Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1914-08-14
Meridlan go RrNan.

Meridian Gets Bryan.
Information received from Senator
John Sharp Williams and Congress-
man S. A. Witherspoon is to the eff
feet that Secretary of State William ].
Bryan will make one Of the three
speeches that he is to make in this
state during the month Of October in
Meridian. Hon. N. A. Mott of Yazoo
City, secretary of the Peoples Rule
league, also assisted in getting Mr..
Bryan to agree on Meridian as one Of
the places where he would speak. 1t
is understood that Mr.. Bryan will also
speak in Jackson, though no announce
ment to this effect has yet been made.
The third place has not yet been Sc
lected, but it will be left to Mr.. Mott
to make the selection. j.
The speeches that Secretary Bryan
will make will be in the interest Of
the proposed amendment to the state
constitution which will be voted on in
November in reference to the initia-
tive and referendum. Secretary Bryan
is quite anxious that the state adopt
this amendment.
of Mississippi in the national con-
gress:
1--WE view with alarm and distress
the possibility of this congress ad.
journing without acting upon the riv.
ers and harbors bill. The failure Of
this bill to pass at this session will be
fraught with most disastrous conse.
quences to the entire Mississippi val.
ley south Of Cairo.
"This country was devastated and
its levee treasures emptied by the
great floods of 1912 and 1913, in their
efforts to repair the damage wrought
upon the levees by these destructive
floods. The levee boards of Arkansas,
Mississippi and Louisiana have in
creased their bonded Indebtedness to
the limit. Further bonds could not be
sold nor their payment provided for
by taxation. Every dollar raised by
taxation and from sale of bonds has
been used to strengthen the levees,
with explicit reliance upon local ef-
forts being supplemented by federal
aid, realizing that without such federal
aid the great burdens imposed by the
people upon themselves would be In
vain.
"The entire levee work has been
mapped out upon the faith of this fed.
eral aid being extended. The with
drawal of this aid or its delay until
another high water seriously
jeopardizes levee lines. 1t requires
the appropriation carried by the pend.
ing bill to be expended in strengthen
Ing weak places, raising low stretches
Of levees and constructing revetments
and threatened points in order to put
the levees in position to go through
next winter and spring floods.
"Levee building along the Mississip.
river was never at a more critical
The taxpayers, through their
levee boards, have expended their all
In the determined effort to build the
levees up to safety standard, antici.
the cooperation of the federal
government. Without this cooperation
the sacrifices are ~unavailing and a
flood similar to that of 1912 or 1918
would find them powerless to make
a fight and would result in a tragedy
which would shock and appaH the ma.
lion.
I'VE therefore feel justified in urg.
ng upon our senators and representa-.
Ives in congress that they use every
influence possible to hold congress in
until action is had upon the
pending rivers and harbors bill"
President Walter Sillers, Attorney
Walton Shields, Commissioner ]. D.
Smythe, former Senator Leroy Percy
md State Senator w. H. Clements
named as a committee to go to
in the interest of the pass.
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