The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1885-08-08
TIE TRUE DOCTRINE.
Ths Lsvss Bonis.-A Plain to Raise More
Money.

lFrom the Yazoo City Herald
Mr.. EDITOR:
Recognizing the Importance of
levee matters, | would like through
your paper to have something to
say TO our Valley land owners and
planters ofthe necessity of further
work on our levees to insure pro-
lection and in support of a tax on
cotton for leyee purposes. The
money derived from the sale of
s5O0,OO0 of bonds has been ex-
pended, the parts of new levee
aggregate 80 miles, which is raised
to a height of two feet above,
and in some places three feet
above the high water of 1882. The
old levee was worked on in many
places, bringing it up to height of
the lowest of the new work, but
leaving about half of the leyee line
from Hushpuckana on the south.
to Horn Lake on the north, un-
touched. This part of the levee
is in places two feet above water
of 1882, but is of insufficient base
and in a great many places q to 3
feet below the high water mark,
and vast deal of work has yet to
be done to secure reasonable pro.
lection from overflow. 1t will re-
quire 100000 to put the levee up
to height of 2 feet above the
water line of 1882 and 100000 to
put it three feet above. The first
will give us reasonable hopes of
future protection, if proper care
and attention is given the levee
after completion. The second
amount will give protection with
out shadow of doubt, if properly
guarded afterwards. So you see
the leyee work is far from being
completed. Now as to cotton
tax. Our Levee District pays un.
der the present bill an ad valorem
tax of IL mills in front or riparian
counties and 0 mills in back coun-
ties, which this year amounted to
S71,2l6.95, a sum just sufficient to
pay the interest on bonds foated
and provide for sinking fund and
pay expenses of Levee Board as
follows: Interest account, $40,-
900; sinking fund $1,000 aud ex-
penses of Levee Board, $4,000;
leaving only sG,2l6.95 to expend
in repair work, when one crevasse
may cost as much as $4,000. The
present tax is therefore made
quate evensif the levees were com.
plete. How much more so when we
are compelled to provide more
money for their completiong In
ordert to float the 100000 of bonds
certain pledges were made by the
Levee Board, as u board, aud as
individuals, also great many
people in the different counties of
the district signed pledges agree.
ing to use their best efforts to
amend the present levee laws at
the next meeting of our Legisla.
ture, and provide for tax on cot
ton of not more than $1.00 per
bale on back counties and $1.50
per bale on front counties. Had
it not been for these pledges 1t
would have been impossible TO
float our bonds. If a tax of S1.O0
and 81 80 is imposed and the ad
valorem tax is reduced to five
mills in the back aud eight mills
in the front counties, the tax will
amount to S15O,000 in round num-
bers. The S5OO,0OO outstanding
bonds bearing s per cent. interest
can be called in and a cotton bond
bearing 6 per cent. interest can
be substituted, and say 100000
more bonds floated at par at @ per
cent. Our interest account would
be s4S,OO0; sinking fund, $4,000;
expense of Board, 10000; leav-
ing balance of s67, 900 as a repair
fund. There is some opposition
to a cotton tax in several of the
counties, but if the law is not
amended and a cotton tax law
passed what will be our position 7
All admit that the levee work will
have to be carried to completion
or what has been expended will
wash away and the country will
be overhowed as it was in 1882,
1873 and 'S4. If then we have to
issue additional bonds what
chance will we have to float them