Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1916-02-18
JACKSON LETTER.
ny STATE SENATOR c. W. VALLEY.

,
gain offer feeble report of the Leg
islative proceedings.
The reader perhaps does not I'M
derstand why the making bodies
are grinding away so slowly, but if
he could know the financial condi-
tons of the commonwealth, as do
those who are here called to provide
ways and means for it's current ex-
penses, at the same time to meet
$500, 900 bonds about matured and
pay fully $500, 200 overdrafts of the
past two years while providing for
permanent Improvement for state
institutions already established and
devise means for others that are be-
ing clamored for Greatly much need
ed he could then appreciate our po-
sition here trying to do the best
thing possible under surrounding
circums tances.
The writer does not belong to any
Low pressure order" nor any other
combine in this body or bodies. MY
views expressed are my own honest
convictions Of the Sta ties best inter
terests. not what is dictated by any
organization of men, whether high
pressure, low or medium.
Some of our low pressure friends
here are attempting to eliminate GER
tain appropriations which are pro-
vided to be made by the written law
Of the state. May be their inten-
tions are good and think they are,
but it occurs to me, the 1st thing
necessary, is to repeal the law and
then make such appropriations as in
the wisdom of the Legislature the
particular department is IN need of
| think also there should be some
effort to raise revenue instead of
giving so much time trying to re
duce appropriation land / want il
understood favor economy in the
strlctest sense) Every one knows
that If there we're no colleges, no ex-
pertinent stations, no EleemosynarV
institutions, no public schools, we
could reduce the state tax, but who
thinks it economy to be without
these and other necessities? When
money is wisely expended it becomes
an Investment and not a donation
and will increase revenue rather
than burden theN tax payers. My
opinion is if several million dollars
had been expended in developing
Mississippi ten years ago and been
properly used that today we would
be paying lower rate of tax than
we are and our state would be bios
soming as the rose. We have one
of the greatest states IN the union
BY actual test we can raise anything
in way of agricultural products that
can be grown anywhere else on this
continent and vet but little is gener-
ally known OF the great worth of
Mississippi soil.
The thing most needed in Missis-
suppl is the proper equalization of
our assessments throughout the
State and when this is done the peo-
pie who are now properly assessed
will pay no more taxes than they
are paying and we will pay the enor-
nous State debt in two years and be
able to support all our institutions
literally at the same time. A few
days ago when con tentions were be-
ing made before the committee on
local and private Legislation of the
Senate ION which committee | am
serving it was argued that the part
proposed to be taken from Holmes
county to form Humphrey county
had a selling value OF at least So, 000,-
600 and there was no one of either
side of the proposition that made the
estimate lower than this W this
same property is assessed at a little
above $500, 600 or 10 per cent of the
selling value. Another tract in an
other section last year about this
time 1000 acres was sold for 1925, 900 |
or Slz5 per acre, is assessed at $12 80 |
per acre or l2s per cent of selling
value. The assessment of Sunhower
county averages $40 assessed on I'M
proved lands and s. for unimproved |
and yet thus county would sell for
800 per acre all taken together. Nv