The Greenville times., 1890-11-15

acted and published.
The sections involving changes arc
1st, the manner Of selection of Com
missioners. These will in future b.
appointed by the Governor. (This i
the existing law for the Upper Dis
trict.) While the present rule, the elcc
tion by the Board Of Supervisors, hs
always secured good Commissioner
1t has grown to an excessive influence
In the election Of Supervisors. Indcet
these important county officers arr
now canvassed and their candidac,
determined, not only according L
their vote for Levee Commissioner
but according to who the Com
missioner favors for the officers In III,
disposal ofthe Leveo Board. This hai
naturally led to no end of schemes and
combinations. Whether these are
avoided In future or not, at least the,
will no longer involve and vex the
Boards Of Supervisors. Election Of
Commissioners by tho County Boards
was well enough when the classes and
Interests Of the District were not com
plex, when all properties and pursuits
were comprised IN plantation life aud
more important, when tho Sheriff.
collected the cotton tax. But tho good
Of change as now provided Is unqucs.
tionsblc and will be especially apprc.
dated by the Supervisors.
The second change Ia that contained
In Section 234, which requires that
levsc Legislation shall In future be
originated, formulated and published
In the District prior to Legisla-
tive SSn:I4siiii a i yssiUiiir mon 3; -
which further requires annual reports
and recommendations from the Boards
to the Governor and the Legislature
These provisions are especially valua-
BILE. Since tho incorporation Of this
District tho practice has been for the
Board alonc to determine and ask for
levec legislative action. There can be
no other proper rule--any other Il
simply confusion. The one instance
Of a departure was In the caso Of bill
introduced In and passed through the
last State Senate over tho opposition
and protest Of every Commissioner
on the Board. II was a bill absolutely
without favor except In the least coun-
ty In the District. Tho TIMES has no
hesitancy In saying that had said bill
become law-succeoded as il was by
the disastrous season Of last sprlng-it
would have not only proved most en-
barrassing, but would have imperlled
the existence tho levoe system. That
experience taught the neod of a re-
strlctivc force, as TO lcvee interests, up
on legislation, which Secs. 1884 aud 1856
are designed to supply. They viii DO
of great service to the Legislature,
whose members desirous Of acting to
the best interest of tho Delta, igno-
rant Of leyce affairs, will now have
an authoritative guide as to tho popular
sentiment of the people affected by
their levee acts.
The 3rd innovation Is the require
ment of the Legislature to impose
specific tax-not to exceed 5 nor be
less than cents per acre-upon all
land In the Districts. The principle
and justice of such tax has heretofore
been recognized In lcvee revenue
schemes in Mississippi. Still prevail
ing in Louisiana--the tax per acre
disappeared In Mississippi In carpet
bag times, when the high rate Of taxa
tion drove the wild lands on the de-
linquent lists and they ceased to yield
revenue. This tax has It's justification
In the fact that the wild lands-boing
~ a body lower and more subject to
inundation than the cleared lands
have derived greater proportionatc
benefit from levee protection. While
through this protection the unIm-
proved lands have appreciated in
per cent of value far beyond the
productive lands, they have borne
q less share proportlonately In levee
cost There are immediate objects and
effects of the acreage tax which CON-
mend 1t generally. First, the wild
lands are held in large bodies-aggre-
eating near two million acres-by cor
porations and nonresident speculative
holders. Then II will enable the Board
In this District 10 reduce the cotton,
aud In the Upper the nd valorem tax.
twill moi be operative until the Lcgis-
lature meets.
The next aud final change is an alb
solute inhibition upon the Board
against paying damages on lands out
side of The lcyees. This is no more
than harmony with the theory dam
age adjudication as held by the
courts aud coutended for by the
Boards. But despite all juries find
otherwise.
In addition to the foregoing, an or
Ilinance was passed empowering this
Board TO issue half million of bonds
IS heretofore published I'm the TIMES.
L is considered a wise precaution,