The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1902-04-05
TO WHOM THE HoN0Rs2
N. o. Picayune.

| ~. ~. LlCdyuue.
| Some time ago the Picayune
noted in these dispatches tho fact
that Mississippi was delinquent in
the matter of placing the statues
oftwo Mississippians in the rotun.
Ga of the national capitol, and the
States that had availed themselves
OF this privilege under an act of
congress were cited. This is a
matter that ought not longer to be
procrastinated, and the Legisla-
ture to be chosen in November,
1903, when it meets in January.
1904, ought to take the matter up
and make adequate appropriation
and make choice of the men to be
chiseled into marble.
On this subject the Evening
News contains the following in
teresting editorial:
"The difficulty will be In max
ing the selection, as there are SO
many divergent views entertained
by different people in respect to
what constitutes the highest and
most valuable character of public
services that may be rendered to
the State.
"For illustration, there are
many people of a poetical or ora
torical temperament who would
honor more highly than his tel-
lows. a brilliant and gifted orator
of the Sargent s. Prentiss type.
Again there are others who
would place upon a pedestal in
the temple of fame q military man
OF great genius, or q great naval
hero.
"There are others who would
honor more highly a political ge-
MUS who has flashed across the
political sky like great meteor.
while there is a large class of
thinking people who would make
the crucial test the questions, what
has he accomplished. for the en-
during good and welfare of the
State; what great work has he
left behind him which redounded
to The real, lasting welfare of the
people, to the highest good of the
State?
"There was Walthall, the Chi
valrous and gallant soldier. The
splendor of his courage will
brighten the pages of the history
OF the State, and stand as noble
example of manhood and courage
for the youth of the State for
generations.
''There was Claiborne, a great
jurist and the historian of the
State, who devoted years of his
life to the work of love. of writing
the history of Mississippi.
"Among the great jurists of the
State we're VIM. l.. Sharkey,
Pinckncy Smith, A. Fl. Handy,
'H.H. Chalmers and J.. A. p Camp
bell.
"While among the great law
yers of the State were William
Yerger. Wiley p. Harris. Shall
Yerger, Fulton Anderson, George
S. Yerger, Amos X. Johnston,
James I. Harrison and George L.
Potter.
"Among the men who stood
conspicuous as public men dealing
with questions of Importance in
the field of national politics, were
Henry S. Foote, jefferson Davis,
Albert Galiatin Brown, Robert j.
Walker, George Poindexter, Wal
ker Brooke. j. 2. George and l..
q. &. Lamar.
"Most of these acto.,s in the
public events of the State have
passed away. Their names are
fresh in the memory of the people,
and will go down into history.
'The careful student of history
in a later generation, in reviewing
the lives of these illustrious men
of Mississippi, will ask what
chief and conspicuous public SER
vice these men rendered which
redounded to the welfare of the
people. The verdict will be that
Prentiss has left the impress of
his oratory upon the history of
the, State. Walthall has shown
how a soldier should bear himself
in battle.
"The Yergers, Harris, Ander-
son, Johnston and Potter we're
models lawyers and jurists. worthy
as models for edification of the
untold generations yetto come.
Jefferson Davis will stand as
the representative of the lost
cause, as the most conspicuous
advocate of the constitutional
doctrine of secession, which he
earnestly urged upon the South.
Brilliant, eloquent, gifted, his po-
litical life ended with the crash of
the great civil war, when the
South, exhausted, beaten and
war-worn, ended the long and, bit
ter struggle by the surrender of
its armies.
"The most conspicuous services
of Ames r. Johnston, the YER
gers, Anderson and Potter was
their devoted work in the cam
paign of 1860, in the vain task of
saving the South from civil war.
Their warnings fell upon ears that
would not hear, but time has vim
dicated the wisdom of their coun-
sci and advice.
'.Last, but not least, among
these iliustrious men of action are
George and Lamar, and the work
that each of them has rendered to
the people of Mississippi.