The Forrest City times., 1912-10-18
Concluded from preceding page.


 MT. killough's remarks during which the meeting listened to speeches by Col. F.. Bonner and Corporal $. F.. Sweet. The former said that if the district kept piling debt upon the farmers of the St. Francis basin through bond issues, taxation, etc. that their lands would soon be con tiscated and the lands not protected from overaows either.
 Killough answered Bonner to the effect that there was no danger of the lands being contiscated and that so far as the bonds were concerned. they would never be paid of anyway. Nobody ever paid off bonds and that he, killough, didn't want and didn't propose to try to pay off any bonds. So long as he could get money at , per cent, 1t was cheaper to pay the interest than to pay taxes and all he wanted to do was just keep the in- terest paid and let the bonds go. "1 don't want to pay off any bonds.n said President killough, "and l don't think anybody else does"
 Corporal Sweet appeared in light comedy role. The Corporal declared that he was opposed to levees. He recited poetry and intimated that God Almighty had made everything subject to the control of mans will and ingenuity except the Mississippi river He said that levees mile high and forty miles wide and that so long as the surface of the earth at Madison was on level with the surface of the earth at Hopetield, the back-waters would come in around the ends of the leyees and cover the lands in the St. Francis basin up to the Iron Noun tain railroad, whenever the river got high enough to put the water over it. Sweet contended that Crowley Ridge was natures leyee for the Mississippi river and that it had been built by 1 God Almighty just the proper dis tance from the stream it was intended to control Sweet said he had lived in the basin seventy years and had never run from a high water. He kept his stock and his "niggerso in the overflow and camped with them and always raised better and larger crops by reason of the floods. Sweet said he was in favor of abandoning the levees altogether and building mounds on every half section of land, with concrete base where the peo- pie and stock might find refuge, and let the floods come and go just as they had done when he was boy.
 killough said that the only trouble, with Sweets plan was, that nobody else wanted it. It could not be ac- cepted because nobody could be in tereSted sufficiently to make an effort in carrying it out, and that under it, the lands in the valley would soon depreciate in value. Ne don't want to go back twenty years when much of our bottom land was not worth dollar an acre
 Senator DeRoSsitt said, 'HI came to this meeting booted and spurred 10 fight bond issue but since Kiilough has told me that he will not ask for any bonds unless he absolutely las 10 have the money, l am ready to climb down off my high horse. belonged to the St Francis Leyee Board when it was about the best cusSed body of men in the state of Arkansas. was member of the board when many of the men who are here today fighting for bonds, were cusSing the board and doing everything in their power to circumscrbe it's usefulness and hamper and hinder it in every man. ner possible, but l bear no malice and am ready to lay down my arms. ;
 In reply to what MT. DeRos>itt had to say. Mr. killough declared. II have known Frank DeR0ssitt q long time. and it has always been d source of wonder to me how the body of such a little fellow could contain such big heart
 The proceedings teemed with tense situations, sharp tilts and dramatic incidents in which the speakers vied with one another in handing out the bouquets and dispensing the tabasco.
 At the conclusion of his talk Presi- dent kilough introduced the follow ing resolution: Be it resolved by the taxpayers of the St. Francis Leyee District of St. Francis county, Ark ansas, that the legislature of this state to be convened in the year 1913 is hereby requested to pass an act authorizing the Board of Directors of the St. Francis Levee District to make bond issue for as large sum as can be carried without increasing the present rate of taxation in said dict ri