The Forrest City times., 1912-10-18
lEVEE MEETING MONDAY
 RESULTS IN D0GFAlI
Question oi Bond Issue still Open killongh Makes speech in Which He Proves Himself Great liar
 m0nizer-Resolutio

1t was the sense of the mdssmeet- ing held in Forrest City Monday for the purpose of discussing levee mat ters and flood prevention that if the government appropriated money for tbe completion of the leyees that no bonds be issued by the St. Francis Leyee Board, but that if the yoyern- ment failed to make such an sppro- priation that bond issue in sui hclent sum 10 carry on the work Of leVee construction and improvement be authorized by the Arkansas legis- lature, provided that such bond is- sue could be made without increasing the present tax rate of l6 cents per acre on lands lying within the boun- daries of the St. Francis Leyee Dis trict.
 In other words the levee meeting held here Monday was permeated by the big idea that if the general gov ernment would take the levees. it might have them, but if the govern. ment refused to take the levees that. so Tar as the St. Francis Leyee Dis trlct was concerned. it would keep the leyees it had already built. and continue, through the permission of the Arkansas legislature, to issue bonds and raise money to improve. strengthen and maintain them, just as it had always done heretofore
 If we were asked to give strict interpretation what the outcome of the meeting was, we would unhesita- tingly say, it was q dogfall. Both sides tthose who favor a bond issue and those who do not were left standing at Armegedon, as it were ready to renew the battle, pending the action of the Federal government. With reference to a bond issue. the taxpayers and iandholders are merely resting upon their oars.
 The massmeeting Monday being an adjourned session of the same meet ing held in Septem Der, it was called to order by the chairman elected at the former meeting, Mr Frank G Pettus, after which Charles R. IZard was chosen secretary.
 At the suggestion of President O. N. killough, MT B. G. Covington chief engineer of the St. Francis Levee Board from Memphis was first called upon 10 address the meeting and give an outline of what had been done and what still remained to be done in order to complete the St. Francis leyee. MT Coyington pre- faced his remarks by saying that this was his third visit to Forrest City and, that on each of his former visits the burden of his story had been more money, and those who tad heard ulm on his previous visit would nat 68d very mach 9f interest iu his talk this time. because it was still necessary t0 pat more money into the teEees He said that Ihe Ievees as l lHey ION stood lad he'd all the maxi aam igi aattr- between 1905 and
 "ltt only one or two minor uHea .- but that every year when tae Nimum high waters came. the lew oard had e make fight 10 ted food waters that always cost Il.n twenty-five Ia thirty thou. sand doildrs, while the fight against tue lal2 floods had cost the leyee board ill round numbers something like s>e,oee GaviBgton made the point that if the St Francis leyee could he brought up 10 the standard. that tne expense If these high water fights would be cut of He then told the meeting ~hat setee had To be to conform to the government stan dard. such ieyee lad 10 be built with 6 margin of thra feet Of earth above the highest high water mark. and be reinforced on either side by twenty-foot bankhead> He said that taking the l9l2 food as basis of cal culatioa, the St Francis levee was just about fifty per cent completed. because this year the flood waters went from two to three feet higher than the St. Francis levee at many points and that this levee was not reinforced by bankheads at all. Gov ington said that the St. Francis ieyee had been built to hold stage of forty-tHe feet of water at Memphis and that it lad held and would hold this stage again. Upon being asked the direct question by Judge Cowan. MT. CovingtOn said that the St Fran cis leyee would hold 1907 water without any trouble, He said that about s3,5oo,0o0 had been spent in building the St. Francis leyee since the board was organized in 1893. He also said that when the board was ,vg sl Il