The eastern clarion. [volume] (Paulding, Miss.) 1837-1863, 1858-11-13
lEvEES

will next eabbse eabeinsl in;lT ss at5sntioaa tG the Le;
great and paramount importance q the
State. And suppose that in doing -,SG
be permitted to assume, that after all the
money which has been expended, and all
the experience which has been gained, and
the success which has attended it, that
the system is to be continued; and that
the only question for your consideration,
will be, how can this great work be most
certainly accomplished? With entire Sc
curity given TO the bottom lands of the
Mississippi River-our State would en-
brace the largest and richest body of land
in the world of similar character; 1t all
bcingpeculiarly adapted to the growth of
our great staple, Cotton-being ofitself sut-
ficient, if fully reclaimed and cultivated, to
produce as much, or more cotton than is
! now produced in the whole cotton grow
ing region of the United States. 1t has
been said, that the world once looked to
the Nile for bread-in all time to come, it
will have to look to the valley ofthe Mississ-
| ippi for cotton. In this view ofour position
the levee system assumes an importance
scarcely to be appreciated-so important
| that presume no one can be found, so
blind to the true interests of the State, Is
to hesitate, in aiding by proper legislation
7 to effect this great work-by which the
) individual and aggregate wealth of the
State would be increased at least $780, 600,
600. This may appear when specifically
e considered to be very large estimate OF
l. the value of the bottom lands ofthe Miss
IS issippi river in this State. But it is assur-
y edly an approximation to the true value Of
= those lands. 1t is estimated that the guam
tity of reclaimable land in the State, is not
less than 100000 of acres, land many
1 nofa cay
800 per acre is three hundred million,
of dollars And no one who is informed
on the subject, can doubt, that these land.
30 are cheaper at 800 per acre, with entire
! protection from overflow, than any othe,
n | lands in the State, as a present, with thu
: obligation to cultivate them. For instance
Z the interest on $l00is IS per anum. Thi
j, is the land rent, of an acre of bottom land
- at 500 per acre. Now every body VIII
Of knows anything of the production of thi
- land as compared with other lands of tn
j. State, knows that it will produce in eithe
Dv corn or cotton eight dollars per acre NOR,
i | than any other lands,-if so the propOsitio
~ above stated is proved. This is not onl
10 true, but the truth is not half told, for III
e. questionably, with entire exemption frol
h. overflow, the river lands are more certai
- to produce bale of cotton per acre tina
&c are two acres of the other lands of th
20 State, to make the like quantity. Tn
~ would make the difference in productio
~ $40 per acre instead of eight estimatin
the bale of cotton at 400 pounds and I'll
price at 10 cents. The foregoing estimat,
are made upon the supposition of an entil
exemption from overflow. But adm
/ this to be unattainable las many thinl
;or and that occasionally in extraordinary SO
-T-1sens, tsucir a. the one inst 'sseo Ts'e11s
Ibo have crevasses and partial loss of the cro
of the river lands, even then, are far bett,
80 than any other, and would sell at $50 p,
~, acre-thus adding even in this view oftl
,s question Sl50,000,000, to the aggrega
-, wealth of State. But this is again bl
- - stating half the benefits ofthe Levee sy
~ tenn. for with entire security or even pa
l tial security, another S3000000 ,000.wort
of labor, wealth and population woul
be invited to our State, from the 9th,
!. States of the Union-thus makir
y Mississippi the Empire State of the Sout
which she is destined to be, five are bl
roe | true to ourselves, and fully develop IL
~ resources. which a kind Providence h
'ra- nlaced within our reach. Think what OF
last State NAV be, with these improvement
" and what it must be, with the abando
. of mont of the Levee system. If YOU aba
,ra- don the Levees, you forever restore Il
: of swannn lands to the beasts of the fores
,,rn and the allgators of the lakes and ba
I,I;c ous Thus making them the fruitf
al sources of disease and death, instead of IL
III bealthftlI abodes of wealthy refined an
mo enterprising population-for without Il
S Ia,-ees with here and there an exceptiC
- tbe whole swamp country is comparativ
So 10 valueless Such being the true state
I'll the facts. the subject is entitled to yo
In most earnest and serious consideratlo
nP Tbatis. how on the one hand the good mi
llis ns ba attained; and on the other, the eN
- ,,,a,, he avoided. / admit that this is
~ ~. Question of great difficulty-but the diff
NY s cuItv Is not in deciding to undertake Il
III rorl, hut in determining upon what W
ig bo he best system-and what mode
III -, tovotion will be the best and fairest, {
.a;d Giving practical efficiency to whatever sy
- tan, NAV be adopted. | have retiect'
''0 much on this subject and have delibC
atelv come to the conclusion, that at les
from Vicksburg to the Tennessee line, the
ought TO be but one system, or plan of @
orat;ons-and that all the powers nec'
= sa~v 10 success, should be vested in o.
- of Commissioners-and that all 4
s,vann lands should be taxed at the ra
. ~ ten cents per acre-thus raisi
ends the sum of 100000 per annum fro
,psr tbe land alone-and in addition to this,
# all vro,,ld recommend that tax of of one =
! sell "o,t be imposed upon all the taxal
ption property in the swamp counties; whi
ien- .so would be tax Of $3.50 per annum, on an
N. tate worth 100000, This would raise