The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1906-03-23

Dear Journal:
A dark and gloomy day is this,
cloudy and raining. it is not at
all inspiring. lam sorry to re-
port but little progress in legis-
lation the past week. It is now
conceded that we will not get
through with the work in this
month, and it may require the
full term to which the call was
extended 18th of April. We are
Fastening slowly" with our ap-
preparations; we have passed the
five million and half mark and
now have another million in sight,
we can't get through with less
than seven millions as / predicted
early in session. If tax levy re-
mains same six mills, it will re-
quire the sale of one and half
million dollars in bonds, to make
out amount to run us for next
two years, which. will be an in
crease Of about one and half or
two million dollars over last two
years, but this includes the pay
ment of what we borrowed last
year, so you can take about a
million off. and it will then only
be a small increase over last two
years. We spent three days
this week on privilege tax,
bill, and raised the tax on almost
every enterprise, on some things
25 to SO per cent. A big howl
is coming up from all over the
state, railroads, telegraph and
telephones, saw and planning
mills, lumber mills and lumber
dealers and many others are COM
planning loud and long over it.
The revenue bill will be up Tues
day it may consume 2 or 8 days.
That is the bill that fixes the
manner of assessing and levying
of taxes, making the rate. 1t
contains the chapter on exemp-
ting 6 per cent money, cash on
hand from taxes. All these have
passed the senate and will pass
the house think but it is said
the Governor will veto it, if he
does can't pass it over his veto,
for it would require a 2-3 vote
Of both houses.
1t seems to be a general desire
from all classes to have money
loaned at 6 per cent exempted,
claiming it will bring money into
the county and bring down inter-
est. If we can get appropriation
bills and revenue bills out Of
way we might soon work up but
| never saw SO many bills espec-
ally local ones introduced before.
The school bills pension bills, col
lege and university bills, being
out of way looks like we might
get on faster. / hope Monday
morning we will be able to get
in some new rules that will cut
down speaking and expedite our
business. / nor any other man
can tell what has been done be-
cause the trouble is law making
and code revising are all so mixed
up, that you can't possibly keep
the run oft. Whenever the code
is to be rinsed it ought to be a
session for that special business
and no other, this is the only way
to do it correctly. l predict that
there will be great complaint, of
the work, for l am satisfied it will
got mixed up, the way it is be-
ing done. | am also satisfied
that there ought to be a change
in the number of representatives.
There are entirely too many one
half the number and give them
more pay would result in much
good.
Neither do the people take a
proper interest in selecting and
electing their representatives
there are many men here who
united for the work that have
neither the disposition nor the
capacity for it. Idont know what
the people will say about our ex-
travagance, it seems to be the
order of the day every where
from the smallest municipality
to the largest city states and
nation seems on a wild run in that
direction. We are increasing in,
population, in values ofreal estate
in manufacturing, in commerce,
in railroads and in fact in every
thing it cannot be expected other
wise tho our taxes would increase
But our trouble is lwhen we get
out of proportion if our disburse-
ment outrun our receipts and we
have to sell bonds from year to
year it shows something wrong.
Any man knows that if he man
ages his farm that way, he will
certainly lose it. We ought to
call halt take a reckoning and
coo uh hnrn un GRO at hofnrn dic.