MISSISSIPPI: Toward the 20th Century

REMEMBER: 1) THE 20TH CENTURY

INDUSTRIALIST WILL NOT INVEST MUCH OF HIS MONEY IN A 19TH CENTURY

STATE; 2) IS MISSISSIPPI CONDEMNED

ALWAYS TO BE 20 YEARS BEHIND THE PARADE OF PROGRESS?

Beneath those blunt words—part of a quarter-page advertisement spread through the newspapers in Mississippi's capital city of Jackson one day last week—was the signature of Mississippi's Governor James Plemmon Coleman. With something of a jolt, Mississippians realized that capable, 43-year-old J. P. Coleman, who had worked surprising modernizing reforms during his first year in office without open legislative battles with the state's mossbacks (TIME, March 3), was set to fight right down to the line for a project that he considers fundamental: rewriting the 1890 state constitution, primarily to bring the basic law up to date for industrial development.

When Governor Coleman last February announced that he intended to call a constitutional convention, he met remarkably little resistance from his enemies. But last week, while he was up North foraging for more industry, reaction finally went into action. Nineteen old-guard legislators caucused in Jackson, formed an anti-constitution committee. Named to head it were two longtime Coleman adversaries: Senate President Pro Tern Earl Evans Jr. as chairman and Representative Thompson McClellan as vice chairman. Behind their move was the fact that oxcart legislators from the Delta and Coleman's own hill counties are afraid that a new constitution will apportion them out of jobs and funnel more revenue to the fast-growing cities.

Hurrying home to meet the rebellion, Coleman lost no time blasting the "rump session" attended by "a pitiful minority of wild-eyed saboteurs." Chairman Evans is "a well-known enemy of this administration" and Vice Chairman McClellan "the greatest constitutional acrobat of all times," and both "might as well prepare for a battle royal, right down to the precinct level."

Although Coleman declined to set a specific date for a constitutional convention, Mississippians expect it in December, a month before the legislature opens its regular session. Confident of support, when the time comes, from a bloc of young pro-Coleman legislators and from some oldtimers with specific constitutional changes on their minds, Coleman in effect gave to his newspaper question this answer: "Mississippi will have a new constitution. It cannot live without it."