The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1905-06-10
D TO MISSISSIPPI.
(Leslie's Weekly.)

She browns the hoe-cake to a turn
And picks the cotton snow,
And trains the peaches on the wall
And makes the melons grow;
And when the dews begin to fall,
And the stars are out above,
She plays the banjo IN the door
And sings a song Of love.
Father of Waters, deep and wide,
Impatient to be free;
A mighty river at her feet,
Goes rolling to the sea.
And where DeSoto only saw
Dark woods on either side,
Tall towers and fields Of waving green
Are mirrored in the tide.
oh, Mississippi All my heart
Is way down South with you;
For who can know your countless
charms
Nor be forever true;
And though my feet may wander far
On many a foreign shore,
And other States may seek to please,
Yet l but love you more.
SO
Mississippi pays annually the enor-
nous sum of $6,430, O96 for insurance
of one kind and another. OF this
amount a very small per cent. is left
in the State, there being only three
fire and no life companies dOmiciled
therein. OF this total, $2,S52,495 go
to old line life companies as premiums
on policies. During the past year only
5000, 946.14 was paid back from the
nearly $4,000, 900 collected. Or, in
other words, nearly $4,000, 900 Of our
money went to the Northern and East
ern cities to help the volume of bust
ness there. Now, the question again
arises, if a life or fire insurance COM
pany can make millions in New York,
why can't the same thing be done in
Mississippi? We have three fire in
ran companies doing a nice bust
ness, although the losses paid for all
fire companies in the State almost
equaled the premiums paid. Then il
nearly three millions is paid for old
line life and less than a million re-
turned, why not have the company in
Mississippi? If officers are to be paid
$100 900 per annum and eX-presidentS
retired on a salary or pension Of $780,
900, why not have these men in Mis-
SiSSippi? If $50, 900 is to be expended
on sumptuouS banquetS and lavish eX-
penditures made of the policy-holders'
money, why not have them in Missis-
sippi? This is not intended to justify
the expenditure of such sums as men
toned, but if it is necessary to use the
peoples money in such lavish eXpendi-
lures, let's have the officers and whole
bunch in Mississippi, and some Of the
money would get back into the legiti-
mate channels of business. Missis-
;sippi should have several strong life
insurance companies backed by Mis-
;sissippi money, Differed by MISSISSIPPI
pi men and patronized by MississiD-
plans. Then we would be in a position
to know that our money was being
properly handled and was not wasted,
as recent events go to prove that it
has been in the cities Of the East.
#a#
The greatness of Mississippi is
based upon the character of its citi-
-zenship and the absolute equality &C
corded to every honest man in the ex-
ercise of his rights. The writer re-
grets to zee occasionally evidences
that there is a small tendency to be-
little the opinions of a man who is not
we'll fixed in this worlds goods or
give due credence to his rights as a
citizen. Too often do we hear it ad-
vocated that in fixing taxation upon
the people the man who pays on a
million dollar assessment should be
considered a hundred times to where
the man who pays on n thousand
dollars should. This theory is not
right, and the greatest advantage Of
fered by Mississippi over States in
the East, that are dominated by the
trusts and financial institutions, is that
one good man in Mississippi is just as
important as another, without refer
ence to his bank book or property
holdings. The ability of the man
with the million to pay his taxes
is just as great as the man
with the thousand. In both cases
their possessions are represented, and
there should be no preference shown
the wealthy man. Keep it well fixed
in the minds of all that all honest, re-
spectacle citizens are upon an abso-
lutely equal basis in Mississippi, and
the greatness of our grand old State
will continue as the model for others
to follow.
The mail order dollar requires a lot
OF time to get back when sent TO chi
cagc, New York and other Northern
cities. Patronize home people, and it
stays here at home for use again i'm
.mediately.
Indianola reports three residences
under construction that will ccost $685.
600, exclusive of the ground on which
they stand. Some of the citizens up
there are arranging to make their stay
indefinite, it seems. 1t is a good town,
in a good section and inhabited by
good people,
In the rebuilding of Yazoo City two
public necessities have so far been for
gotten-a first-class hotel and an opera
house. The citizens are now making
great efforts to organize stock COM
panies for the purpose of supplying
both needs. May success attend their
efforts.