The primitive Republican. (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-1852, 1852-01-15

ana taA
nelgian
AnQIl natter aI is ot serious consid
Heratlon llle oper mode Of dispo inc thi
lands forfeited Is tie Slate eE tl'e non ~
ment Of the ~ section Ct ths
actof the 3 q IS March a0l The leglsla
tnre made provision for the disposition q
these land by anthorising any person b ne
deem them after given period; but such an
th0rity was coupled with conditions believee
70 Be calculated to defeat Che very object q
the act; the purchaser could take nelthei
more nor less than half-section, when y
many instances net sonlnch Was owned bS
the State III one body, when, IN other cases
to have disposed Of alalf-scction might have
rendered the residue Of the tract yalueless
would recommend The passage Ct q law q
lieu Thereof, aut horising these lands 10 be DIS:
posed Of at very moderate prices to be liked
| by law, to any person whatever Who might be
inclined to purchase them, and ~ the same
quantities in which they were acquired By
1.-THE State It is believed that this course
would email le the State to dispose OF lands
forfeited for non-payinent of taxes, on favor
able terms, subject the lands again 70 taxa.
ton, and thereby materially increase her rev
enue, which might also be applied topurpo.
SEES of internal Improvement.
The amount of money that can be realised
from the SOC, 900 acres Of donated land, the
swamp lands, and the lands forfeited to the
State for the non-payment Of taxes, if dis
posed of in the manner, above minated, or
in any other practicable manner, would be
sufficient to carry on an extensive system OF
internalimproVementfor many years to come.
But. should they prove insufficient to answer
the wants of the State, resort might be had
to another source for carrying on these inn
provements, which, from the experience of
other countries, could hardly be considered
ut this day, by any liberal minded person, as
one of doubtful prapriety. allude to the
taxation of real estate in the vicinity of these
roads, for the purpose Of aidingin their con-
struction That railroads have a certain ten
deucy to increase The value Of lands in the
region Of country through which they pass,
cannot admitof doubt; and there is scarce
ly u road of any considerable extent, in any
portion of the United States, where the lands
lying contiguous to the road have not been
increased in value sufficient to pay its con
struction; and is there anything unjust in
equalizing the burthens of those who are to
be benefited by the improvement? This
plan of assessing taxes upon real estate to- be
benefited by improvements, for the purpose
OF aiding IN their construction, has been de-
cided by the courts of several Of the States,
as | am Informed, to be constitutional-an
it is mode Of carrying cut great works Of
Improvement which has been freely resorted
to by many of the States.
Should the legislature, in Its wisdom, con-
ceiye it proper to resort to this mode Of taxa
ton, would suggest the proprcty Of dis
eliminating between those lands lying within,
say ten miles Of the road, and those lying
more than ten, but within twenty miles Of it;
and beyond this limit would not conceive
it proper to 60, as lands beyond that distance
derive benefit too uncertain tosubject them
to the burthcn Of taxation for the purposes
referred to-
The taxes, imposed as suggested, if any,
should enure TO the benefit ct the taxpayer,
by requiring the tax-collecter to give to The
Taxpayer Il receipt OF certificate for the a
mountof railroad tax aid by him, which re-
ceipt or certificate Should entitle the iudiVid-
ual paying the tax, or the assignee, to stock
in the Company, TO the amount Of Tie tax
paid to aid IN the construction Of their road.
/ In this way the burthen of ta1ation would
fall only upon those who are net only hene-
fitted By the enhanced value Of their lands,
but who, as stockholders, may also realise div
idends of interest upon the investment.
The lands donated by the government te
aid in the construction Of the Mobile and
| Ohio Railroad, are held l.y the State for that
purpose, and some legislative action viii be
necessary to enable the Company to use them
! in the construction aud completion Of then
road.
/ 1t is proper for me to state in this conncc
ton, that on the 18th day Of February last
my predecessor, Gov. Guion, appointed Chas
/ L. Moyerhoff, esq, of Clarke county, an agcnt
on the part Of this State, to locate the land.
] thus granted.
| would call the attention Of the legisla
ture to the subject at an early period Of III,
session.
The Commissioners Of the New Orleans
and Jackson Railroad have not yet madean,
report as to the manner in which they hav,
applied the two thousand dollars given then
by the legislature, to aid in surveying tn
route Of said road. have been informed
however, by the President Of the Beard o
Commissioners, that the surveys have bee
completed from New Orleans to Jackson
and that the reports and estimates of th
+ engineers are Of the most favorable charac
ter.
Herewith submit to the legislature, 70
, their consideration, letter from A. Hutch
nson and g. r. Fall, surviving partners {
G. Nj. Price, proposing to sell to the Stat
one thousand copies of Hutchinson Code c
Mississippi, At FIVE dollars per copy.
At your last regular session, an act va
j passed appropriating two thousand dollar
for thepurposeo Of repairing the State eapito
] and placing the same at the disposal ct th
Governor, 10 he by him expended. This d
~ has been efficiently complied with by NJ
!. predecessors
f In obedience to an act passed at your lai
! session, and approved the 9th of March. 81
! the sum Of two thousand dollars was place
! at the disposal of the Governor, for the pu
pose.of erecting on some suitable partof Ii
capital square brick building for an arsen;
J Or place Of deposit for the public arms.
& am happy to be able to inform the legislatul
/ that this duty was promptly performed /
4 my predecessor, Cox. Quitman, and that Il
5 arms of the State are now securely deposits
in an armory, which, while twas iinperiou
ly demanded for their eseryation and sal