The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-02-17
River Report.
LEvEE BOARD LEGISLATION
The Levee Board has had in

the purpose, as we are informed
of permitting it to issue certificate
of indebtedness to the amount O
$150.0OO.00 per year, instead o
$75, 100000 as now allowed by law
and the proposed measure author
ICES the money raised on these
certificates of Indebtedness to be
used for levee construction pur-
poses, instead of making the
money realized therefrom an
emergency fund to be used only to
meet the danger of threatened
high water, as is provided by the
present law.
The Board asked, as we recol-
lect, for similar authority in 1898
and the Legislature refused to
grant it.
While we are not in favor OF
tying the hands of the Board by
iron clad rules which might i'm
pair its power fol- usefulness, still.
we do not lnow what justification
there can be for the proposed
measure. The levee building
should be done out of the current
revenues of the Board.
There is no reason for permit
ting the Board to anticipate its
revenues annually by mourning
Indebtedness upon which interest
must be paid. 1t is a power
which it has never had, even when
the levees were in much more
precarious condition than now,
and when the District was de-
pendent for protection upon the
funds OF the Board alone. 1t IS
strange that such uthority is de- I
manded and such a measure is t
necessary now when the levees e
are in better condition than they G
have been at any time in the pre-
vious history of the Board, when ;.
The revenues of the Board are C
anger than they have ever been
approximating annually
he sum of $300,000.00, and when
much the greater proportion of y
he levee work in the District is y
one by the United States Gov ~
h,
Even with the restrictions b,
brown around the issuance of W
certificates OF Indebtedness under -. ~
he act of 1898 it is questionable vi
the power thereby conferred has Gu
cen wisely exercised. RI
During January of the year II
500, under the existing law, the en
GARD issued certificates of in fo,
abtedness to the amount of $685. IT.,
1000 without there being any oc'
'cessity therefor, as the Treas
'er's report shows that never at Jea
y time between January and VIII
nly 1899 did the cash deposited his
7 the Board in bank run down to ING
IS than S51, 100000, and that dur ser
g that time there was as much bn '
deposit as 1854, 600. 90. In inc
her words, the money borrowed the
d in the bank unused by the var
ard, and portion of the taxes Plc
llected went to pay interest on ID,
, loan. fob
There is some legislation that Dor
uld meet the approval of the our
,payers, but the Board has not uan
led for it. The Board should don
be allowed to transact any as q
,iness, save the election of Of pro
RS in executive session 1t is OWE
rely trustee of public funds, 20
its business relates entirely to NOT
handling of money raised by con
alton, and it transacts no bust dog
5 except that which concerns way
taxpayers of the District, and
} an unparalleled and dangerous Wen
rpation of power for it to pre- T PSt =
10 to exclude taxpayers from its Vet Yet u
tings. The best construction 3 I Il
can be placed upon the action of I My :,
Board, composed of six men, But snt !,
who annually disburse $300O,- AMI md
90 collected by taxation, in a Ard "us
desiring the presence of those Why bH.,
ributing these taxes at their 1.-THE 4 the
tugs is that the members are T TaeP 2
rous of Sinking individual re- A An I. q
in handling the affairs But /
be Board. Any other con- Then EH, !, ,
:tion is worse. The practice So he
uprecedented, pefniciOns and