Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-09-07

Polk who wsnt far any public man sganst sppropra
tops for nlssnal improvements by the General Government
a. of the last acts Of his brilliant and successful admins
son, signed the of the I'd March, ls4s, "to aid the
STAB Of Louisiana in draining the swamp lands therein
which granted lands to the State for the purpose a il
NOV intended by the bill under consideration The power
then, cannot be doubted
As little the justice, equity, expediency, or wisdom Of
such relief here sought be drawn in question II just
and equitable, because the levees heretofore made entirely
expense Of individuals and the State have reclaimed the
ofcal documents show l79 1873 Of overlooked land
which has been sold the Government for dollars
Inc whole Of the receipts from sales in the State up to the
st Of January, ls4s, amounted 400 dollars
nan being thus received from reclaimed lands for the
Dsnens Of the United States They ought make
eIenon tor this The expenses Of making and keeping
eyees cannot be exactly estimated, but they doubt
amount 70 many millions
~. what Mr. Wilson says in his report on this subject:
b Inc refr ands that Of any value, have been
Oy the construction perpetuaton Of those leyees
ar a. ~. q those land. have been sold the
acres Of such lands have sold the has been
Lar eenehted at the expense Of The people Of
thus been reclaimed f = A~ NY NV
Anoner ground Of the claim Of the State on the United
ID that the increased overflow Of the last few wears
Oesn caused 10 great measure By the sales Of lands bor-
oenng on the MlsssissPp and Its tributaries ont Of he STATE
and the consequent extension Of the evees 10 the vs
the opening Of lands sold by the United States Il
PoIuons Of the great valley which Is drained by IL BIZ
II she has enriched herself by these means while Il h
on We lower part Of the valley, she ought indemnify her
or IT, 10 one Of the wises msxms Of the civil law which
= me basis Of our system Of equity "thst whatever act Of
man causes injury another he is bound 10 repain bs
same principle ought apply and is usually applied b CIV
enmen me only difference individuals and Gov
ments ~ that the latter be compelled like he former
% 90 what y just and equitable The act therefore, must DO
voluntary but Is not therefore the less binding morally Int
on the contrary Is more Here then is the prncipethe
aw--let US now apply the evidence to it, shall draw i
rom oca and authentic sources alone What them are the
o. ne increased overows for the last few years Mr.
wilson on TINS point says; sSte Ee{as 6fa3se a
reasonable to suppose that the whole country In
now more rapidly and thoroughly drained into the Mis-
sssppi than when in Of nature. Then no doubt
great quantity Of water collected pools and swamps
ana there remained until carried off by gradual
the lands opened up by cultivation this water i dschsed
at once into the river thus adding to its volurnen
ts believed is one Of the causes Of the great in
crease in the waters of the Mississippi few past
From another source the report but equally entitled
to consideration, have this statement on this point:
The improvements required preventing the overflow
OF the Mississippi river in the State Of Louisiana should
the accumulation water that produces that overflow !.
collected from great number of the other States If Louis
lana had nothing to contend with but the waters which l
within her limits she would have trouble expense in pro
vding for but it is there drained through that State
all the surplus waters Of the whole Of Iowa. Missouri, Arkan
nesota Wisconsin, Michigan Ohio, Indiana Illinois great
part Of Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi
Mr. Woodbridge, the State engineer Of Louisiana, in his
last annual report, states
experience Of the past together proper appre-
citation Of the which constantly work to increase
our danger should put forth all energy so
that may be prepared for the next great food which NAV
be memorable than all the pas have been The reuar
and constant extension evees above the clearing the
lands aordng easy and rapid discharge Of the rains
and aordng more ready action to the melting
ana snow the prevention OF evaporation by dminng the
exposed surface the making Of tending prec
plate more immediately the foods from above should admo-
nish US to be on the alert and teach that
be lost" s
When the Europeans first settled the delta of the Mis-
sspp they discovered that they subject
gerous annual inundations New Orleans dresduy
inundated the second after its foundation that Benve
and his followers had serious thoughts Of abandoning
site Of their great city of the delta Observation, however,
and reflection what many Of them had probably in
themselves BY leyees or dkes This plan vas immed
atey adopted and prosecuted with 80 much vgor not only
q the city but il the country ha. we find according No
extended large portion Of the coast His words are
L. izss only alter i. souna.son psn,a
city, and for much greater distance above In this distance
the whole coast was in high state Of cultivation and nearly
the whole securely against the foods Of the river BY
For nearly century after this period no inconvenience
seems to have resulted from the leyeeing system and all SEEM
oca laws made for the protection Of
the levee and it became the firmly protective po
Icy OF the country So fully this policy established, and
completely relied on, that several Of the natural outlets
the river were closed up increasing still than by the
mere lcvees the volume of water in its channel"
"In 1928 the overwhelming inundaon known to the
present inhabitants occurred sweeping its angry floods not
only the whole country above Red river but airge
number Of the plaRtaons below Their crops having been
destroyed and their force left leisure and their fears
cited the whole region above Red river turned their indus
trious efforts to securing themselves against similar mor
tunes for the future BY constructing high strong levees
1898 is the second grand epoch in the history of the lcveeng
system From that time the system has been vigorously pro-
secuted, till foundations becoming almost annual
renee Reectng beginning to that what will
DO well when only partially adopted will not answer for
universal and that though single planter erect his
ccunyallaon and bid defiance the mighty Mississippi,
yet when all those residing its banks attempt the
thing ne hreas asur their bands and spreads wholesale
destruction. One may him with mpunity but he will
overwhem concerted eort with general ruin The levee-
ing system system OF partial individual protection but
seems dangerous as universal reliance"
Until few years since, from mouth Of Red to The
mouth Of the Ohio on the west ba and oil on the east ex
cept at a few pacessuch hatcher, yicksburg Memphis
c-where the highlands approach thu river on that side
there were no settlements the Mississippi the small
patches and cabins of few wood choppers, none Of the
public lands situated on had been sold But kw how DIFF
ereHt the scene An the land in Louisiana ohe river
has been sold and most Of mississippi Ara,s and
Missouri Hundreds Of miles Of it are covered byulap
ta,ions on land thus sod and in few years. if these nus
lions can be prevented the whole Of both shores Of that ma
ncent river to which the world has nothing equal and COM
pared with which the Rhine the Danube the Ne the In
dus even the Mediterranean Of the old world are of
small importance, will be continued succession of
plantations lawns Valleys and gardens such exist
without interruption from Baton Rouge down, which
can be forgotten by sny citizen who has Them and which
combines much that is beautiful and grand with much
Of utility and value that it Is equally the admiration Of the
lover Of nature and Of TASTE and Of the philosopher and
political economist There is doubt, presume-though