Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-01-21
rHE PROPOSED new LEVEE DIsrRICr

4A6 4 90A 0a1O Az
representative ]. C. Hall, from Shar.
key county, introduced in the house OF
the Mississippi legislature on the 18th,
the following resolution:
By Mr.. Hall. That the levee commit.
Tee be instructed to report whether it be
expedient to incorporate the Yazoo Delta
into one levee district, also, to report
whether it be feasible 10 assign the con-
Wet labor from the Sixth congressional
district, to permanent duty Upon the
levees.
This is a very important matter to the
people Of the Delta, and Memphis is
also deeply interested, for many Of our
citizens own lands in that sich s%ectien,
and our merchants handle much of its
cotton. DR., Hall, who offered the reso.
luton, has large planting interests in the
Delta, and understands the needs of the
situation as thoroughly as anybody in it.
This important State measure looks to
the immediate completion OF the levee
and the complete relief of the tax
payers in the Yszoo Delta. 1t is not
merely q local matter, but oHe that affects
the interests of the whole State and also
of Memphis. The building Of the %leVees,
it is claimed By those who have studied
the question, will reclaim 1000, 900 acres
of the richest lands in the world, and the
desert swamps will bloom and blossom
as the rose" The convict labor, after
completing the levees on the Mississippi
river, can then be employed in the open
ing up and cleaning out the interior
streams of the Delta, and in retaining
the fertile lands of the SunfoWer
and Yszoo rivers and their tributaries.
The immense burden Of taxation now
borne by the counties Of Bolivar, Wash
ingten, Issaquena aud Sharkey is fearful.
They now pay So per bale and 81 per
ton on the cotton seed produced in these
four counties, Suppose, for example,
that Sharkey county produces 10000
bales Of cotton and 5000 tons of cotton
seed, and it will be seen that this county
alone pays a tax of $4,000 per sasum
for levee purposes. We understand that
these figures are substantially correct,
except that the collection Of the cotton
seed tax is suspended for this season on
account Of its unpopularity in the levee
district. The burden Of ell this falls
upon the labor, aud it is no
wonder that the laborers Of the dis
trict are moving out Of a section which
discriminates so severely against the
bone and sinew Of the land. The lands
are taxed to liquidate old debts FIVE cents
and two and-a-half cents per acre, &C.
cording to condition, and three cents
per acre to meet the claim Of the Emmett
Bank. These taxes, however, are very
light, compared with taxation for levse
purposes. What to do with the annually
increasing number of convicts of the
State is becoming a grave question. The
pe~nitentiary is in the hands Of %lessees at
this time, and is so oyer-crowded that
they are compelled to farm out the labor
on their hands. All the counties in the
Delta With a river front have a well
regulated levee system, Though very cost.
ly, except Coshoma, which has 250,0 900
acres Of the finest land in the State ex.
posed. These could be redeemed at an
outlay Of $4,000. and even less. by the
employment Of convict labor. We would
say let the work be well done as near the
river front as practicable, leaving out no
lands that a possibly be saved; then
this labor can be utilized as a repairing
force. We are glad that attention has
been called tothis subject, and hope that
intelligent action will be taken by the
Mississippi legislature.