The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1882-07-12
THE MISSISSIPPI LEvEEs.
GREESwooD, Mss, June 80. 1882


EDITORS CLARION: The recent Leyee
Convention held at GreenYille on the 18Th
inst, passed sundrY resolutions, one Of
which was the appointment of a committee
to wait upon Gov. Lowry and ''urge upon
him the necessity of special session of the
Legislature" for the purpose of having a
law passed creating the Yazoo Delta into
one taring district, for the construction and
maintenance of levees on the entire river
front in this Delta. As it is intended to
include Lefore county in this district,
against her protest, made by mass meeting
Of her citizens, We would thank you for a
little space to give few reasons for our OPP
position to this scheme
First We affirm that this Delta is not
able to build and maintain levees sufficient
to give protection, as an experience of many
years has shown. Our people generally are
in debt, and the necessary taxation to do
this work will surely result in the confsea-
tion of vast amount Of the property ofour
people, as has been the case heretofore, as
evidenced by the sale, MT long since, of
100000 acres of land in this Delta, by the
Leyee Commissioners which had been sold
for leyee tax. A heavy debt is now hang
ing over part of this Delta, incurred for
leyees that have been swept away. If the
purposes of the Greenyille Convention are
carried out an additional debt will be added
for leyees, in turn to be swept away, and in
few years the country will again be with
out protection, with debt that will event
ualIy sacrifice the homes of many of this
people Past experience with us certainly
outweighs empty resolutions, such as were
passed at Greenyille, as to our "ablity to
afford ourselves protection"
The recent message Of the President,
together with the action Of the House in
81, 123, 900 for the improve
ment of the Mississippi River, leads US to
believe the government, in order to improve
the navigation of that river, will build
levees whereby we will be incidentally pro-
tected.
Within one year from this date the inten-
ton of the government will be known in
this respect. If the next Congress makes a
further appropriation we may feel assured
the work will be done. Why then can't
we wait until the Legislature meets at it
regular session Had we not better take |
the chances Of an overflow Eext spring, |
together with the chance that the govern |
ment will do the work, than to involve our
selves in a useless debt Some may say
that if the "taxing district" is formed and |
we see the government intends to do the
work, then there will be no necessity for
the tax. That sounds very well, but we
loubt whether but very few believe the peo-
pie would be relieved of the tax. The
situation would be very tempting to the
of Combination" to perpetuate
this tax When the whole matter is con-
,idered the question forces itself on our
minds whether or not there are those who
prefer that the government should not un-
lertake the control of the leyees. In the
past the general interest has been subordi-
lated, to some extent, to that of individual
interest, as was admitted by one of the dele
rates sent to this county to influence our
mass meeting in favor of the Greenville
and he stated as reason why
hey wanted the back counties to join in
he movement, that our help was needed to
prevent that subordination which they had
lot been able to prevent heretofore. For
Instance leyees had been built on the inside
If bends near the river bank, when, if they
lad been built across from point to point on
hese bends, two-thirds of the distance
would have been saved and the liability of
breaks lessened-thus attempting to pro-
ect interests inside of the bend at a large
cost to the great majority
Interested The counties of Bolivar, Wash
ngton, Issaquena and Sharkey now have
egal organization. They have the power to
eYy taxes and build levees. That organi-
alton claims to have credit and liability"
md we have no objection to them building
heir levees. Yet, as no levee in either of
hose counties will afford any protection to
Is, we do not care to join. These four coun-
les are the prime movers in favor of this
Delta organization. We believe the major
ty of the people in the other ten counties,
kept Sunfower, are opposed to that organ
cation, and think we can say with safety
hat the Greenville Convention does not
epresent majority of the counties in this
Delta. 1AZoo'