The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1905-04-29
Home Rule for the Gulf Coast.

Biloxi Herald
One would imagine from reading the
Times Democrats editorials and news
comments on the subject of the proposed
electric railway along the beach at Pass
Christian that the creation of the uni
verse, the discovery of radium and the
final redemption of all mankind was not
a circumstance in comparison.
The electric car, one would suppose,
is the modern iuggernaut, only many
tunes more terrible; grinding men to
powder, licking up vegetation with it's
noxious breath and making waste places
of the oasis with its terrible sounds.
The city of New Orleans has the
finest street car system in the country,
so said, and the people of that city
should, and do, feel proud of it.
Where the cars are so crowded, on
Canal street, there is some confusion,
but a single track line along country
road is not such terrible thing after all.
There is such a line along the beach
at Biloxi, and the people still live and
enjoy refreshing sleep at their houses
along it's route.
Taken by itself an electric car is a
quiet and orderly sort of an individual.
1t emits no smoke nor gas, has no loud
whistle, makes no great amount Of noise
and does but little harm to any one who
has sense enough to keep off the track
while it is passing.
The electric car is the poor mans
horse and carriage and automobile com
bined, and it is not good that few rich
elders shonld deprive him of his means
of going to and from his work or in
search of pleasure and recreation.
"Pass Christian has enjoyed the repu
tation of being of equable temperament,
place where peace and good will pre-
vail; it is surprising and disappointing
to see it rent asunder, its population
divided and bitter towards each other,
it's quiet disturbed, if not completely
upset." says the Times-Democrat, and
the error of that excellent paper is in
this: The population of Pass Christian
is not divided, to any great extent. 1t is
the coast visiting population which is
kicking up all of the disturbance. They
have attempted to dictate in local mat
ters, struck a snag, and now they are
bowling. Pretty soon they will get over
it and all will be quiet again.
The people of this State, or any COM
munity in it, are the best judges of what
is good for them. They need no advice
or counsel from few rich foreigners or
their newspaper representatives.
All of the noise is coming from New
Orleans, and those people who believe
in home rule naturally resent thu out
side interference.
1t is fortunate for Pass Christian that
she has clean mayor, who is also a
man with backbone. II the resid ents
of that town and the members of the
council will now stand solidly behind
Mayor John Lang and see him through,
it will put an end to this outside attempt
at dictation all along the coast for some
time to come.
1.-THE tyranny which is called prog
ress," cannot be quarantined away from
this coast by parcel of pleasure seek
ers. This section of the country, with
all its beauties of climate and environ
ment, is for Mississippians to make a
living in, primarily, and not a play
ground for the idle loafers of New Or
leans.
The car line from Biloxi to Hender-
sons Point can be so run as to destroy
but few of the beautiful trees, the view
of which will be one of the great attrac-
tions of the line, and the "Riviera oil
America" will be none the less Rivi-
era by reason of the improved rapid
transit facilities.