Word: mississippis
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...article of February 9, entitled "Color-Blind Populism," J. Wyatt Emmerich seems to applaud everything Mississippi Governor Cliff Finch has done, and sees him as some sort of redeemer for the state. According to him, Finch has wiped out racism and become the hero of the people. He has stood up against the "independent and covetous" legislature and united the poor blacks and whites into a brotherhood with political clout...
...native Mississippian, and my views of our governor are quite different. Somehow I cannot believe that racism as strong as Mississippi's brand in the early '60s can be erased in a decade, and it is especially hard to credit Finch with any such development...
During Ross Barnett's administration Finch served in the legislature and voted for every piece of racist legislation that came down the pipe. His appeal to blacks came only after he realized the voting strength of blacks in Mississippi, and his motives fall into question. Furthermore, the unification of black and white factions of Mississippi's Democratic Party, while admirable, was well under way when Finch was elected; he was lucky enough to come along at the right time. Finch would be easier to believe if he did not keep reminding poor whites of his stand with Ross Barnett...
...uses these rallies to claim as yet unaccomplished feats, and misquotes figures to beat the band. He will tell you that during his administration Mississippi's per capita income has risen to third in the nation--when only the rate of increase has done so. (This trend had been set before Finch was elected, and in a state as poor as Mississippi, a large increase is very easy to achieve, but almost meaningless. In fact, the dollar gap between Mississippi and the nation has increased...
...other 10 per cent is what he has actually done, and all of this is wrapped up in his push for succession. Somehow I fail to see how this actually benefits the people of Mississippi. It would be different if he were pushing for better schools, better health care, more commerce, etc., but these have been almost entirely ignored...