The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-08-04
LEvEE BOARD REPORTS.

and Treasurer and Chief Engineer
published last week, are volumin
GUS as to detail, and each makes
exhibits which should interes
largely those who pay the take
of the dIstrict,-particularly it
cotton tax.
Without attempting even cas-
ual survey of the entire ccntent
of either report, we would call at
tention to one or two points IL
each. The engineer shows thai
since 1882 1878 miles of new le
wee have been constructed, while
during the same period, 1874. Z mile:
have been abandoned. This is cal
culated to startle the man who has
not kept up with levee Matters
as, at first glance, it seems to indi
cate that no progress has beer
made during the past Ell hteen
years of tax-paying tribulatlon
However, owing to the steady IN
crease in the volume of the levee
constructed from year to year,
due to process of constant en-
largement, a great deal more
earth has been put up than has
been lost.
The fact remains, however, that
the mislocation of levees too close
to an encroaching river, which has
been the rule of conduct of the
board since its very organization,
is responsible for greater waste
of much needed funds than all else
connected with levee construction.
The 1874 miles of levee absolutely
lost to the people of this district
in less than twenty years, cost
money to build, and to that cost
must be added the expense of re-
placing the abandoned line.
What became of it? If the origin
al line had been located at proper
distance from the river, every foot
of this 1874 miles, barring what has
been actually destroyed by
breaks, -next to nothing, com
paratively,-mlght have been
standing today. There are
now living, men, who were mem
bers of the board as constituted
shortly after the war, who, even at
that time, had the farsighted WIS
dom to foresee that an attempt to
maintain a constantly receding
levee line was absolute folly and
meant unending and unavalling
labor and expense, and the con,
slant piling up of staggering
debt.
Throwing out Catfish Point and
running the levee line East of
Lake Bolivar were even then ad-
vocated. There is no denying the
fact that the riparian owner has
been benefited at the expense of
the man farther back,-while the
principle of ''the greatest good to
the greatest number" should have
controlled. A halt should be
called, and every new levee built,
be located where there is a prob
ability of its remaining for a
while. The front man cannot be |
hurt. we hardly suppose any |
body is nervy enough to say that
the board has paid or is paying too
little for damages. The pres
ent report indicates the probabil-
ity of saner practice in this re-
gard than has hitherto prevailed.
The Treasurer makes a com
parison between the finances
of the board for the past four
years and for the four preceding
1885, which Is done he assures
the MEMBERS with naivete that
is refreshing in its sweetness,
with the view of showing the
fidelity and success with which
you have discharged the trust
placed upon you" why not say
thrust upon youg~ Although
this comparison is thus SO pointed
" addressed, as q sweet JUNCTION,
solely to the members of the board,
yet, as one of the hol polloi, we
lake the liberty of sincerely con-
graduating the taxpayers upon
1ne of its most important exhl. '
bits, 1.-The cOtton-tax. This source
If revenue shows an increase OF 9
1880, SSH. :
The cotton planters of the dis r
riot will be glad to know this. Ii
nut we really must beg the privil- Il
ge of declining to concur in a
scribing this showing to the a. a.
'cInse attention of the cotton tax AZ
ollsctor." We should say it indi-
..t-..f ,h.,t our neonle had hoon or