Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-07-14
GOVERNOR LONRY'S
Delay in Calling the Legislature of Mis-
sissippi Together Occasions Much
Dissatisfaction With
The People of the River Counties, Who
Merely Ask the Power to Tax Them
selves for Protection.
To the Editors of the Appeal.

4
| gard to convening the Legislature in extr
session, for the purpose OF enacting such law
as wall enable the property owners and citi
zens OF the YszOo delta to protect themselve
| from inuudation by the waters OF the Missis
sippi river. Why there should be an
| question in regard to his duty in the premi
res, in the mind of either himself or any
one else, is 10 us strange. Certainly il canno
| be the expense to the State, for that woui,
BE- trifing compared 10 the amount OF goo
| which would result from the action of III
Legislature, should it end in enactiDg sucl
laws as will enable the people of the delta t
protect themselves from the yearly floods o
| the Mississippi The expense TO the State for
| session, say thirty days, cannot exceed il
round number $780, 00 the price OF an ordi
nary plantation, while millions would b
saved to the people of the delta. Now is
| true that the State is so poor, and the peopl
OF the delta 30 rich, that it Ia better for then
| to be overlooked, their crops, stock AM
| fences destroyed and in many instances the,
| driven from their homes, than that the grea
| State should expend the paltry sum o
| 5000, that relief may be granted them, o
is it that we were 80 thoroughly (but IN
| JUSTLY described, illustrated, carricature,
and our suffering condition so highly colore'
during the late high-water that we are no
thought worthy of the attention of the State
acted so far on the governors mind TO pre-
vent him from
CoNvENING THE LEGISLATURE,
we all earnestly hope that he will reconside
the m latter, unless he is merely waiting TO
the day to arrive at which he expects Il
lake the call. 1t is true that there is som,
division among US as to the means and mod,
of protecting the country with a levee, but
thorough discussion of the matter, and tn,
giving to that discussion such thought as III,
representatives from the delta counties car
and will give the matter, 10 convince am
one that the only thorough means and man
ner of protection Is TO be arrived at by anC
through the medium of a levee district, EN-
braciDg the entire delta, with board WHOSE
jurisdiction shall extend from the hills o.
Tennessee TO the mouth OF the Yszoo river
with full power to do anything and every
thing necessary for the safety of people livinl
IN the delta. The position is very erroueously
taken by some of the northern counties o.
The delta that it would be more advantageou;
20 them to go into district to themselves, oil
each one of them build its own county lev e
than to become part of general levee dis.
trict. This idea certainly comes from wan
OF proper understanding of the relative
amount of leveeing TO be done on the from
OF each county on the river, and the amount
contribute its aid to the river front of eacl
county. The fact is, the northern counties
of the delta,
TUNICA, DEsoTo AND CoAHoMA,
have more to gain from general levee dis
trict than any of the counties south of them
and were it not that the levee on the front Of
the northern counties is necessity to The
full protection of the counties below them
We would doubtless see the position OF the
southern counties to be one of opposition to
a general levee district-but then, the de.
mand made by
THE oREENvILLE CONVENTION
that the entire delta be embraced in one dis.
trict is not an unfair one to any county OF
the delta, and in support of this proposition
and the other proposition that the northern
counties are the ones to be most benefited by
the general levee district, let is examine the
facts as they exist as to the amount of levee
to be built and the means to be raised by
taxation TO build the same. By the way OF
premise allow me to say that the distances
are derived from river tables, and conse-
quently are not strictly correct as TO the
length of the line OF levee in front of either
the upper and lower district, but presumine
that the relative length Of both lines are the
same with the river tables, let US examine
he facts and see to which counties general
levee district would be most beneficial. The
proposition TO form an upper district en-
bracing the river front from the Tennessee
line TO the southern line of Coahoma county
would give the upper district
LEvEE FRONT OF las MILES,
which is at this time almost entirely without
a levee. Now, to build and keep in repair
this line OF levee, we cannot hope TO embrace
in the upper district any other territory than
|. & Al l..
of 1868, in the counties of Desoto, Pamela,
.Tuuics, Coahoma, Tallahatchie and a por-
lion Of Lehore-say 155 POS acres-making
a sum total OF acreage liable TO taxation,
and from which a revenue can be collected,
of / ,139, SOL, and personal property liable to
taxation amounting in the aggregate to the
sum OF 1897 500 (this estimate is based on
the auditors report of 1873, but the relative
amounts are still about the same). So, for
the upper district, with say las miles of
ievee we have liable to taxation l,139,69l
acres of land and 1897, 600 of personal prop
erty. The lower counties, which 80 many of
our people think will be the chief benefici-
aries in the general levee district, have 234
miles of levee to build and keep in repair
line of levee on which 81, 100000 have
been spent since 1876, during which time
comparatively nothing has been done on the
levee in front of the upper district. The line
of levee in front of The lower district is con-
sequently stronger and in better condition
than the levee in front of the upper district.
But suppose the levee on each front is in the
same state of repair, let us examine the re-
sources of the lower counties and see who
will be most benefited by the general levee
district. Build up and keep in repair 234
miles OF levee in the lower district, the ter
ritory embraced in the counties of
QUENA AND YAzoO,
las per act 1859 making a total acreage of
244, $50 acres, and in these counties we find
personal property liable to tax ation amount
ing to the sum of Sl,668,648. So. for the
lower district, while she has not twice as
many miles OF levee as the upper by ffty-six
miles, has nearly twice the amount OF both
territory and personal property liable to
taxation. In other words, the lower counties
have 10 each mile of levee 1898 acres of land
and S71S5 of personal property, while the
upper district will have only 1860 acres Of land
and $3.50 OF personal properly TO the mile
OF levee liable to taxation. 1t seems from
the proceedings of the Greenville convention
published in your columns that the entire
delta favored call for The Legislature, but
he bone of contention seems 10 be whether
we shall have one district or two. In view
Of the above facts / cannot understand why
anyone snOulu tutefldlu tue luei lndt tnOSe
Of US living in the upper counties have any
thing 20 lose by going into general leyee
district with the entire Yazoo delta.
But many of our people are hoping for the
United States to come in and build our
eyees. In this / have
NO FAITH OR HOPE,
and believe that the quickest, aud in fact the
1niy way by which we will ever get levee
will be by building it ourselves. Even were
he government disposed 10 render aid, the
plan by which it is determined that the aid
'h all b. obtained, is no sooner formed and
put in shape, than there comes those who de-
ire to appropriate the benefit OF the aid to
personal ends, aud failing 10 do this use
COUNTER plan to defeat the one suggested, as
by the news contained in your Sun
lays issue Of the formation of another cor
,oraiion 10 ask the aid which is now being
,rsed Tor the Huntingdon scheme, and the
fort that is being made to blacken
ne reputation of Colonel Eads. II is
irne that we had thrown all hopes OF
iJ from any one but ourselves TO the wind,
nd like the farmer in the school book, pre-
are to cut our own corn, if we desire to make
ur country what it should be.
- H. P. REID.
Hor~ford,a Acid PhoSnhafe