The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1940-02-08
through
Hazel
yes
BY
Hazel Brnnnon
The Tupelo Journal speaks:


a We believe Chat we have one of
the best legislatures thak we have
bad in years and that the great ma
jority Of it's members are anxious
to do what they can for tho welfare
of the state. Many Of them are
young in years. or in experience, but
what they lack in experience they
more than make up for In earnest-
ness Of purpose"
IT is probably true that our legis-
lators r trying to do what they
al for the welfare Of the state. We
Imagine that most legislatures In the
past have done the anne q.
However, the thing the present le-
gislature seems to have forgotten 10
that 1t cannot give away a million
and one half dollars for free school
books, millions Of dollars In old age
pensions, build an expensive office
building. give additional aid to hos
pitals and state institutions, pensions
to aged school teachers and add two
million dollars to the common school
fund without getting the money from
somewhere.
Much as we hate to admit 1t Mis-
sissippi Is a poor state. We have the
lowest per capita income OF any
state in the Union.
How in the name oil common sense
a the people Of the state Of Mis-
stssippi, with our low purchasing
power, finance free schools and school
books. retire teachers and old people.
aid dependent children. and do the
other things this legislature proposes
to do?
The only way those things can be
accomplished Is to take from those
who have and give to those who have
not. This plan might work If Mis-
sissippi was a very wealthy state with
many great fortunes.
But Mississippi does not have that
wealth to draw upon. There are not
enough people Of means in Missis-
sippi to nance a state government
to perform all the functions propos-
ed by this administration.
Income tax collections in Missis-
sippi for the past year were $5,947 ,053
compared with $~45,S92,077 collected
from our neighboring state, Louis
lana, and $15i464, 564 for Alabama.
These figures indicate the difference
between us and other states in this
section.
"A state SO poor hasn't means and
should not be expected 10 do all the
things sought OF it. To try to as
sumo so great a burden means fail
ure in the enc and so there's no need
to try.
To date no means has been made
known how Governor Johnson TX
poets to raise the money for his le-
ing and will continue to follow him
to get it enacted.
What are they going to do when
the time comes to raise the money
for such proposals?
III each measure proposed to the
Legislature contained a provision for
raising the money to carry it along
the Mississippi legislators night be
accomplishing something.
las it is they're just wasting the
taxpayers money. passing measure
after measure with no earthly idea
OF where the money is coming from
to finance 1t.
But then we imagine they can be
reelected for wanting those measures
passed, even though they can
finance them.
1t would be nice to retire teachers
if we could afford it.
We can't think of anything better
than to give a substantial pension
to the few old teachers who man
aged to continue in their profession
and not get a husband to support
them the rest of their lives.
Wen even agree with you that they
are perhaps underpaid considering
the great work they do.
But the vast majority of Missis-
sippi school teachers are paid better
salaries for their work than are the
parents of the children they teach.
And if they don't like the salaries
they get as teachers they car try to
get a job in a store at forty or fifty
dollars a month, or be a stenographer
and earn from thirty to seventy dol
lars per month, depending on how
good they are.
The Jackson newspapers make .
plea for economy, etc. to the legisla-
ture but we don't notice them rails
ing any cry against spending for
anything that might aid the CITY of
Jackson.
Yes sir, they are all primed to get
a nice office building at the expense
OF the taxpayers of Mississippi.
Conditions may be a little crowded
down Jackson way but they won't
be very long after another presider-
tfal election. Regardless Of who is