The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-04-15
BY H. E. BLAkESLEE, Jackson.

Every owner and tiller Of small
farms in the State is especially re-
Guested to read this. You are paying
the burden of maintaining the State
n its institutions. Thousands of
acres of wild land in the State is be-
ing bought by foreign corporations
for speculative purposes. You are
| paying the cost Of developing this
land and bringing these spectators
a golden harvest Of enormous profits.
The publication Of assessed vaules as
they appear on the rolls in the Office
of the auditor at Jackson would
create a sensation. A foreign con-
Germ that owns thousands of acres in
several counties is Offering and sell
ing it for about SIS per acre. Every
acre of that land is assessed at $50
1t is among the richest in the delta,
n worth the price being asked. An
other large concern that owns i'm
mense tracts that are selling for from
So to s12 per acre, is paying taxes on
an assessed valuation Of Sl.25.
Dozens of other instances a be cited
where the difference between actual
and assessed value is as great. Now
his is all wrong. The nan who owns
a small farm Of from 40 to 800 acres
is paying taxes on an assessment that
represents Is per cent of the actual
value of the land. The men with
the small farms are Mississippians,
and constitute q large per cent OF our
citizenship, while the large owners
are principally foreign. Now, there
is no especially serious objection to
outsiders buying our II and profit
ing by the increase in value thereof,
but they should be made to pay their
share Of the money necessary to de-
velop and bring about his increase
in price. The county assessors and
boards of supervisors are largely re-
spOnsible for his state of affairs, and
it is time that the small farmers, who
elect these officials. were awakening
to the injustice being done them.
Raise the assessment and compel
each man to bear his part Of the
necessary expense Of maintaining the
government. Justice to all, and spe-
cial privileges to none, is just as
much the obligation Of a government
today as it was one hundred years
ago. Investigation will bear out the
truth OF every assertion made here.
X i
The interest being shown by plant
ers in the scheme to reduce the cot
ton acreage and provide for taking
care of a surplus, is steadily gaining
ground. A number of the most prom
inent men in the State have taken
) the time and expense OF making a
canvass in behalf Of the movement
on their hands, and are battling for
the success of the movement. There
is no doubt in the minds of those in
a position to know, that Mississippi
will do her part Of the reduction
splendidly. The greatest good that
l is coming from the movement, in the
:, opinion Of the writer, is in bringing
d" the planting interests into an or
3 ganized movement for handling the
crop and providing for taking care
I Of the sarp7us until a reasonable
price is offered. The COMPRESS, ware
a house and banking interests OF the
State are coming forward nobly anc
Offering every assistance possible
. and there is no doubt but that great
1 good will be accomplished by keep
Y ing up the agitation and effecting
permanent organization. The SOutf
bids fair to place itself in a position
where it can offer foreign and Easter
a ~spinners cotton at a price instead o
having the offer come to the plantet
from those who need the crude ma
terial.
Press dispatches Of a few days since
made mention of the fact that Missis
b sippi ponds of the last issue were sell
v ing in Boston for 1915. This look
4 pretty good for our standing abroad
and. too. when it is taken into consid
Grafton that these bonds bear only 81
per cent interest n have an DIPLOMA
ten-year funding clause. Governo
= vardaman had trouble in selling then
for par last year on account of tn
y low rot0 Of ir+nrocf onf tho TON
clause, but it seems that they ar
more thought of at present. Anothe
matter of interest to those who hav
pride in the prosperity CT the Stat
, can be found in the fact that a larg
. issue Of levee n were recent
- sold at par when it has been the cus
- tom heretofore to give some broke
s50, 900 to dispose Of $500, 900 worth
Ie It was decided to hold them at pa
Y, and but little trouble was experience
Ia in getting it. These facts go to prov
that no State in the Union has a be
RI ter credit than Mississippi, despit
the reputation stain that is upo
-, her name. There is a growing sent
~, ment that those old bonds that wer
repudiated should be called in and tn
il owners paid just what they were on
in actual cash. Less than $780, 90
r would be necessary to do this. Sue
" matters will sooner or later rigt
themselves.
,r The writer was recently in receiI
Of a letter from a prominent gentl
man in medical circles in Texas,
>, former citizen of Mississippi with
- shankering' for the old State still lii
e, gering in his breast. with referenc
1e to the establishment of a college he1
for musicians. It is to be Sincerel
a. hoped that such an institution can /
1e gotten on foot and maintained. Mi
sissippi turns out two or three hui
~ 6red new doctors every year and
present Memphis, Nashville and otht
:. cities are depended upon for the
40 medical training. There is plenty
patronage right here in the State
maintain a splendid school and the
id is every reason why such an instit