The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-03-03
LEvEE BOARD DEFENSE.

attorneys fees il is well remem
bered that over and over agail
those things have been paid il
years gone by. A recent one
$500, paid Phelps and Skinner TO
their opinion as to the very bacl
taxes now due the Levee Board
of which certain papers are max
ing so much TO do. "-Greenvllle
Democrat.
The chief points noticeable
about this special plea ia defens'
of the board are that what it doe
not deny it slurs over, and what i
does deny it denies at the sacrifice
of truth. 1t does not deny thai
the President of the board is pait
double what that same President
thought ought to be the maximum
salary for this office when as Sen
ator from this county he introduc
ed a bill in the Legislature pre-
scribing that the salary of the
President of the Levee Board
should not exceed $4,000 per
month. 1t does not deny the at
torney for the board is paid more
than any other attorney has been
paid for many years, and huff as
much again as the services of this
attorney, or probably of any other
attorney in the Delta could be Sc
cured for.
1t does not deny that the board
has paid as much money during
the the first term Of the present
Secretary and Treasurer of the
board to experts in order to as
certain from the books of the board
its financial status to the salary of
this officer amounted to, and that
the result of the labor of these ex-
perts was nullifed by the board
by its repaying to this officer $1700
which said experts reported him
to be short, and which under such
report he had paid into the Treas
ury of the board, and this without
the production of any additional.
evidence or vouchers on his part.
That the Democrat deems it
childish to fuss" about these few
thousand dollars raised by taxation
for protection being annually
'quandered only illustrates how
easy it is to be liberal with other
peoples money, especially when
we" and our friends are
me benehclarles OF this prodigal-
tY.
The article has the grace to pass
'ver the Executive session" fea-
ure alluded to by THE TINES,
presumably because it is easier to
gnore the practice of trustees of
'ubllc funds disbursing such funds
ehind closed doors than it is to
efend it. So much for the
harges slurred over.
But the article states the sex
"a attorneys fees, it will be re
lie mberer, have over and over
gain been paid in years gone by"
,ither this statement is absolute
without foundation, or we are
rievously misinformed as to the
lcts. If the latter can be shown
e will cheerfully acknowledge it.
III information is that extra at )
fees have never been al ;.
we'd; that the retainer paid by :
e board to its attorneys has been !,
sufficient to secure at :,
ntion to all of the legal affairs of y
e board; that during the fifteen =
ars preceding the attorneyshlp II
the present attorney for the II
ard fees to attorneys other than II
regular retained attorneys of &
, board were paid on only two -
caslons, once when Campbell and ~
airing were employed by the -,
ard in regard to a right of way
tier near Longwood where
re was q controversy with the
lroad, and the fee allowed, (S1OO ia
5 paid by the board and deduct mi
from the salary of the attorneys Iai
the board. The next instance liz
5 when Messrs. Phelps and Skin s na
were employed to render an of
MON on the liability of lands tif
the Ten Cent Leyee Tax, and We
fee allowed $500 was paid by n In'
board and deducted from the tn,
Try of the attorneys for the T Tf
I'd. In either of these cases. rea
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