The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1883-12-29
LETTER FROM COL. PERCY.
memphis Appeal

GEEESvILLE, Mss, Dec. "A, 1883.
I. NJ. MILLER, ESQ, yicksburg:
DEAR R:-Yours of recent
date asking an expression of nv
views as to appropriate levee leg.
isiation at the ensuing session of
the Legislature was duly received.
In the interest manifested by You
IN this question you show a wise
appreciation of the necessities
and wants of your immediate con.
stituency. You say truly that it
is a matter of vital moment to
Vicksburg. Measured by benefits
to be reaped or losses to be incur
red, it is not overshooting the
mark to assert that the two cities
standing at the head and foot of
the delta, Memphis and yicksburg,
are more concerned in the sue.
cesstul solution of the problem
than perhaps any two of the coun.
ties Immediately affected BY high
water. Discussing a question of
such Importance in the brief space
OF a letter, necessarily much must
be unsald which should be said
and much must be imperfectly
said. | shall confne myself to a
general Wow of what / think
should be the action of the Legis.
lature in this respect, with some
reasons for so thinking. And first
let me advert briefly to the idea so
generally entertained Of securing
aid from the Federal government.
Whilst l would spare no effort,
leave no stone unturned to secure
for this purpose a portion of the
national treasure, yot / do not
think it wise for our people to 70.
ly upon help from that quarter or
even to relax for one instant their
own efforts, in the hope that some
day it may come. The appropri.
ations Of Congress are made and
THE RIVER COMMISSION
is organized, for the express pur-
pose Of improving the navigation
OF the river. In the most emphst-
ic way they have avowed that
they have nothing to do with the
protection Of the country. If pro.
lection follows as all incident to
Improvement of navigation, why
well and good. II destruction en-
sues, it 10 tho same. The appro.
priation, when made, is required
by law to be expended by the Riv
er Commission in the improve
ment of navigation. If that body
thinks that lcvecs along particular
reaches of the river will subserve
the end in view, il is to be presu.
med that 1t will build them there.
II at other points il deems them
unnecessary for that end, it is very
certain not to build them there.
Whether levees are necessary or
merely useful; whether they
should be high and largo enough
to restrain phenomenal floods like
that of 1882, or simply sufficient
to restrain ordinary high water
whether the building shall pre-.
cede, 60 hand in hand with, or
follow in the wake of channel i'm.
provement; what proportion, If
any, Of the appropriation shall be
applied to building levces in any
one year, and what proportion to
work in the bed of the river, are
all questions to be decided by the
seven gentlemen composing the
River Commission; to be decided
when and where it suits them and
comedies with their plans, without
reference to the inhabitants of the
delta, or their necessities; to be de
cided this way one year, that way
another, ss the experimental work
upon which they are engaged may
suggest at one time is best for the
Improvement of navigation and al
another time that a directly Oppo
site methed is best. In fact, theil
whole work thus far, as they them
selves frankly say, is tentative ant
experimental. A few years mal
satisfy them that the job canno
be accomplished, at least with thu
means at their disposal, or tha
the methods adopted arc all wronl
and that others and different one'
must be resorted to. The appro
priation is equally uncertain. W.
cannot tell, from one year to an
other, whether one will be made
or If made, whether it will be suffi
cient. It's a matter of politics. On
year the politicians of the North
East aud West may discern in tn
political sky signs and tokens in
dicating a generous policy tovar'
the Mississippi river; the mex
year au angry sky and portentou
grumblings may admouish them t
draw tight the national purse
strings. A wise people Will no
stake their future material pros
perity upon hopes whose basis !
clouded in so much uncertainty