The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-07-14
THE LEvEE BOARD.

In many respects the meeting O
the Levee Board held this weel
was one of the most important evel
convened; not alone as regards the
individuals directly interested il
it's elections, bataIso to the much
greatdg ana nd II important body,
the taxpayeIg u the district, whose
properly and NelfatVAre So large
ly.in> ths Keeping Iof thessix mer
constituting the board 4 s Times
is Nnot in the conhdehoe of the
board, and in consequence our in
formation lslargely ssqeh.a p with
inthe possession Of every .cltizen
who keeps up with the news OF
the street, yet it comes too
straight to be doubted.
After electing q chief engineer
and his assistant, and an attorney
(the assistant attorneys to be Sc
lected from time to time, to meet
the exigencies of litigation, we
presume), the board passed from
the holdover jobs and took up the
matter of selecting a cotton tax
collector. There were three APP
phcants for the place, one of them,
strange to say, being a member
of the board, the other two being
Mr.. Goldstein and Mr.. Foote. The
member of the board soon drop
ped out and the balloting became
three and three for the remaining
applicants, and stald there.
1t is around this fight that the
greatest interest of the taxpayers
is conferred, and it ism the attitude
of the three gentlemen who steadi-
ly supported Mr.. Goldsteln,
(Messrs. Jayne, Blum and Clarke,
that we find cause to congratulate
the district upon what we conf
IDENTIFY believe to be the dawning
of better times in the management
of the boards affairs.
After reaching point where it
seemed impossible to break the
deadlock by Legitimate means, 1t
Is currently reported that Mr..
Jayne was offered such vote as
would guarantee his reelection to
the presidency of the board if he
would only throw Goldsteln over
board. This proposition he in
dlgnantly rejected, and Mr.. Clarke
was approached with the same Of
fer. Finding that no more could
be done In the way of manipulating
the latter gentleman than the +
former other measures were adopt
ed. This last resort was nothing
less than an offer to the Goldstein
forces of a pool of the two Offices
still to be filled, that OF secretary
and treasurer with the tax collec-
torshlp-the proceeds of the two
to be divided between the candi-
dates for the latter place.
On the rejection of such prop
osition the citizens of the district
should sincerely congratulate
themselves, and in SO dong should
not fail to render due credit to
and just appreciation of the high
sense of proper administration
OF the boards affairs, and devo-
ton to principle which dictated
alike the conduct of the gentle
men who supported Mr.. Goldstein
and the attitude of that gentleman
himself. Such a scheme is con-
trary TO the spirit, if not the letter
of the laws governing the board,
and its consummation would have
marked the breaking down of one
Of the safeguards thrown around
the handling of the public funds by
the board. The Office of Secre-
tary and Treasurer is presumed to
be a check on that of cotton tax
collector, and the keeping of these
two Offices absolutely independent
OF each other should be a matter of
principle with every man connect I
ed with the board. Honor to
whom honor is due; we take off
our hats to Messers. Jayne, Blum
and Clarke.
Gen. Joe Wheeler has fought