The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1849-03-23
For Me creoLs

There have been three plans proposed tor
improving the Navigation orthe Big Black. /
will state them as briefly as possible. and give
10 each the weight its Importance demands
The first plan is, iha-tde p]ortions Of time fixed
BY law-not a%ctually employed ia working the
public roads, bo devoted to the river, in work.
ing first those places presenting tho greatest
obstacles TO navigation, aud continue from
year to yenF until good navigation can be
made.
The law At present requires that every male
lnhabitani, white and bIack-over the age OF
sixteen yea,sshall work six days Of each year
OIL the public roads. But it is said, and with
mneh,traih, too, that no more than half Of this
time is ever worked out on any roads, and in
many places MT over a third. That on IN any
roads, white men do not work at all, nor pay a
road tax. The nature Of the country in some
portions of the county, and the great number
OF negroes in some neighborhood5, not deman-
ding morethan a fraction of the allotted time
to enable the ~oyerseag to keep his road ID good
order.
This is9ll erytrue, but several objections to
this plan have found their place ia my mind
and unless removed, | shall consider it Of no
practical advantage to us in our present con-
diIon. They are these. The work would not
be done unless compelled to it by act Of the
1t legislature. No influence short Of the poten-
cy OF law could mite the whole community Of
this county, as well as Of others bordering on
our rivers, to do a public work Of this kind.
The results which might be expected from
working SO short a period, and at such long
intervals Of time, would be entirely too small
to demand the interposition Of so grave an au-
thorlty as the State. No concert OF action
could be had among SO many independent IN
]teresis, and the work would be very imperfect
y done.
have merely mentioned these objections
and do not run them out, lest | might have too
much to say on this subject. Let .hosc who
have thought and spoken ofthis plan take them
INTO consideration and give them proper atteu-
ton, and they doubtless will ogreo with me-.
that some scheme promising more solid and
real advantages must be entertained, or we do
nothing worthy Of ourselves or of the great in
t%erests we have at stake.
The second plan, aud one too relied upon as
much The cheapest to individuals, and most
sure TO succeed in the end, is to obtain Of the
Legislature at its next session, an aopropria,
lon OF money sufficient to make Biz BlacI, n
grea' navlgable stream. This is to be done bv
petition, and as the State has no funds on hand
'or THIS purpose, an appropriation must be pre-.
dicated upon the sale of The 100000 acres of
'and' donated Il The State by the General Gov
efrnleht Tor internal improvements. We all
r%ecoIiect very well the result of the sales in
January last. After nearly a whole wears, adj
Vertisemen', in how many p,pers, do not
know, the land was offered for sale ACCORDING
to law, and about 5000 acres only were in.
Ken, the proceeds Of which will NOT mucb
more than defray the expense of sale. Under
ms dlSeooraglng state of things, the next Leo.
%isiature may not show the same liberalifv ~
appeared in the last, and actually give wGot
'ns'r predecessors were very will ny to offer.
S@5,OOo to be expended on the Big Black.
Another view is, that the Legislature NAV
not DC willing to make q fa~yorite of Biz Black
to the neglect of other streams having equal
claims upon Its bounty. We are not prepared
at this time to begin a system of general inter-
nal Improvements. Our heavy taxes and the :
acknowledged indebtedness of the State IN no.
count Of the Planters Bank bonds not denied
now by any considerable part,-would render
%lfultIesa any attempt of the kind. The soye-
reign people would not stand it.
The sale of these lands h an iudispensible
prerequisite to getting an appropriation for
any OF our rivers or roads, and when that will
take placeis beyond my comprehension to tell.
Let US look at their condition little, even a
the expense oil u depression.
Thee isno one who will not say that their
situation is much worse now tnan it was at the
time the law was passed authorizing their sale
hey are increasing rapidly in value every day,
still there is no disposition on the part of the
occupant to buy them. Combinations are al
ready tormed,a forming to resist their sale at
anything like the price now fixed by law. Two
years underit has allayed none of this excite
ment, nor suppressed a solitary feeling. They
are determined to maintain their rights,arbi:ra.
ry tho they be at all hazards, and frown down
any attempt made by a foreign purchaser to get
a free hold among them. They have settled
upon them in good faith, and with the tacit
consent OF the authorities If the State. The
enhanced value from improvement is theirs by
right and should not regulate their value to the
State. They very naturally compare the price
OF the land belonging to the genetal govern.
ment with that asked Of them, when at the
time they first took possession there was real.
y no difference. MANY acres are in c~ultiya-
lion and extensive mprovonn..