Letter from United States Senator J. L. Alcorn to Mississippi Lieutenant Governor A. K. Davis; December 17, 1874

Documents
Letter from United States Senator J. L. Alcorn to Mississippi Lieutenant Governor A. K. Davis; December 17, 1874

Document Network
Document Metadata

Each transcribed document contains links that connect it to other documents on the same topic in the collection.

People

Alcorn, J. L. (James Lusk), 1816-1894 Ames, Adelbert, 1835-1933 Davis, A. K. (Alexander Kelso), -1884

Events

Crime Crime--Theft Finances Finances--Bankruptcy Finances--Debt Legislation Legislation. Mississippi Taxation Taxation--Mississippi Weather and Natural Events Weather and Natural Events--Floods

Organizations

Mississippi--Commissioner of State Lands Mississippi--Legislature Mississippi--Legislature. Senate United States--Congress United States--Congress. Senate

Businesses

Boyle & Chapman Wholesale Stationers (Memphis, Tenn.)

Places

Bodies of Water--Interstate. Mississippi River Valley Mississippi--Coahoma County Mississippi--Hinds County. Jackson Washington (D.C.)

Page 1

[note] Ames [/note]

BOYLE & CHAPMAN,
Wholesale Stationers,
Memphis.

"U S Senate Chamber"
Washington Dec 17^th_" 74

My Dear Sir

As the Legislature convenes today under the Proclamation of the Governor I beg to call your attention to a subject of the most vital importance not only to the people of the immediate district but to the people of the whole state

Under the law of 1871 organizing the Board of Levee commissioners for District No 1—it is made the duty of the Board of ~~Levee~~ Commissioners to report a detailed account of their expenditures to each session of the Legislature. the Board has now been in existence three years and if any re-port has been made, I have not seen it. I think I hazard nothing ~~that~~in saying that no report has been made.—The Board of commissioners have gone forward to expend one million of Dollars now represented in the form of the Bonds of the District—and yet the Levee is unfinished—a large and valuable portion of the county of Coahoma is without even the pretence of a Levee—such work as has been done has been constructed in the most insufficient and unsatisfactory manner and at prices three or four times the value of the work To day the District groans under an un-supportable debt under a taxation in presence of the fact that the District is in constant

Page 2

peril at such returning flood which threatens each land holder with absolute Bankruptcy. At the last session of the Legislature two acts amendatory were passed most pernicious in their provisions.—one clearly violation of the vested right of the Bondholders & damaging to the Taxpayers in this that said amendments provided that ten per cent of the Tax due should be paid in Cash where by the terms of the original act the Bonds and Coupons already due were made receivable for all dues to the Board. This ten per cent goes into the hands of the Board. how it goes out they may be able to tell, I cannot. The other Act provided for the payment of all sums that might be found to have been expended by private persons in the effort to protect themselves anterior to the organization of the Levee Board under the Act of 1871 Such Land holders are to be reimbursed in all cases wheir their private levees are incorporated in the line of the public work.—As there is no way of ascertaining the Amount and value of this work—proof will be re~~quired~~ceived in the support of the application, and as affidavits are a cheap commodity, I suppose the District will be made liable for a large sum in payment of a debt that has no existence except by the grace of the Act of the Legislature

Page 3

Besides this the counties in the Levee districts No 1 & 2, as well as in the whole state are being ~~yearlyly~~yearly plundered of enormous sums by reason of the Complications of the levee lands of the river counties in a manner which I will not now attempt to explain, but which I will explain to you in a future letter, I beg that you will have the report of the Levee Board in District No. 1, Called for: that you will have that report printed— that I may be heard in review of that report. I will come before the Legislature at any appointed time after the report is made,—and until the report is made I beg ~~leave~~that no further Legislation looking to ~~any further~~the continuance of the Board or looking to any further taxation on the people of the District shall be permitted. I can show—and pledge myself to expose a system of outrage and plunder in the levee Districts whereby the people of the whole State are now being robbed of tens of thousands of dollars annually

Very Respectfully Yours &c

J. L. Alcorn

Hon A K Davis Lt Gov & President of Senate Jackson Miss

Page 4

J. L. Alcorn

Letter asking for an investigation of the Levee Board Dist No. 1

State Senate

Dated Dec. 17^th 1874