico
Through the interior lonly at the coun-
ty seatS) of Tennessee, Alabama,
Georgia and Mississippi. Jackson, the
capital of Mississippi, has just COM
pleted a million dollar state house,
which is an honor to the pride and
progress of the state. visited here
this morning a magnificent statue
erected by the ladies of Mississippi to
the memory of Jefferson Davis, their
states illustrious hero. His body
lies in Richmond, the once proud cap
ital Of the Confederacy, of which he
was the first and only president.
The south abounds with monuments
to her Confederate dead. In my
travels have seen no field more fruit
full for financial investment than in
the south. Any live, intelligent, en-
ergetic man is bound to make money
on market investment here. The de
mand is great. Excursions of capital
! lists from New York, Boston and Chi
cago are becoming quite common. A
large delegation was here yesterday
from Chicago.
Mississippi people are anxious fol
President Roosevelt to stay ON hl'
bear hunt in their state long enough
for him to become acquainted VIII
conditions here. President McKinle!
stood well in the sonth on account o
his policy toward her.
lam getting mighty anxious to ge'
back home. You may talk of the ira
GRANGE of orange blossoms. the swee
songs of nightingale, but give me tn
cornfelds, pumpkin patches and dear
good people of Audrain county, MO
TO live and die among. Yours,
n, J.. V. WILLIAMS.