Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1904-01-23
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GOV. JAMES x. VARDAMAN.

county officers, to be selected as tho
legislature may provide There is no
matter in which the people living in
| the rural districts are more materially
| interested than the improvement OF
the public highways. 1t is indispensa.
| BILE TO their welfare and to the devel.
opment of the material, mental and
moral possibilities of the State; the
| abolition of the board of control. and
substituting therefor a department Of
| the State government, to be under the
| direction of one man, selected as the
legislature may provide whose duty ii
shall be to direct and supervise the
working OF the convicts as the law
may prescribe. The disadvantages of
! the present system are, that the re.
sponsibility is divided between five
men, whose other official duties, II
properly looked after, will consume all
of their time. II presents a case where
no one is responsible for the acts Of
| five. Anc her reason-the duties of
this office require special qualifications
| and training which the governor, at
| torney- general and railroad commits
sion may not possess; State deposito-
ries which will facilitate the collection
Of taxes and disbursement of public
funds, prevent the congestion Of mon
ey In the treasury. and keep it in cir.
culation--performing the benefcent
function for which money was created.
and at the same time, add to the
States revenue 1t Is contemplated
of course, that such laws shall be en-.
acted as will render impossible the
loss Of any of the States funds By pee.
ulation, bad investments, or mlsfor-
tune on the part Of the borrower; and
also to provide against the possibility
of the depository becoming corrupt
ing influence in politics; economy in
the expenditure Of public funds, lest
the burdens Of government should op-
press and discourage labor, the en-
couragement of agriculture, the foun.
dation Of all material wealth; "a well
disciplined militia properly main
tained-"our best reliance In peace
and for the first moments Of war;" to
curtai the appointive power> of the
governor and enlarge the elective priv
ilege Of the peope-the surest means
Of preserving democratic institutions
and promoting honest government.
believe there is less danger in the pos.
sible mistakes Of the people than in
the assumed inerrancy or superior
wisdom of the chief executive the
present primary election law perfected
by eliminating tho electoral and plu-
fNnt t,,ys nt.il ~ hn
est punishment for the improper use
Of money and other fraudulent meth.
ods to control tie elections; the main
tenance of system of free public
schools. which will afford equal oppor.
tunities to all of the children of the
State to receive instruction necessary
to equip them for the duties of life
and the performance Of the functions
of citizenship One of the most ra-
tiona and profitable duties of a free
government, 7. SENS to me, is to edu-
cate its chi en-, Education means
only the development of the good there
is in man--the vitalizing Of those dor
mant forces which build and complete
that potential moral entity call sd chaN
acter. 1t is q wise economy In hil
that if man or a citizen be RI l1e be-
ter by education the government will
share his improvement, and the en-
lightened moral sentiment will write
the laws of the land. But when
speak of the government educating its
children, wish it understood that
do not mean that it is the duty or the
hope of the State to give every boy
and girl a technical education or Il
course at college. That is practically
impossible. We have colleges and uni
versities which the State must main
tain and maintain properly but the