The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1870-11-17
THE. BRIDsE QUESTION.

keen M 4 free bridge at an outlay of $l7.0 900,
aud the cost of keeping it in repair tor IN.
benefit of the public. NO blame tnereIor
can attach TO the Messrs. Green. They
built the bridge when others were unabl'
or unwilling 10 do IL aud are entitled u tn'
profits which they are realizing. But the
blame does attach 10 The corporate dafh0T1ties
scIlo Esreac aaeay the olPOfflHity OF the cary 10
purchase the brsdge aeifh Ehe proceeds q q tar
lclstch dsr0ngh their fOltg GRd RtsIRGEagemeisf
sosH be appiaed 10 the bcIset " other pdfttes or
communicates. AID 90 0bjects ia trhfch the people
OF j Jackson are mot ia the reBsOEest degree tR-
teressed. 5nsGea@ Of q return y0T thtsfd5 tlt the
form Of thfs rGiHdbfe bridge property they iot'f
not Os.ip rece &c MothlRg, bHt they hGUe lStictea
a lasting Injury tpOa the trade aud prosperity o.
1 prrpose TO notice particularly that por-
tion of the article which have Italicized.
Is there anything Contained In the act,
entitled .-an act 70 enable the city OF Jack
ION TO purchase the control OF the Pear
River Toll Bridge at jackson and tor OthCI
purposes" which cOmpels the Board o.
Supervisors to levy tax Tor general coun-
ty bridge purposes p Ii NOT, Will the said
Board on Supervisors voluntarily do so :
And if they do not levy said tax for gem
eraI county bridge purposes" will not the
7th section of the act above referred TO anu
upon which that portion OF your article
quoted by me is based, become imperative
liz must be- borne in mind that the remis
sion of taxes contemplated. H. not the remis-
sion of that portion OF the expense of keeping
uD bridges in Kinds county which the city
Of Jackson will be compelled TO pay, but il
is the remission of a special or general tax
for county bridge purposes. This PROPOSE
ton Is better explained by the language o.
section 8, of the act under consideration,
" ich is in the following words: sSec. g.
Be it further enacted, thar the bonds or their
coupons as provided tor in section 2. of this
act. shall be placed when thus redeemed by
n nh nf OF
taxes as provided in section z, of this act.
and shall be accounted in the hands OF the
county AS so much of said remission made
on the county bridge tar levied upon said city
property: Provided. that nothing in thi>
section shall Oblige the county 10 rectiVt
any of said bonds OF coupons on account o
taxes (meaniiig the special city and genera
or special county bridge tax) more thar
one year before the said bonds or coupon
are due andlpayable." The 7.h section as
well AS the 9Th seems TO contemplate tn
levy by the county of Il bridge tar. Their,
is nothing in the act itself To compel tn.
Board of Supervisors to make any such lew
nor is there any law which can find, which
has any such binding or compulsory force.
The whole matter seems TO rest in the dis
erection of the Board Of Supervisors.
q | am satisfied that the attempt to COM
pei the county to pay the purchase money
of The Pearl River Bridge, was not favore'
by the citizens of Hinds county. living al
localities remote from Jackson, and who dir
not expect TO be benefited materially by a
free bridge. In other words that the pur-
chase by the city of the Pearl River Toll
Bridge, with view to make the
county pay for the same would
not be popular movement, so far
AS the county of Kinds outside the city OF
Jackson is concerned. 1t Is but fair to pre-
sume then. that such purchase would nor
be acouiesced in, but rather that the Board
of Supervisors would throw every obstacle
within their control in the way of such pur-
chase. And further. if it should appear to
them that the failure or neglect on their
part TO levy general or special bridge tax
for county purposes, would defeat the OBJ
iects and aims of the bridge legislation. v nv
most assuredly would they avail themselves
of such an advantage.
Before the passage by the last Legislature
of the act commonly known as the Reve-
nue. Bill" the State assessment upon real
estate was IA of per cent. Upon that as
sessment the county of Kinds last year lev
led, for general county purposes and in the
way of special taxes for bridges. jails, pau
pers, etc, an additional tax of SIS per cent.
300 per cent. of which was levied for general
county bridge purposes, which assessment
was regarded as Onerous in the extreme
This year a levy OF 100 per cent. by the
county on the State tax. under the increased
rate fixed by the L. gislature, on real estate
will yield almost As large an amount as thu
SIS per cent. levy last year. As for exam
pie, paid last year to the State on account
~ realty the sum OF $40. and to the county,
575 times that amount, to-wit. $57 so. This
year he will paw the State times thar
amount, or at the rate of 40 of l per cent.
on the valuati Oh of his realty. which will b.
500. for his State tax. upon which estimat
ing the county levy at 100 per cent, instead
IF SIS per cent. i'm lieu of S57 so revenue "a
the county last year. inclu' ing all the spe-
cial taxes. the county without any special
levy but simply the levy of 100 per cent. fpr
general county purposes" will receive $50
revenue. The Board of Supervisors then
opposed as believe them to be TO the pay
mpnt by the county of the purchase money.
for the toll bridge, finding that a levy
less than LIS of that made last year will fur
nish funds enough for all the purposes OF
the county, and having in immediate view
the defeat of the intention of the legislation
on this bridge question. Will simply levy y
ak for general county purposes and will
utterly and wholly fail TO levy general OF
special bridge tax.
8. Section 9TH of the act in view reads
thus: BE it further enacted, that the said
Board OF Mayor and Aldermen shall reDOri
to the Board of Supervisors of Kinds coun
ty the amount paid by the city for the
bridge lease as aforesaid and the said Super.
visors shall remit the Election of the tax
! for general county bridge purposes. upon al
| property within the limits of said city until
| such a time as an amount shall have been
so RENTED equal TO the amount paid by
1 the said city for the bridge lease as af re-
said Provided. that the city of Jackson
! shall keep up all bridges and roads within
| her limits, until such time as said county
bridge tax shall have been resumed" This
phraseology warrants me in the belief thai
| the sections of the act under consideration
which were intended to confer peculiar and
substantial benefit upon the city ofJackson
contemplated the levy Of special or gen
/ eral county bridge tax, and so much so Il
1 IL ~ hat 1a.laC caf6 81 .,
1 general levy be made, there will rebound
| "a the city in the matter of remission q
taxes. no benefit whatever. It is as plair
a. can be. that If the law to become bene
| ficially operative. contemplates the levy o
| n certain tax and that levy is not made, tn,
law becomes a nulity.
| | think have demonstrated the PROPOSE
tions laid down plainly enough for reasOna
BILE minds to comprehend Want of tim,
and space prevents my entering into par
| ticularities.
You. Mr.. Editor talk as if there had beef
at some time or other proposition iron
tae lessees of the bridge to sell their leas,
and take in payment therefore this '-remis
| sion oftaXes." Such is not the case. Cas-
| is what they demand. You talk about on
thing in your editorials. and the owners q
the bridge talk about another and entirely
different thing. The difference between
the two topics is the difference between fic
ton and reality. The one is very vagu
and e lessees know it full well. the Othe
is tangible and they know that better.
i hope l may be pardoned for thrustin
myself before the public. a second time
through the columns of your paper. blu
such a criticism OF official conduct as tina
contained in your issue hereinbefore allude
TO might create erroneous impressions upO
the public mind.ifallowed 20 go unanswered
1 am not over sensitive about the opinion
| OF individuals as such and am ready an
willing at all Zines to be judged by my act
but when what deem To be an unjust crit
icism Of official conduct is published TO tn
community in which reside through tn
columns Of a popular newspaper. 1 ask u
columns OF thar same paper to be used
my defense.