The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-09-15
Lou sana-The Levees and rho Pubic Lands

and has zone of among the unfinished business, 10
be taken up at the next session. This bill Is one OF
great importance to the people OF this State and
will we hope receive the early and favorable at
ten:ion of Congress- The first section grants to the
State of Louisiana all the swamp or overfioWed
lands which may be are found unfit tor cnltlva'
,ion, to aid the State in making the necessary
Ievees and drains to reclaim the swamp and over
flowed lands therein: the second section provides
that 50 soon As the State shall have made the ne
c4saary PREPARATIONS for undertaking the work, the
s;uryeyor General shall examine and repor; VIVA!
lands b.lonrnp TO the United States, are in the con
diti.n described in the first section, and report he
same TO The Secretary of the Treasury for his ap-
n,oyal-and on his approval of the report, the title
to the lands shall vest in the State OF louisiana sub
ec, 10 IN. disposal Of the Legslaure-and that tbe
nroceeds of their sale shall be applied exclusively,
SO far as necessary, to making of levees and drains
the third section prescribes the manner III which
the Surveyor General shall proceed in making his
selection, excludes from the operation OF the aci the
lands surveyed under the acts of March 8, 1911
and May u, 1924, and texempts The United States
from any expense for selecting. surveying, etc.
We look upon this bill as one of the most i'm
portant for our state of any that has been brough,
before Congress for many years. II 1t should he
come a law it will viii out any loss to the United
Saes-for the lands ceded cannot in their present
condition be soId-afford til. means Of redeemlng
from waste and wilderness The most fertile tracts OF
the soil of Louisiana.
The grant contemplated in the BILL even if it in
cIuled lands which had a present market value,
would be no more than act of justice 10 the
Stale 1t is well known that millions of
have been reclaimed on the Mississippi Red River,
and the bayous running from or into these streams.
by artificial levees that these, with exceptions
very rare indeed have been built at the expense OF
the different parishes generally by the front
propretors The cost of these evees has been i'm
nense; the committee made calculation by
which they arrived al about $500, 0CO as the prox-
innate amount. But the construction of such extern
sive works, although undertaken for the immediate
benefit of the parties interested, had the effect OF
bringing into condition TO he cultivated large
tracts of land belonging to the United States,
which have been disposed of for the benefit of the
Treasury when, had it not been for these works,
those lands would have continued to this day
worthless. Upon this point, the report before us
very properly remarks:
AS an evidence of the effect of this eyeeing system, it
will he by to the report OF leo. Graham.
Commssoaer the General Land olce. of the st OF Jan
uay 1929 that estina ted that there were ~
acres ~hch had then been eclned by lsvees eane
tina, time aggregate OF swamp lands OF Zoo aceS
April last, appears that at thu. time there are OF swamp
lands unfit for cultivation 4G02 acss sho" ng by ms
added the mount reclaimed reported by NJ & Graham
800 900 acres-nake total us reclaimed ri l63 80 acres
all which done at The expense OF the state aud her clt
ane, a. a., ,e and ands unfit or Cultivation
general Opoe raphy OF that country 1t evident mat large
the rain water and such as may pelcoae through the
soil flow through accidental cev asses I'll 1t Is eva GRATED
by the heat OF absorbed by the earth, discharged
By artificial means Estimating. then that hall
these and be reclaimed the amount OF the grant IN
voyed in the bill under consideration would only be
13S O31a acres which the price OF the public lands
would only amount to 81 il6 297 while the state and her
citizens have expended IN tese most useful and necessary
works, 81 $4,000
| We would add some remarks of our own to Sc
cure favorable consideration for this bill, but we
| deem it unnecessary al present TO do more than to
| quote the following extracts from letter addressed
| by Mr. Harmanson TO the Committee which had
| the bill under consideration, reserving more par
| ticuIar examination OF the subject TO another
| occasion:
ITO prevent the overflow of the waters of the Mississippi
the State OF Louisiana and her c,zens have constructed
line 10 near IT'S mouth the bank, from B,ron
Rouge 10 TIE cuff making together about se zen hun
lakes etc equal length wold make total OF liJu
miles The entertainments thirty iee at The base
aggregate OF "a $4,000 cubic yards and at the rate OF Ten
se G"SS eo. Or Of the "ea =
shalt he added the annually expended IN repairing
and ucng the eyees when deGtToysd the cung ol
through the evee viii make an aggregate OF labor per
her c,tlzes unequae the history 0; this country; The
levee aforesaid aready cou'trucei have materially pro
noted the heatlne the country and reclaimed
OF UUU,UU OF land claimed Tor
benefit OF the United States, his proved by the tact ro''
many where nothing but the front lands cohd b" sur
veyed ongInaIIy the lard have since been reclaimed
biough market and hundreds OF THOUSANDS
thus reclaimed b. the labor and al he expense o.
citizens Of Louisiana nave been sod and the Go'ernen
received the proceeds without making the slightest compen
| satOn for rcls mIng them
" Is not the General Government. then bonnd by
principle justice femunerate the citizens OF Lou
for these Ouay OF which 1t has thus received TIN
And would it be deemed unreasonable II the staie shou'
ask not only the lands which still remain unit Tor cui
were OF no value before they reclaimed they wen
worse they rendered The country unhealthy and lmPaa
which fir cultivation hese hindrances have beef
removed and the settlement OF the country to some exit Mt
encouraged by this reclamation Were the whoe work
u n bra i" which aS aIw Iara'enzed b.r wou
be stled thai the General Government should ENJOY ID
fruits OF the labor OF her citizens Much however, remain
that there still 2toJi5 OF these and over
flowed lands. eDgenderng disease and death. and marin
til. beautiful features OF m state TO reclaim such I,
yet be ald, enormous espenses must be incurred
other embank nentS tli more granite scale must
bay be cleared ont, canals dug. etc
To do all this the State only asks grant OF such OF tho
land, vauees to the Government and which VII
ever remain all future unless thus reclaimed.
liberal policy has heretofore been manifested by the Govern
nj, making donations OF land for Internal improve
mGnts eNempled the OF One TO winch t0to
acres granted. indiana has received l4b7 900 acre
Wisconsin SOC 600: Iowa, o25,UC acres; and II to b
hoped and expected that Ike liberal policy viii be extend
cd Louisiana 1t Will be recOleced the grants made
the above named States choice lands while these nov
asked tor by Louisiana are utterly wOnass their pre>en
state. Louisiana occupying, for all the purposes OF com
merce OF the most favorable OF The e1rt-has
soil OF unbOu nded teI'v and enteISIng and
dustuus population. climate suited TO the OF all TIL
products OF the temperate and torrd needs but th
donation place her the front rank OF the States of TN
Union. il will enable her to her bayOuS and esat
Ish the finest cham of canal and steam boat navigation
the world and TO drain and reclaim her marshes and thu
add to her territory thousands of OF rich and iert
Lands, the products OF when would support thousands,
relieve her OF those fruitful OF midsTa disease
death that too frequently tran form this beautiful com
Try charnel house. We confidently hope and eNpet
this donation will be freely II costs nolng
will be power, wealth, and. above health and life to N
Especially when is considered She asks donation III;
| wh' h. under the decision the Supreme Couri of t,
Pollard lessee rs. Hagan and Others 81 Howard she wou
| appear to be entitled 10 right"
HENRY CLAY--The Boston papers state that