Yazoo City herald. [volume] (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1878-1976, 1914-11-27
Mr. Browns Statement.

81 do not admit any of the charges
of the indictments, but it seems that
no matter how hard man tries to
serve the people and do his duty there
is always someone ready to stick the
harpoon into him. Politics take queer
turns. Those who are friends today
are enemies tomorrow. The land grab
bing corporations do not care to see
the home-owners title cleared up, they
would prefer to scare people into a
sale of their supposedly defective title.
No one knows the devious ways Of the
land shark better than do, and no
one is fought harder by him than am.
"The people are clamoring every
where for some method to be devised
for clearing up the title to lands sold
for taxes prior to the abatement act
of 1875.
II tried to get a law through the
last legislature providing a plan, and
the lawmakers agreed on the plan; the
bill passed the house and passed the
senate with minor amendment which
the house was ready to agree upon, but
adjournment came with the bill In
the hands of Representative Franklin,
who then had the floor.
after adjournment | worked up a
plan which met the approval Of Gov
ernor Brewer and several leading law
yers. My own personal attorney, v.
Otis Robertson, while feeling that the
plan would be legal, expressed him
self against it on the ground that
political enemies would try to twist
the plan so as to use it against me. l
did not believe his opinion was cor
rect. never dreamed that thoes at
SOSptee to serve would turn against
me.
Someone must straighten out the
defective title of home-owners. A plan
must be devised; / had hoped to be
that person. I wanted TO serve the
citizens of the state. I have never used
a dollar of the fund derived, which
has been very small, less than $3.50.
The Clarion-Ledger states the amount
secured from w. F. Gilbert was $500,
when the original Indictment shows
onlv 81. and the Clarion-Ledger says
that $500 was received from W. II.
Watkins, when the original indictment
charges only "a. ! have been poor all
nv life, and expect to be poor. MY
honorable record oil public service is
all I have as heritage for my chill
dren. Every dollar received was TO
be used in clearing up the records
There were no secrets; the plan was
omen and above board. first secured
the consent and approval of the gov
ernor and then went before the peo'
ple and addressed them on the plan
and in mass meetings the following
resolution was passed, urging me. tc
adopt the plan:
"sFirst: Whereas, it appears from
the records in the state land office that
from 1912 to the abatement act Of
1875, hundreds of thousands Of acres
of land was sold or forfeited to the
state for taxes; and,
"sSecond: Whereas, most Of those
claims yet rest in the state, thus max
ing a cloud hanging over the lane
titles of Mississippi, and causing rea
estate deals to be blocked and immi
grafton to the state almost stopped
and,
"'Third Whereas, the Legislature
at four different times passed act
relative to said lands to abate or clex
the records of all claims prior TO tn
abatement act of Nav 10. 1875, whicl
failed because Of illegality, ETC., and
"'Fourth: Whereas, the presen
land commissioner caused to be intro
duced in the legislature Of 1914, bil
providing for the patenting Of sue
lands to the rightful home-owner a
five cents per acre, and the bill faile
to pass; and,
Fifth: Whereas, the legislator
failed to pass any act to help brin
up the records or try to pay clerics
help to do the business of the offic
necessary to deal with this matter
and,
"'Sixth: Whereas, under sectio
2916, code of 1906, the land commits
sioner and the governor has the pow
er to fix the price at five or ten cent
per acre and both are willing to d
so; and,
Seventh: Whereas, the land con
missioner has no funds to bring up Il