The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-09-29
THE LEvEE BOARD.

THE LEVEE BOARD.
We do not believe it possible to
place too much stress upon what
should be the proper character OF
the Levee Board. 1t is a business
institution, pure and simple, and
any member or official who be-
comes a party to the injection into
its affairs of anything but purely
business considerations and meth
DDS, is recreant to his duty and
false to his official oath.
Each individual member of this
board is a trustee, charged with
the care of business interests OF
the'greatest possible import to the
taxpayers of the district; and to
prostitute such a position to per-
sonal ends, or through it to seek
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of any man or
set of men, is such a perversion
of his trusteeship as under the
law renders him liable to a Grim
NAL prosecution foI malfeasance
in office.
In July last, the terms Of the
president, cotton tax collector and
secretary and treasurer expired,
and the duty of electing their sue
cessors devolved upon the board
at it's meeting in that month.
Through combinations and counter
combinations every effort to dis
charge this plain duty, enjoined
as tits by the laws under which the
board has its existence, proved
abortive. The president held over,
and. to meet the exigencles of the
situation, as he saw them, filed
by appointment the two places left
vacant by the board.
The capacity and fitness of the
two appointees cannot be i'm
and the people who pay
the taxes, the collection and dis
bursement of which constitute the
only reasons for the boards exis-
tence, had a right to expect that
at the present meeting wrangles
should cease, and in the ratlhca-
lion of these appointments by
election every shadow of doubt
IS to their legality be removed; or
through de novo proceedings, these
Offices SO filed that no
possible cloud should rest upon
he titles of their incumbents.
But what is the status of affairs ?
Instead of at once, and in a strictly |
ousiness-like manner, disposing of |
,hese important matters and pro-
,eeding to the discharge of its
outline duties, tho board is again
n labor, and no man can say what
t will bring forth.
By its own acts it has beclouded
he titles OF its three most lmpor-
ant officials, and now we hear
uggestions of steps being taken to
prevent the renewal of cotton
rom the district, on account of
Ioubt as to the legality of taxes
aid on it. accompanied by reports
f destinations to pay cotton
axes at all, pending the existing
onfusion.
The only interest of The Times
q this matter is that of the tax
aver, and it is concerned solely
q seeing such interests and the
God of the district conserved.
The duty of the board is PLAIN.
is confronted by a proposition
'hich should be solely business
ne, ana which, if SO regarded,
'iIl readily yield to the treatment
f business methods.
The gentlemen who constitute
he board owe it to themselves, as
7ell as to the great interests en-
rusted to them, to break q dead
ock which has no place except IN
gatherings, and thus re-
eve themselves and those whom
hey represent of what may prove
D be q serious situation.
just as the printers finished set (
ing up the above, The Times
that the stu alton referred
D had been relieved by the
lection of Mr.. Jayne, president
nd Messrs. GOldstein and Foote,
TX collector and secretary and
treasurer respectively. We con-
ratulate the board and the tax