Arkansas true Democrat., 1859-07-06
Address of Gen. R. M. Gaines to the peo-
 pie of Chicot, Drew and Ashley coun-


 there Is no probability of called sesson of the General Assembly, it may be consider ell as having now expired. In this view of the matter, l trust 1t will not De consid- cred out oi place, or in any degrceimproper that should lay before you briefly and plainly a history of the last twosessions of the General Assembly, so far atleast, as ha any part in it's proceedings. 1 have only had one public opportunigto say any
 thing on the subject, and thatEfas at Mon. ticello, on the lst April but that was festive occasion, and the time for speaking very limited, 1 confined mvelf to few points which concerned onlythe people of Drew. i address myself nov, first, to the people of Chico. At the elction of 1856, Mir. Ross was elected to upresent you in the lower House by naioriy of two votes over Mr.. Homer, and the'principal ques- ton discussed was a spe;i levee law for your county. 1 was not il the county du- ring the canvass. and shoud probably have taken no part in the diScusdon if had been, for l had not then tormedmy decided Opin-
 ions on the subject 1s MT. Ross was oIe e~'t lbi Itlp NiASN 'O tiEt NltitiS- tidn, l felt disposed to let him have his own way ;n the tramini of a lcvee law He put in one section which the Governor notified us would comrl him to veto it. That was changed and the bill passed. I am satisfied now, thailt IS m may respects, an unwise law, and tIat m It's operation 1t Is unjust to large nalonty of those who +1 N b,,+
 immediately on theOank of the river can be got to act as leve inspectors, and this law places the whol power of administers ing it in their han6. Everybody knows that their interesti to place the levees as near to the bank ofthe river as possible. so as to give them mre acres to plant in cot ton, and the reSul is, that we see levees constantly cavinginto the river, and the back proplietorsf land are called upon for the necessary funo to rebuild them. Mr
 Ross and Mr. hrhelor both live on the bank of the rive. ant the lattex gentleman was elected at te last election by mnori- ty vote. At tf last session he introduced ana had passed through the House, bill amandatorv ofiIr. Ross law. which con tained d clans like the one to which the Governor obicted in Mr. Ross jaw. It provided for ne rate of assessment within four miles ofhe river; different rate for lands bntwea Iouranl >iX miles. and still
 dillerent-ont for lanls farther off. knew the Govenr would veto this, an prapar- e,l an entiraubottute for the bill, but some prominent tnvce mon happening in Little Rock at tP time, were so savage on me that after consultation wih the Govern or, condidel to withhold my substitute and contat myself with an amendment to Mr. Batotlor's bill fixing one minimum for all aIvial lands at five dollars. The bill was,o amended in the Senate. but the enI olIir clerk of lha House malea mis take. and as rinted the bill makes the five dollar minimn apply only to lands within four miles f the river 1Ir Batchelor wished to rai the tax from one to two per cent
 whicll opposed, and twas defeated. He was asent for some time before the end of the sssion, and it was only through the kndess of Gen. Hemingway, that hi, bill as aended passed the House at the very clos of the session. l append to this ad- drc a copy of the substitute which 1 pre- pad fol Mir. Bachelors bill, and which I
 lhnot offer for the reason before given, ar for the additional reason, that being a
 bsA proprietor myself might be suspect eof selishness and interested motives- have pretty nearly come to lhe confusion tat the system of levying the Mississippi yer with view to confine its waters to
 e channel is a failure, and that the true re- ledy for overHows, is to make cut-oas from he Dalizc to Cairo which would shorten he river some two or three hundred miles, creating a more rapid current which woull tend to wash out the bed of the river instead of allowing 1t to fill up, as think 1t does under the operation of the levea systcm.- II this was done and natural outlets left open to drain of the surplus wa,cr, my opinion ls that we should hear no more of such del structive Overliows as we have hal this year and last. 1 advanced these views in the first session served in the Senate. as may be seen in the journal. in my minority report in the case Of Marcus Johnson, and again at the last session in the form Of a resolution asking the consent of Congress for Arkansas to enter into compact with the other States interested. l am sorry to say that my views met with no favor at either session. The bill which l publish with this, will explain my opinions as to the kind of levee law we ought to have il we have any. 1t may De thought by ,ome too severe on the river men, but do not think so. They are few in number, and now have the exclusive control of the .levee fund. l should like to know who else has been really benefited by the leyee tax except | themselves, and they are the very men who oppose most strongly the cleaning out of the Bayous Mason and Beuff, which would be material and substantial benefit to a majority of the county. The main feature of my bill is to tax every man in some just { proportion to the benefits he derives. and to let this be ascertained by an impar- tial officer, appointed either by the county court or the Governor, instead of allowing it to be done as 1t IS now, by men who are directly and deeply interested in the very matter they have to decide. Of couse, 1 mean no offence to the very espectable and honorable gentlemen who occupy the posi- ton of levep inspectors, but l do not believe the prest mt law is right and they must ex- cuse me for saying so. The swamp land grant in the first section says very clearly that the grant Is made |" to enable the State of Arkansas to construct the necessary evees and drotns to reclaim the swamp and overiloWed lands therein," and the provisc to the second section makes my position on the swamp land question stronger by pro. vidlng that the lands or the proceeds of sales thereof, shall be applied exe2usiue1y" tC those objects The word which l have ltalcizeI has meaning So xry plain and so easily understood that l have been SUI. prsed that so honest and intelligent mar as Governor Conway, should recommend an application of the fund to any other ob. .Jects than those erclusigely provided for, and that honest men in the General AsSembl, were found wiling to support the recon mendation. My friend, Judge Gould wa, one of those and he compared the grant to . private deed of trust. put the question tc hlm in the Senate whether as a private trus tee, he would fe; himself justified in in. vesting the trust fund in the stock of an, railroad in this State. He did not answer my question in the Senate, but admitted | out of doors that if was a hard ona ,1o,, T.