The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1890-04-19
GRENADA MISS, SATURDAY, APRIL 49, 1890
should be strong and clear enough to re

1
quire that full JUS ice be dpne, The
State has received large revenue in taxes
naid on these lands by the claimants.
If The State was and has, through all
the years owned the lands and The in :
dividual has possessed no right in them
then the State owes to the taxpayers the
money paid in taxes. No techlical de-.
fence should be interpos. d. If he true
that there was good filth throughout,
and this is made the basis even for prefer,
ence, there should be full and adequate
rel'et, l do, not urge that The State
should reimburse claimants to the full
extent of the taxes paid trom the time
OF the original entities until now. but
these payments should be considered,
airly aud honestly, in the adjustment of
accounts between the S ate aud claimant.
and for what this is worth the C cailnant
should receive edit
1T would no' have BEEN an improper
thing. indeed it would have been a iusr
and righteous NC had the Legislature
quie,ed ant confirmed the,e titles in the
first instance The St.,e .'not without
a precedent for action quie,ing titles.
The Legislature in 1888 IVY an act ap.
proved March 2, ent,rIed AN act to quiet
and settle the this To certain lands in
he Yazoo Delta etc, gnieted and con.
tirmed the titles TO thousands of acres of
the richest lands of the Delta on the
ground that hundreds Ct Innocent
purchasers had established homesteads
upon them, the, in good faith believing
they owned and upon which they had
continuously paid taxes for many years
There is IA 'ractical dlff-reuce ia the
cases. What was right then would be
right nov
Taking as basis !,r estimate, my
own county, aud figures furnished by
MIR. ". NJ. Dubard, most intelligent
citizsn oft, who is familiar with the
territory OF the erroneous entries (and to
whom am indebted tor many of the
sugges ions | give you) would not be
far wrong in the a sert'on that peril APPS O
quarter Of a million acres in the delta
sections are affected by these errors. This
however, is but conjecture, as l have
neither seen a report of the number Of
acras.nor ! al opportunity to examine the
official records. There may be largely more
It's important, what ever the number, ,tha,
the State do justice, quiet and confirm
thtse titles, and remove the iiscourag'
ing and depressing doubts over tie titles
to much OF her best territory. The State
would, in fact, receive large revenue
from the redemptions and purchases, but
the State needs no revenue demanded in
injustice and which should be paid in
discomfort. The cost Of the purchases
too, are onerous The original price pei
acre aud the abstract fees alone wi
amount to tens of thousands cf dollars.
What is the remedy?" a''' -'
'1n the first place, it is for the people tC
demand that SO great wrong sha. not
be done; another, for their Representatives
to etfectuate their wishes. Every man
should asce tain whether or not his land
is involved, and then hold himself in
readiness to take advantage OF the law
if no relief be afforded in the near future
Owners should, however, be on theil
guard against tax titles claimed to any
OF the land owned by them. The peo.
pie whose inter ests are most vitallv con.
cerned should not be precipitate in re
purchasing add incutrng great expense
The fair aud conservative people of the
State will support them in moral resist
ance to the injustice. II no relief be
afforded them, then they may act, not
before.
"If the trouble is really Of the magni
tude and seriousness it now appears
then it would warrant action upon it al
the earliest possible moment. If the
trouble be so grave as to demand TIE
most heroic treatment, the Constitutional
Convention should correct 1t. The new
Constitution vii have something to say
on the subject of pablic lands it would
be well to have it refer to these er.
roneously entered lands in terms to the
credit of the State and to the benefit of
her people. 1t is generally agreed, too,
thatit will be;necessarvfor the Legislature
to meet in special session shortly al or
the adjournment OF the convention. In
the meantime let the people wait their
time, and the Legislature should and
prcb abaiy will grant the relief they as K. y
j.. ). E., Jr