The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1890-07-26

How Il AequIrea IIs Lands.

etASt W.T. III tHS Ne-a9e-N4e-~~A---N NSA-
Yention:
"Public lands should be reserved for
actual settlers. The L., N. o. Il L.
Railroad have robbed the citizens out
of 100000 acres of land and made
$5,s50, 1000 out of the peoples Inherit
anee by its Representatives in the
State legislature
The Post reporter this morning
hunted up from authorities the whole
history of the various transactions
through which the railroad acquired
the lands, which is suceinctly presented
aud shows how greatly misinformed is
Mr.. Eldridge in making this wholesale
onslaught.
Long before this railroad was sur
veyed or built the lands, along the
streams which were navigable were
opened to cultivation, as they bad
transportation, but the back lands from
the Mississippi river and the Yazoo
and all the back lands were bought up
by different parties. They were use
less and were subject to levee taxes
and the owners got tired OF paying
the levee taxes on them and allowed
them to default to the levee board for
back taxes.
Under the law creating two leyee
boards all these lands in the then one
district were charged with lien to
secure any debt due by the leyee
boards.
The levee boards had Issued q lot of
bonds and these bonds were secured
by this lien on all these forfeited lands.
Green's Bank, of Jackson, held some
of these bonds and he instituted suit
against Auditor Gibbs to enforce the
lien ON the lands, and the Supreme
Court held that the lands were liable
to pay the Indebtedness due by the
levee board.
The Chancery Court Of Hind'
county, Chancellor Peyton, appointed
| W. Ii. Gibbs and w. L. Hemingway
aud afterwards S. Gwin, vice Gibbs, al
commissioners for the sale Of the lands
tho proceeds to be applied to liqqi
date the indebtedness Of the leve'
board.
Thousands of acres were sold t.
private individuals by the commits
sioners and the balance left OH tbci
hands, after the pick Of the lands ha'
been made, the front lands beinI
, gobbled up, was 100000 acres Q
! timber aud swamp land remote fror
navigation, then the only means Q
transportation. AT that time min
! men out of ten would have deeme
: these lands utterly worthless, tn
former owners having, II may be n
= membercd, abandoned them for leve
: taxes.
y Mr.. Gordon and the old Memph
and vicksburg Railroad Company,
. which MIR. Il. Martin was Prcsiden
y and which had a charter but no roa
. ascertained how much money 1t woul
y take TO pay for these lands left .
y hand so as to wipe out the indebte'
- ness of the levee board and they MAJ
!, a bid per acre which was submitted
IL Chancellor Peyton who approved
and authorized the commissioners
accept II.
The money was paid, the indcbtc
Y ness of the levee board was wiped OF
~ and deeds were made fof 10000 aor
or of the land to Mr.. Gordon al
y 750. 900 to the Memphis and Vicksbu
nc Railroad Company, Messrs. Euge
a Martin and the late Col. l.. A. Chan
~ bell furnishing largely the purcht
q money on their individual cree
~ borrowed at a high rate of interest.
re Gordon afterward conveyed his rs
nS 600 acres to Byron Evers, and 1t is NJ
10 owned by the Watson Delta and II
're Land Company.
or The old Memphis and Vicksbt
'se Railroad Company now having
~ charter and 100000 acres Of land '
ol- a fact that at once invited capital.
'm T. Wilson, with his money, built
emm m road, and the old company meri
" into the Louisville, New Orleans Q
oi- Texas Railroad. 1t was thus tha
ess man of nerve like Mr.. Eugene Mar
sh- and his associates bought by author
ol- of the highest courts lands that forr
ore owners abandoned for taxes to
IL evce board aud was sold by I
lh- body to liquidate its Indebtedness.
cen Had the transaction not occur
the lands would have still been "
yielding to the State no revenue
gro Vicksburg would have had but
sge, railroad.
ore. Summing up the results Of this l
old purchase which "robbed the people
the something they had abandoned, th'
on N, O, II I. has the following recor
lion 1t has added to the assessed va
aw- of the western part of Mississippi f
e Is S20, ,000 900 to $4,000, 900.
tho It has sold to settlers and planter
ne cheap rates 10000 acres of land WI
W q has increased that population alonI
ct a line, within the past five years, I
nds 10000, DR.. Stringer stating before
lion commerce committee that the nun
Dled of immigrants in 1889 was 10000.
T. Is helped Grocnville grow from vii
I an to o city of 5000 people. Ii has Ia
e Of ly contributed to the growth of v
burg, and added by its pay rolls
fully $4,000 per month to the
retail trade. 1t has given Vicksl
competition of rail so that now this
ding ia the cheapest wholesale point
been best distributing point in the s.
'und IL has given to Mississippi many
part towns, Tunica, Lula, Coahoma, Oh
Sec dale, Cleveland, Shaws, Helm, lie
no ArcoIa, Hollandale, Cary, Alleu l
tax side, Rossum, Harriston, llaml
N Is Roxie. Knoxville, Garden City, Gil
tire opd Centerville.
the It Is true that railroads and 81
can boats are bad things.
,rted Tho steamboats long ago RUNE
urer, flat boat business and the rail-
ense. paralyzed the stage coach lines, |
col is safe to say, that had not this raj
not been built there, tho lands now
] col lous and in cultivation would st
I'd to idle, giving not . dollars tras
ident Memphis, Greenyile or Vicksbur
utize a dollars tax to the State of n
eport sippi. They would then haye bt
real the hands of the leyee board as U
,ofar l.. At. - bou.la <.f afha M