The Neshoba Democrat. (Philadelphia, Miss.) 1881-current, 1922-06-08

divert its force In channels promot-
Ing, building and boosting Missis.
slppi. the agricultural. the economic
and the educational status Of Missis-
sippi would undergo d rapid and
happy Transformation.
l, for one, have confidence In the
citizenship Of Mississippl, and faith
In her future. and think her history
justifies me In my convictions. Few
states have been subjected To az
many reverses. and it is when we re-
view her struggles that her achieve.
ments seem phenoIninal.
In the War of 1872, In the war with
Mexico, and in the tragedy OF the
SOS she contributed we'll her share In
blood and treasure. Along with her
sister Southern states she lay pros
trate In '65 Her wealth, measured
in slaves, was converted into pub
lie menace, and her sons and daugh-
ters In numbers uncounted Joined
that army OF Southerners. soon, 900
strong, that migrated North and
West, following the Civil War; either
to escape the insults OF black misrule,
the tyranny OF the carpet bagger, or
in search OF larger opportunities.
Those who remained at home
faced bankruptcy the Bolsheviki
OF the 70's, and the
destructive period OF so-called recon
struction. Read the tragedy OF those
times In the faces nf those who sur
vived it. Remember that through 1t
all we have raised cotton; raised
cotton, pitted against the combined
attack OF the boil weevil and the
broker, and the strategy of the man.
ufacturer OF cotton fabrics, In Old
England and'New England. Picture
whole families In the cotton fields,
when the women should have been
at home and the children In school.
Picture Mississippi with her perplex-
ing race problem, with her high per
cent OF illiteracy, without a satisfac-
tory road system, her sons ever drift
ing away, giving up her best blood
to the upl,uildfng OF the great South.
west. Consider a Mississippi with
more than her share of demagogues
and ambulance-chasers, cattle ticks,
hook worms and boil weeyils, and
remember that through 1t all we
have been purely agricultural, with
out cities, and, except for numbering.
without other industries. Add all
these things together, and IL you
then have anything but admiration
and pride for what Mississippi has
achieved through 1t all, you are ig-
noring history. Constantly exploited
by her demagogues from within, and
her money-changers from without,
verify, Mississippi has been between
the devil and the deep blue sea, and
because she has well-nigh gone down
three times in the swim is nothing
to her discredit.
| have read 1t somewhere In the
books, think 1t was in one OF En-
erson's essays, that Lord McCauley
was proud over London news dis.
patch that there were ten thousand
thieves in London. There was con
ISOLATION IN the fact that London
was big enough and rich enough TO
support ten thousand thieves. L
wonder what Lord McCauley would
think of a State that could survive
war and pestilence, the BolshevIki
and the dcmagogue, the cattle tick Z
the hook worm and the boil weevil
contribute generously to the upbuild-
ing of a dozen or SO states, support
Il few thieves while doing 1t, and
still grow strong and great?
We have listened all too long, In
Mississippi, TO her disciples Of iiscon-
tent; rpropagandists OF pessimism
turn my back upon them and tell
you that there Is no cause for ai,lrm
provided we can catch the vision
and the spirit OF the constructive OPP
timist.
Ofcourse Mississippi's politics is
rotten, ands this Is our outstanding
liability, hut | believe that a state
wide wave Of enthusiasm over our
latent resources and possible devel-
opments wonld enlist into such a
crusade a number OF those who are
now fighting over the fortunes OF
some worthless demagogue. Perhaps
a program OF achievement would pnt
factionalisln on the wane. To fight
1t In any other way IL too much like
fighting Johnson grass. When quit
fighting Johnson grass In my back
yard, and began cultiyating other
crops the grass died. Politics In
Florida, Alabama, Arkansas and
Louisiana has been ut times about
as dirty as 1t IL In Mississippi. but
when the people of those states went
to work on a constructive program