512 



MISSISSIPPI. 



to St. Paul after being appointed to the Su- 

 preme bench, and for ten years was a resident 

 of that city. He has been a ruling elder of 

 the Presbyterian Church in Minnesota for over 

 twenty-three years, and has taken a prominent 

 part in the various bodies and societies of that 

 Church. 



MISSISSIPPI. An organization of tax-pay- 

 ers was formed in Hinds County, in the latter 

 part of 1874, and a general convention was 

 called to meet at Jackson on the 4th of Jan- 

 uary, 1875. At this gathering, resolutions 

 were adopted in favor of issuing an address to 

 the people of the United States, " setting forth 

 such trustworthy and indubitable information 

 as shall be deemed right and proper to a just 

 and impartial conclusion respecting the mate- 

 rial interests and general prosperity of the 

 State." A committee was appointed to pre- 

 pare this address, consisting of three citizens 

 of Jackson, and three from each of the con- 

 gressional districts of the State. The tax- 

 payers were called upon to form organizations 

 in the various counties, " to secure thorough 

 concert of action in all movements looking to 

 a reduction of taxes, and the exposure of all 

 peculations and frauds by public officers," and 

 to appoint a committee in each county " to in- 

 vestigate and keep under constant watch the 

 official acts of all county officers." A com- 

 mittee was also appointed "to confer with the 

 Governor and Legislature in reference to the 

 reforms recommended by this convention, and 

 to assist in preparing bills to be submitted to 

 the Legislature." A formal "petition and ap- 

 peal " to the Legislature was adopted. This set 

 out by declaring that " by reason of the general 

 poverty of the people, and the greatly de- 

 pressed values of all property, and especially 

 of our great staple, the present rate of taxa- 

 tion is an intolerable burden and much beyond 

 their ability to pay. To say nothing of the 

 very large expenditures for common schools, 

 the present rates of public expenditure greatly 

 exceed the amounts deemed sufficient in for- 

 mer days of abounding wealth. To-day the 

 masses of our people are very poor, and they 

 naturally feel, as they may well demand, that 

 all public expenditures should be greatly re- 

 duced and limited by the strictest rules of 

 economy to the plain republican system made 

 necessary by their impoverished condition." 

 It was stated that the people had been con- 

 stantly growing poorer, lands had diminished 

 in value, wages had grown less, and industries 

 had become more and more paralyzed. The 

 results were attributed to extravagant expen- 

 ditures and increasing taxation. It was shown 

 that the tax-levy, which in 1869 was ten cents 

 on the hundred dollars of the assessed value 

 of lands, was four times as great in 1871, eight 

 and a half times as great in 1872, twelve and 

 a half times as great in 1873, and fourteen 

 times as great in 1874. At the same time the 

 assessment of property greatly exceeded its 

 market value, and the public debt had been 



increased over $664,000 annually. It was fur- 

 ther declared that a similar extravagance had 

 been displayed in local expenditures in many 

 of the counties. These statements were fol- 

 lowed by an appeal for retrenchment and re- 

 form. It was shown that the public printing 

 for five years had cost $73,000 a year, while 

 in 1861 it did not exceed $8,000, and in 

 Georgia in 1872 and 1873 it did not exceed 

 $10,000, and that a large saving could be effect- 

 ed in this matter. It was claimed that the 

 number of circuit judges and chancellors was 

 far greater than was required. The expenses 

 of the Legislature were larger than was ne- 

 cessary, and could be reduced by having shorter 

 sessions, and only one in two years. It was 

 asked that the salaries of State and district 

 officers be reduced to the rate of compensa- 

 tion paid before the war. The cost of collect- 

 ing the revenue was unnecessarily great, the 

 compensation of county treasurers too high, 

 the fees of circuit and chancery clerks and 

 sheriffs exorbitant, and jail-fees were a " great 

 burden on the people." The fees and salaries 

 of inspectors and trustees of public institutions 

 were condemned as too large or altogether 

 unnecessary, and it was demanded that State 

 scholarships in the universities and normal 

 school be abolished and the appropriations in 

 this behalf greatly reduced. The free com- 

 mon-school system was commended, but it 

 was claimed that the " present legislation in 

 that respect is radically defective in theory, 

 and in its practical working is a great wrong 

 rather than benefit " to the citizens. It was 

 said that the appropriations for educational 

 purposes, amounting to the " enormons sum of 

 $675,000 annually," were "greatly more than 

 is necessary for carrying on the State govern- 

 ment." It was suggested that the tax for ed- 

 ucational purposes be reduced, free education 

 restricted to elementary grammar-schools, the 

 pay of county superintendents cut down, and 

 that " effort be directed to the gradual and 

 economical building up of a common-school 

 system which shall not by its enormous exac- 

 tions excite the hostility of the citizen, but 

 will rather attract to itself his support and 

 affection." The Commissioner of Immigration 

 was declared to be an unnecessary officer ; the 

 duties of county superintendents of education, 

 it was said, might be united with those of 

 sheriffs; the salaries of teachers should be 

 diminished ; sessions of the Legislature should 

 be biennial and shorter, and there should be 

 less legislation ; and the boards of county su- 

 pervisors should be restricted in their powers 

 and their facilities for using the people's 

 money. The conclusion of the petition was 

 as follows: 



In conclusion, we beg to assure your honorable 

 bodies that in thus exercising the sacred right of 

 petition we have not intended to cast any reflection 

 upon this or former Legislatures, nor have we been 

 influenced by any motive of gaining a party advan- 

 tage. The members of the convention which pre- 

 sents this petition belong to all parties. We regard 



