Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1907-12-13
THE NEW COUNTY DISCUSSED.
A Strong and Logical Plea Versus
It's Creation.

NINE IS SelnSh motive. i admit
that am selfish in regard to this
thing, because | love Greene County.
We all love the State OF Mississippi
better than any other state in the
Union. Just so it is with the people
in each and every county in the
State. | love Greene County. | love
her interests, and | don't want to see
her interests torn asunder by policy
that will evidently breed discord and
create feuds among her citizens that
cannot be healed in years, if it is ever
done. That love of her citizens, one
TO another that existed before this
thing was first agitated, will be a
thing of the past. The experience
of Representatives OF the people all
over the state who have no self in
terest in the matter will toll you just
what am now telling you. 1t is
true that few Representatives adj
vOcate division but in nearly every
instance If the case is closely investi-
CATION you will find that their is some
selfish interests at the bottom Of the
matter regardless pf the Interests of
the masses. Every honest Repre-
sentative Of the state Wig. HIS exper-
ienee In county division, will tell yon
that it hurts more people than il
benefits, and nearly all advocates Of
county division arc men Of means and
advocate it simply for the purpose Of
adding more to the pile, and they are
always in the minority.
Democracy means the most good to
| the most people and every honest
| Christian gentleman ought to be or=
posed to any move that wouldi hurt
more people than it will benefit, and
county division does injure more
people than it benefits in nearly every
case.
In the case now in question: |
would ask IN all capdor, who were
the first people that originated this
question Was it the common people?
Was it? Think the matter over
carefully and impartially and answer
according TO the dictation of an hon
est conscience. When say common
; people, | don't refer to luw down
class; no, l mean high toned honor
able people who are not rich in this
worlds goods and would disdain to dc
anything that would hurt his fellow
man or his property if fully advised
Of its effect before he did it.
| am aware that there are { lot OF
] people who have already signed a
petition asking the Legislature to do
f this thing which if done, in 10 years
: will repent in sack cloth and ashes
q and could not be hired to do it over
? for love or money. This is the ex-
t pepieaee OF counties as give me by
/ their Representatives who have fell
+ and endured these experiences. One
j. old Legislator who baers the name o.
being high toned Christian gentle,
man, told me that fifteen years age
strip was taken from his county
) and strip from an adjoining county
and new county formed and the
effect had proven to be general dis
: ruption of the local interests of all
three of the counties; that the new
!. county had been taxed every year OF
all these fifteen years to the extent
of the law in order to meet the pay
: ments of Bonds issued then to build
court house and Jail and all the
: furnishings necessary, and for trans
d criblng the records from each of the
old counties and paying other Incl
dental expenses, and that at the time
that he was talking to me they were
still S15, 900. 90 in debt. That man
voted against every New County
5 movement that came up, although
the members from both the old coun-
ties might be in favor of it. For,
said he, Il know how badly the mass
es of the people have been imposed on
; in every case in my knowledge,
, beside said he, "the burden Of taxa
ton brought on by the creation OF
this new county, had bred disatisfac
| ton among the people thereof, and
in consequence it had gotten in the
churches and in the schools, and
some of the churches had gone down
on account of the cross pull among
the members, between those that
were for and against the new county
movement, and although it is 10
years ago in some parts brother is
against brother, and neighbor again
st neighbor and sometimes this feel
ing runs SO high that it winds up in
|, an old fashioned corn juice fisticuff. !
Now is there man in Greene or
Jackson that wants a thing like this?
don't think there is. | can t
believe there is good man in Greene
or Jackson Counties that wants to
see such mess as this anywhere. /
want to say that we may experience
such condition if we persist in this
New County movement and wont it
tickle those who first got it up, to
| sit back in their cushioned seat and
rattle the money they have made out
of the people they nave fooled into
this hobby. OF course these people
will feather their nests if they sue