The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1905-04-15

the burden of maintaining the State
and 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 on
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 $3.50
It.is among the richest in the delta,
and worth the price being asked. An
other large concern that owns i'm
ems tracts that are selling for from
SIS to S12 per acre, is paying taxes on
an assessed valuation Of $1.25.
Dozens of other instances can be cited
where the difference between actual
and assessed value is as great. Now,
this is all wrong. The man who owns
a small farm of from 40 to 800 acres
is paying taxes on an assessment that
represents rs per cent of the actual
value of the land. The men with
the small farms are MississippianS,
and constitute a large per cent of our
citizenship, while the large n
are principally foreign. Now, there
Is no especially serious objection to
outsiders buying our lands 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 this increase
in price. The county assessors and
boards of supervisors are largely re-
spOnsible for this 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.
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
I'LL 40 hnr mart of Tho radiation
splendidly. The greatest good that
is coming from the movement, in the
opinion Of the writer, is in bringing
the planting interests into an or
ganiZed movement for handling the
crop and providing for taking care
of the sarpius until a reasonable
price is offered. The compress, ware
house and banking interests of the
State are coming forward nObly and
Offering every assistance possible,
and there is no doubt but that great
good will be accomplished by keep
ing up the agitation n effectlng a
permanent organization. The South
bids fair to place itself in a position
where it can offer foreign and Eastern
spinners cotton at a price instead OF
having the offer come to the planter
from those who need the crude ma
terial.
Press dispatches of a few days since
made mention of the fact that Missis-
sippi bonds of the last issue were sell
ing in Boston for 101.5. This looks
pretty good for our standing abroad,
and. too, when 1t is taken into consid-
Grafton that these bonds bear only 312
per cent interest and have an optional
ten-year funding clause. Governor
Vardaman had trouble in selling them
for par last ear on account of the
low rate of interest and the ten-year
clause, but it seems that they are
more thought of at present. Another
matter of interest to those who have
pride in the prosperity of the State
can be found in the fact that a large
issue Of levee bonds were recently
sold at par when it has been the Gus
tom heretofore to give some broker
5 1000 to dispose Of 100000 worth.
1t was decided to hold them at par
and but little trouble was experienced
in getting it. These facts go to prove
that no State in the Union has a bet
ter credit than Mississippi, despite
the reputation stain that is upon
her name. There is a growing senti-
ment that those old bonds that were
reDudiated should be called in and the
owners paid just what they were out
in actual cash. Less than 100000
would be necessary to do this. Such
matters will ooner or later right
themselves.
The writer was recently in receipt
of a letter from a prominent gentle
man in medical circles in Texas, a
former citizen of Mississippi with a
laundering for the old State still lin
gering in his breast, with reference
to the establishment of a college here
for physicians. 1t is to be sincerely
hoped that such an institution can be
gotten on foot and maintained. Mis-
sissippi turns out two or three hun
bred new doctors every year and at
present Memphis, Nashville and other
cities are depended upon for their
medical training. There is plenty of
patronage right here in the State to
maintain a splendid school and there
Is every reason why such an institu-
ton should be established. The pro-
;oct is ono wall worthy 0f fnvoctipa-