Year: 1877




Within the last year we notice that a
great change has come over our people
In regard 10 the currency question.
When the State was umlerRadlcal rule,
the ills of local government smothered
all interest in other questions that were
at that time agitsting the country. A
prominent and well.lnfOrmed politician
Of Mississippi was travelling in Mis-
souri, last year just before the National
Democratic Convention met, was
questioned as to what stand Mis-
sissippi would take on the cur
rency question. He was told
that Tennessee and Missouri were
all right; that is, that those States were
in favor of more liberal policy to-
ward the debtor classes of the coun-
try. The opinions Of Ohio and Indi-
ana had taken deep root in those States,
and those seeking information Of our
friend were anxious 10 know If this
was also the case as to Mississippi,
The answer fully described the situation
in this State at that time. The people
were then uniformed about the ques-
tion, and were so anxious to
secure equality in The Union
and freedom in the management
OF their local affairs, that not one-tenth
of them had formed any opinion at all
in regard to the question that was then
The prominent one In the West. Our
delegates to the National Convention
obeyed but one feeling In the perform.
auce of their duty 10 the State. They
we're expected to seek for the strongest
man who was sound on the Southern
question, and go for him irst, last and
all the time. Mr.. Tilden had carried
New York by an overwhelming ma.
jority in the preceding gubernato.
rial race, aud on that evidence
Of his strength, and on the assurances
Of his friends that be was the most
available man, our delegation, and in
fact nearly all Of the Southern delega-
tions, supported him and secured bis
nomination aud election. He allowed
himself 10 be counted out, and q grea!
change has been wrought in the minds
of Southern men. President Hayes
has carried out the Southern policy
that we demanded, yet the hard times
continue. The great staple of the
South continues to 60 down,
down. II is lower now than it
was before the war, when it was pro-
duced by slave labor aud sold for gold
Everything else keeps pace with It, ant
the South can't stand this sort of thing
much longer. All OF our people are
beginning to ask themselves what i
the cause of this unending depression


How much lower will cotton go, If tht
present financial policy is enforced


II Is easy TO see that something i
wrong, for every man with one grain
of sense knows that cotton cannot bC
produced BY free labor near so cheaply
as It was by slave labor. Before the
war the South had the best labor sys
tenn in the world, but cotton was JUS
as high then as It is now, without al
lowing for greenbacks being three pei
cent. discount. That II is so low now
Is caused by mismanagement of Ma
tional finances, and the South is open
ing her eyes to the truth. She see
that the Administrations since the wa
have all leaned toward the creditor
classes, until the industries fthe coun
try in the south, as we'll as il
the North are becoming paralyzed
Thousands and thousands Of peopl
are struggling in the South to pay Of
debts made when cotton was wort
one-fOurth, one.third, one.half as mucl
more, and double as much as 1t is now
Yet the volume of currency is still be
ing mereilessly decreased. AlthougI
silver was money when the bond
holders bought bonds at ten, twenty
and thirty cents below par, some of th
National Legislators refuse to make
money again, because It would enabI
the over-burdened taxpayers 10 NOR
easily pay private and public debt


The Southern people demand chang
and they expect Southern Congress
men to aid IN enacting the necessar


laws for that purpose.





THERE was a mighty fall in the Ser