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

Oh LdAAl1Ous L LlAllik Is Idlrer InH0 pIt1-
er throwing the whole burthen ON theland
per acre-or general tax on valuations
the land which is unimproved will in pro-
portion to value, be most benefted-and
where there is a crop upon the land, the
labor or crop ought to pay for the protec-
ton given. 1t will be for you, provided
you adopt the foregoing suggestions, to say
at what rate of valuation negroes and
other property except land, (which is val
ued by the county Assessors, should beas-
sessed.
Some such system as the above, in my
opinion, IS absolutely necessary to the sue
cess Of this great undertaking and ] have
thrown out the foregoing suggestions OF a
system, and of mode of taxation, with
view of calling your attention strongly to,
the Importance of the subject. admit
the tax would for a few years be to some
extent burthensome but halfway meas
ures are worse than useless. They would
be waste of money and labor. The sum
which propose to raise, upon the suppo-
sition of there being $l00,O0O,0O of taxa
BILE property in the swamp, and 100000
acres of land would be $4,000 which is
nothing, absolutely nothing, as compared
with the losses of the present and past
years, from overflow. The loss upon the
crop of cotton alone for the present sea-
son, cannot be less than 100000 bales,
which at $40 per bale, is $1,000 ,00O-and
this is not one-half of the loss,-for the pro-
vision crop of every kind for 1857 has been
consumed in the attempt to make the
crop of lS5S-and the provision crop of
1858 has been entirely destroyed, and pro-
visions for 1859 are vet to be purchased
also. all the expenses of the plantation,
family, &C., have been as usual, and for
them there is no returning profit, while
many have lost largely of stock, and many
others who were indebted, but perfectly
able to meet their engagements with full
crops, are now deeply embarrassed, or
hopelessly insolvent. Thus it is apparent,
that the cotton crop is not one half of the
actual loss. But suppose 1t to be all. 1t
alone is SS,0OO,O00, the interest upon
which is S640,0O0 per annum, which is
lost forever-that Is for this year and for
every year yet to come-to which add all
the losses of past seasons-and the amount
is absolutely fearful to contemplate
This is continued forever; whereas, the
tax would be but for two or three years
or four or five at most. Now if it be possi-
bic ought we not to provide against such
losses in the future, and which, without
| your efficient action, must and will, again
and again occur, from year to year, unless
! the swamp be abandoned? This ought
| not to be thought of, but on the contrary,
| the work should be forthwith undertaken
| and pressed forward to completion, and
in my opinion, more with regard to ulti-
mate security, than economy Of expendi-
| ture.
am aware that objections will be made
| to the above recommendations, on the
| ground that they will not operate equally ;
| that some will be more benefited than
| others, and that some may have more to
pay than Others Such objections if heed
! ed, would arrest all legislation, particularly
! taxation. For it is Ethiopian dream to ex-
! pect, that the taxes can in their use, reach
| all alike if so, there would be no motive for
| taxation as each person would get his own
money back again. Practical legislators
must resist such obiections-they have no
merit An individual could, with the
same propriety, object to pay his proper
ton Of the taxes necessary to the support
of the Lunatic Asylum; on the ground
that he was so fortunate as to have no in
sane member of his family, and was there.
fora deprived of the facneft enjoyed SnS
LIS tess Fortunate n
sane child. Thus, W
tA.4u,vrt.,-s--l-~-.s.-apaRi
such) as compared with the man who's
lands are liable to overflow. Practica
Legislation must look to the greatest goot
of the greatest number, avoiding so far a
possible injustice to any. But when par
tial individual interest, and great publ
benefits come in conflict, the forme
: must yield. have, however, great doub
if by the system l have proposed any on
: would be injured, for though temporarily
| the man who might be comparatively eS
| empt from overflow, might pay tax witt
I out any immediate or direct benefit,
: may well be questioned, whether in tn
} end he would not be benefited by din
5 mutton of his taxes, growing out of tn
greatly increased value of property subjeC
5 to taxation, and from the increased healtl
0 fulness of his plantation, also from the nj
t merous social advantages resulting to hiI
= from the success of the Levee system.
n have seen it suggested that the Stat
e ought to issue her bonds in aid of tn
t work To this | would object, even SUI
o posing that these bonds would sell at pa
$ With no color of justice can we of tn
n generation, adjourn over to posterity Il
e burthen of that which we expect to e
e iov. We are as able to pay for our ow
|
Y TO paw for theirs. And it is unfair to bu
'f then them with that for which we a
$ able to pay and for which we ought
r pay.
u The foregoing recommendations a
\ made without much opportunity of co
y sultation with those whose interest it
|! particularly intended to promote, and
= they of the swamp counties have the bI
y thens to bear, it may be but fair that th'
u opinions and wishes should have gre
i weight in any legislation to be had-b
re it is a question which rises up to such ms
q nitude as to be fairly of one State as W
lie as of local Importance, and consequent
g, ought to seriously engage the attention
~ ~ each and all of us.
~ RAILROADS.
us Believing that our Railroad system i,
he question unsurpassed by any other State
er terest, ,and believing also, that it is the be
re-. ifnot the only means by which the agric
ON tural and commercial resources of t
,ly State can be fully developed, and the b'
IN efits of refined and elevated civilizati
I'm and social intercourse can be extended
lin all the members of the body polite
an now invite your attention specially to
he Either by accident or design, the 10
his ton of all the various Railroads OF
on State, constructed, and to be construct
ng have been placed in the most advaI
he geous positions, for the general ditus
ties of their benefits to the people of ev
ire portion OF the State-and | can truly
nit that all which we now need for future
Ik) | gre>,, and agricultural and CONNER
CO. development is their completion.
nv tiie y 94s Mobile and
Dp, Railroad running through the WI
ter length of the State. On the West we h
Der the New Orleans jackson and Great \
he then Railroad, entering the State near
ate South West corner, and after traversing
Dut State over 300 miles, going out of it Il
vs. the Northeast corner, thus inters
ar ing diagonally the whole State. Then
rth have the Mississippi Central and the
lid sissippi and Tennessee roads supply
Ter the wants of the Northwestern port
ing of the State. The Charleston and NJ
18th phis Road passes along near our Mort
1ut border, entering the State in TishomiI
he traverses it about thirty miles. And
mas have III progress, in addition to all tn
our the Southern Road, passing through
ITS, Capital and intersecting the State Fl
on east to west. Thus we now have road
an progress, which when finished will bl
the into almost every part of the State, the
,sts cilities of social and commercial in
ay- course. But none of these roads are
ful completed, or even so near their com
the ton, as to give but partially the public
nd cilities for which their construction
the originally undertaken-nor are they ye
ion far advanced as to give remunerating {
We dends to those who have so nobly embar
of their capital in them. The question wi
our now presents itself for your considera
on. and solution is, how can these var
lay roads be completed, in any reason,
vii length of time-and their benefits diff
a to the whole people of the State.
iffi- l have reflected anxiously upon
the subject; and am constrained to say
will you, that / can see no means for t
of early completion but by the inte
for sition of State aid. The self-sacrifi,
'ys- and patriotic portion of the people,
ted originally entered upon these great wo
,er- have exhausted their means, and the c
,ast it of the different companies is so m
ere affected by the panic and distrust of
OPP financial crisis of last season, as to be
ces- ueless for any useful or practical purp
one The bonds of the different companies
the in some instances entirely unstable;
ate in others where they can be sold it i
ing the most ruinous rate of discount.
ON making the roads to cost much more