The Brookhaven leader., 1888-03-08
OUR SOLONS.
WHAT THE LEGISLATURE
Is DOING.
Items of General Interest Cleaned from
the Proceedings, for the Readers of
the Leader.

Mississippi would be released from
paving into the State Treasury the
sum of $25, 900, as q guarantee of good
faith, as now required by the law,
WAS defeated in the house. Many
voted against the hill because the
State has spent ahout f200.0OO of the
insurance companies money which
had been placed on deposit, and had
no money in the treasury to replace
it, without increasing taxation.
\ The Scientific Temperance bill pro-
Tding for the teaching of the effect of
alchohOl on the human system, in all
the common schools has passed both
houses.
The House killed two public school
bills last Friday.
The bill has become law, provid-
ing for the pensioning of all Confeder-
ate soldiers and sailors of this State at
the time of their enlistment and now
resident here, who lost a leg or an arm
in the service of the Confederacy, who
are now or may hereafter he otherwise
incapacitated for manual labor by rea-
son of Il wound received in said serv-
ice. The amount of each pension is
$50 per annum, and also applies to the
widows of soldiers killed who have
remained unmarried, and to the cOlorcd
servants of soldiers and sailors who
are disabled in the like manner of
soldiers or sailors by reason of said
service. The law is not to apply to
persons owning over $500 worth of
exempt property, or to any person
holding any kind of Office worth over
5000.
The Legislature at this session has
not passed any general law regarding
prohibition, leaving the local option
law to stand as it is; but more than IA
score eff ''five-mile laws" applying to
churches, schools and villages have
been passed. The cherished idea of
the Wonans' Christian Temperance
Union to have IA tive-mile law to apply
to the Girls Industrial Institute at
Columbus is abandoned for this year,
as the delegation from that county
were bitterly opposed to it.
The bill formulated by the joint
committee appointed for the purpose
of arranging plan whereby titles to
certain lands in the Mississippi delta
could be quoted and their owners
made secure in their possession and
saved the annoyance OF continual liti
CATION, growing ont of the supposed
claim of the state for taxes, while the
lands were in the hands of the liquid
ating levee board, rs well as the bel
lum claims has become law. The
bill provides for the payment to the
State of all taxes due since the pur-
chase of said lands by the liquidatine
levee commissioner or the furnishing
of proof that the said taxes have been
paid, whereupOn the auditor is requir-
ed to make deed conveying the
States title. The Louisville, New
Orleans and Texas Railroad Company
which owns about 5000 acres of these
lands, is required to pay State and
county taxes the same as individuals
for the years 1882, 'S3, '96, and 81
and relinGuish all claim to exemption
20 taxation under its charter by which
it has been governed heretofore, the
legislature OF 1854 having in express;
terms RENTED all the taxes for the
Years 1884 and 1885, and all levee
taxes on said lands up to 1856 having
been paid by the company. Besides
quieting the titles involving 1900, 0OC
acres of land, it will put into the State
and county treasures an amount of
money running into the hundreds of
thousands of dollars. This measure,
as piece of practical legislation, is OF
vastly more Importance to the State
at large, and particularly the delta
section, than anything that has yet
been before the legislature.
The house on its first reading passed
by a vote of IA to % the senate resolu-
ton seeking to submit constitutional
amendment to the people restricting
the term Of the Governor to four years
in succession.
The senate bill reducing the interest
of the Chickasaw school fund from
to six per cent. was defeated in the
house by three majority after hot
fight.
Senator BOOne's bill in the senate to
abolish the leasing system, so univers-
ally detested by the people of the
State, was lost by a majority of four
votes in the senate.
Complimentary resolutions to Lieu
tenant Governor Stands upon his
withdrawal from the Office of president
of the senate were adopted by that
body. They express sympathy for
him because of his affection, which,
though not serious, is painful, and
regret that, because by his withdrawal
the senate loses wise, judiciOus and
courteous officer.
The Ways and Means Committee
has raised the State tax from 81 to
mills, and made several changes in
and additions to the privilege tax list,
which we haven't space to mention
here.
The House refused to pass Senate
lii