The Little River news., 1922-03-25
HOWARD PR0PARTY OWN-
 FRS WILL SEEK RELIEF
Tax Confiscatory, 1t is Claimed, and People Must Have Relief or
 Lose Homes.

l the call of seventy-two citizens of the county a mass meeting of the citizens was held at the court house in this city for the purpose of devising some means whereby relief could be obtain- ed from the heavy taxation in the special road improvement districts of the county and considering other mat ters pertaining to the general welfare of the people of the county.
 The meeting was called to order by H. Bradford, and County Judge w. A. Tinsley was chosen as chair man of the meeting and County Superintendent Edd Compton was chosen as secretary.
 After the organization of the meet ing, H. Bradford stated the purpose of the meeting, saying that the tax which had been levied in the various road improvement districts of the county, especially District No. z and HowardSeyier District No. 1, was confiscatory, and that some action must be taken to prevent the taking of the homes of the people of the southern part of the county and the consequent depopulation of this sec- tion, which is one of the richest farm ing sections of the state, but which could not be made to produce suffi- cient to pay the enormous tax which people of the county to join in an or ganization for combating this tax as it would ruin the entire country should the tax burden remain on the sections now affected; the entire fabric of the county's affairs would be destroyed
 John J. DuLaney of Ashdown, can didate for state senator from this dis | trict, was next to speak. MT. DuLan- ey stated that he was present by in vitation and that he had been asked to express his views along the lines of the discussion. He stated that he did not favor the outright repudiation ,+of bonds which had been validly is- sued and have become binding con- tracts in the hands of bona fide pur- chasers and that such an act by the | legislature would be held invalid by the courts as being a violation of both the state and federal constitu- tions, which prohibit the passage of any law which impairs the obligations a contract He also stated that he did not favor the enactment of laws creating special Improvement dis tricts of any nature without the con- sent of the people effected. He is in favor of the ratification of the Hartje Amendment, which will permit the legislature to pass law levying tax on personal property i'll improvement districts. He said that he was study ing out a plan which, if he found could be legally done, would give re lief in the various distrcts from th' heavy taxation burden.
 H. Bradford then presented two pc ttions both of which were approved by the meeting and were signed by a large number of people in the district affected He also presented a list of recommendations, the most i'm portant of which was that commit tee be chosen to confer with attor- neys concerning repudiation of the bonds or other relic from the heavy taxation, and report to a meeting af Mineral Springs next Saturday. These recommendations were adopted, and a committee composed of Tom Webb, J. B. Bowling, J. w. Bradford, Rufus Bell and M. s. Jones was chosen to look into the matter and report at the next meeting.
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