The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1906-05-05
THE BLACK
BAYOU BILL
Mr.. Leroy Percy's Reply
to Mr.. joshua Skinner
Believes That a Thorough Investi-
CATION is Necessary to Arrive
at a Proper Conclusion.
Greenville. Miss, May 4, 1906.

Greenville, Miss, May 4, 1906
Mr.. Joshua Skinner, Foote, Miss:
Dear Sir-Replying to your inqui-
ries in regard to the Black Bayou
drainage law passed at the recent
session of the Legislature, l beg to
say that l drafted the act, after dis
cussing the matter with a number of
property holders, upon the request
of one of the members of the Legis-
lature from this county.
| was interested in the matter, as
doubtless all are who have lived long
IN our county, and are acquainted with
the physical conditions, because OF
the fact that Black Bayou is the nat
ural canal-the big ditch-affording
drainage for the large area lying be-
tween Deer Greek and the Missis-
sippi river, substantially all the wa
ter falling in this area reaching the
Yazoo river through Black Bayou.
This drainage has become serious
ly impaired by the fact that this great
ditch, instead of being kept sopcn,
as it would have been if the area
drained had been the property of any
one individual. by reason OF the fact
that it belonged TO many. and ap
parcntly it was the business of no
one in particular to look after the
matter, has been allowed to become
obstructed by trees, which have,
through the years, been felled into
or have fallen into it. There IS
scarcely yard OF its fifty miles in
this cotfnty in which there IS not a
log and in a number Of places inn
meuse piles of drift have accumulated,
almost stopping the natural flow OF
the stream. compelling it to perco-
late through or to cut out a new and
artificial channel around the OBJ
structions.
The inevitable effect of this ha.
been decidedly detrimental to the
drainage of the entire area, -comprfs-
ing about 10000 acres, more than
one-third of the area Of the ntire
county. Practically all of the cleared
land i'll the proposed district is at
fcted. in the time of excessive rain
fall, the water standing on much of
It, and the subsoil drainage of the
land, that is too high for the water
to stand on, being seriously impaired.
The effect is much more disastrous
upon the uncleared land embraced i'll
the district, this possibly aggregat
ing 10000 acres of land, nearly one
seventh of the total area of the coun-
ty, and this immense tract of land
is rendered worthless for agricultural
purposes, because it has no drainage.
If no relief can be afforded this
tract of land. which should produce
10000 or $4,000 bales of cotton an
nually, it will not only continue to be
unremunerative to its unfortunate
owners, but in the future, as in the
past, it will fail to bear its share of
county, State and levee taxes.
Is there no chance of improving
this condition. Is the problem a
hopeless one?
1t would seem simple, compared to
the complicated drainage problems
which have been solved in various
sections of Our country, whereby i'm
mense tracts of land have been re-
claimed and made valuable.
If it is better to make no effort to
improve conditions, this can readily
be accomplished by majority of the
land owners signifying that they dis
approve of the bill. If, on the other
posed district does not drain into
Black Bayou, the bill provides that
the owners can petition the Chan
Gerry Court and be excepted from the
district
The bill provides for an acreage
tax. This seems fairer than an ad
valorem tax, because the latter would
fall more heavily on the improved
land, while in fact the unimproved
land is the greater beneficiary. At
the same time the greater value of
the improved land makes the burden
imposed by the acreage tax more cas-
lily borne by it.
OF course, unless it is a. fact that
the scheme is feasible, and some very
substantial benefit will be derived
frbm it, the tax provided for should
not be imposed There is no posi-
bic trick or deception about the mat
ter. It is pure business question,
and one that should be handled in
a business way; and before any tax
is levied, the land owners should be
satisfied that a corresponding bene-
fit will result from it.
Some may think that great relief
can be obtained at small cost; others |
may be of the opinion that the scheme |
is absolutely chimerical, that if Black |
Bayou is cleared out, the result will |
be that the Mississippi river will back |
up to Fish Lake: but it is certain |
that no opinion Of any value can be /,
formed without thorough and in
would seem that the natural plan to
be adopted, and one that would |
doubtless meet with the approval of /,
the tax payers, would be for the |
Board of Supervisors, at its June
meeting, to appoint three OF the
property holders residing within the |
district, commissioners Ct would sug-
gest the appointment of the commis-
sioners, because of the multitudinons
demands upon the time of the board |!
itself): and authorize these commits
sloners to incur the expense OF hav~
ing an intelligent survey made, and
report to the August or September
meeting of the board The board |
could specify the maximum amount
that the commissioners could expend
in making the survey; | presume that
the maximum figure would be 5000.
and a complete and elaborate survey
could be made from the lower emo
of the district. or from as much lower