470 



MISSISSIPPI. 



porations and transportation facilities, with direct 

 reference to the grain traffic and State taxation, 

 and resolved that the Constitution should be so 

 amended that the people shall have the right to 

 have all laws referred back to themselves for 

 approval or disapproval. The following resolu- 

 tions were passed : 



We demand that the transportation companies shall 

 provide suitable shipping and warehousing facilities 

 at every station oil their lines;. also, that the State 

 shall erect terminal elevators at Minneapolis, St. Paul, 

 and Duluth,' for public storage of grain. 



We extend our sympathies to the oppressed work- 

 men at Homestead and all over the United States, in 

 their fight against the oppressions of monopolistic 

 employers, and we urge them to join with us in an 

 attempt to overthrow at the polls our common enemy, 

 the monopolistic millionaires who are now, through 

 their control of the Government and the industries of 

 the country, rapidly and surely reducing the people 

 to a condition of political and industrial slavery. 



The State Convention of the Farmers' Alli- 

 ance met at St. Paul in July. In the platform 

 adopted, hostility to every species of class legis- 

 lation was declared. 



The protective tariff was denounced, and a radical, 

 reduction of duties insisted upon. 



A gradual increase of the national money to the 

 minimum of $50 per capita was demanded, and as a 

 part of this increase the issuance of legal tender 

 treasury notes in sufficient volume to transact the 

 growing business of the country on a cash basis, with- 

 out damage or advantage to any class ; such notes to 

 be a legal tender. 



The wheat question was declared to be the para- 

 mount issue in the State. Therefore the power of the 

 State is invoked, and the next Legislature asked to 

 make sufficient appropriation for the erection of ele- 

 vators at deep water on Lake Superior where grain 

 can be stored, unmixed, at a nominal cost, by indi- 

 vidual producers awaiting sale and shipment to the 

 markets of the world. 



Free passes on railroads were vigorously denounced ; 

 and a material reduction of interest, with severe pen- 

 alties for usury, was demanded. 



Congress was appealed to for the passage of laws 

 prohibiting alien ownership of lands, and, if possible, 

 to reclaim all so held by alien and foreign syndicates, 

 and all held by railroad companies in excess of that 

 absolutely necessary, and that these and all other 

 lands be held for actual settlers only. 



At the election in November the Republican 

 State ticket was successful by pluralities of about 

 14,000. The vote on the presidential ticket was : 

 Harrison, 122,736 ; Cleveland, 100,579; Weaver 

 30,398 ; Bidwell, 14,017. Of the 7 Congressmen, 

 the Republicans elected 4, the Democrats 2, and 

 the People's party 1. 



MISSISSIPPI, a Southern State, admitted 

 to the Union Dec. 10, 1817 : area, 46,810 square 

 miles. The population, according to each de- 

 cennial census since admission, was 75,448 in 

 1820 ; 136,621 in 1830 ; 375,651 in 1840 ; 606 526 

 in 1850 ; 791,305 in 1860 ; 827,922 in 1870 ; 1 131 - 

 597 in 1880; and 1,289,600 in 1890. Capital, 

 Jackson. 



(Jorernnient. The following were the State 

 officers during the year: Governor, John M. 

 Stone, Democrat; Lieutenant-Governor, M. M. 

 Evans ; Secretary of State, George M. Govan ; 

 Treasurer, J. J. Evans ; Auditor, W. W. Stone ; 

 Attorney-General, T. Marshall Miller ; Superin- 

 tendent of Public Instruction, J. R. Preston ; 

 Railroad Commissioners, J. F. Sessions, Walter 



McLaurin, and J. H. Askew; Chief Justice of 

 the Supreme Court, Thomas H. Woods ; Asso- 

 ciate Justices, J. A. P. Campbell and Timothy 

 E. Cooper. 



Finances. The total State debt on Jan. 1, 

 1892, was $3,375,583.59, of which the State will 

 probably never be called upon to pay more than 

 $1,000,000. On a large portion of the debt it is 

 pledged to pay the interest, but not the principal. 



Under the new Constitution the expenses for 

 public schools will be largely increased, and the 

 rate of State taxation was therefore increased 

 for 1892 from 4 to 5 mills on the dollar. 



Legislative Session. The first regular ses- 

 sion of the Legislature under the new State 

 Constitution began at Jackson on Jan. 5 and 

 ended on April 2. On Jan. 19, United States 

 Senator J. Z. George was re-elected for the term 

 of six years beginning March 4, 1893, by the fol- 

 lowing vote: Senate George 24, E. Barksdale 

 18 ; House George 77, Barksdale 40, Ex-Gov. 

 Alcorn 1. On the same day United States 

 Senator E. C. Walthall was accorded a re-election 

 for the term beginning March 4, 1895, the vote 

 being : Senate Walthall 36, Clarke Lewis 3, C. 

 E. Hooker 1 ; House Walthall 99, Lewis 18, 

 Hooker 3. The most important legislative work 

 of the session was the adoption of a new anno- 

 tated code of laws for the State, based upon the 

 provisions of the new Constitution of 1890. 

 The code adopted is, with a few modifications, sub- 

 stantially the same as that reported to the ses- 

 sion by a committee appointed by the consti- 

 tutional convention. For each of the years 1892 

 and 1893 a State tax of 5 mills on the dollar 

 was levied for support of the State government 

 and for public schools. In each county the 

 limit of taxation for all purposes, including the 

 State tax, was fixed at 12 mills, except that 

 counties having a debt may tax themselves to 

 the extent of not over 17 mills. The amount 

 that each Confederate pensioner may receive 

 under the law was limited to $50 per annum, 

 and the total sxim available for pensions in any 

 year was fixed at $64,200, each pensioner being 

 compelled to receive a proportionately reduced 

 amount, if the number of claimants under the law 

 should exceed 1,284. On Feb. 16, immediately 

 after the fire at the State Insane Asylum, an act 

 was passed appropriating $25,000 for repairs, and 

 authorizing the removal of part of the inmates 

 to the East Mississippi Insane Asylum, at Meri- 

 den. Later a commission was appointed to re- 

 build the burned structure, and $87,000 were 

 appropriated for that purpose. For the support 

 of public schools the sum of $920,000 was ap- 

 propriated for each of the years 1892 and 1893. 



Other acts of the session were as follow : 



To provide for the appointment of commissioners 

 on the uniformity of State laws. 



Accepting the provisions of the act of Congress for 

 the more complete endowment and support of colleges 

 for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts.' 



To secure to the heirs of deceased persons the pro- 

 ceeds of any life-insurance policy. 



Accepting the act of Congress authorizing the re- 

 funding of the direct tax of 1861 to the several States. 



On March 15, by special invitation of the 

 Legislature, United States Senator David B. 

 Hill, of New York, addressed the members on 

 natioTial political topics. 



