The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-09-04

been the cause OF great injury louisiana and other
States on the lower part OF The valley she ought TO IN
denniiy her Tor IT, II one of the wses maxms Of The
civil law, when Is the basis OF our system OF equity
hat whatever act OF man injury TO another he rs
bound 10 repair The principle ought 10 apply,
and is usually applied 10 governments The only differ
ence between individuals and governments is hat he
latter cannot be compelled like the former do what is
Just and equitable The act therefore, must be volun-
tary but s not therefore the less binding morally but,
on the contrary, is more Hereihen, the principle,
the law LEI us now apply the evidence to !, & shall
draw II from ocal and authentic sources alone what
then, the causes OF the increased oveows or The
last few years Mr. Wilson on this point says;
reasonable suppose the whole country
than when IN of nature. Them doubt great
quantity OF collected pools and swanps aud
Tss Of eeurs 50 far relieve, relieved III he bed The but
A. the lands = are opened up 6y n sng mus " water ~
increase in the Mississippi for the few past
years.
From another source, not the report, but equally
titled to consideration. have this statement on tins
polnt.
The npIoyeusn.s required Tor preventing the overflow
Of the Mississippi river the Sats OF Louisiana, should,
G Of was, se shn tha. over
flow collected from great number OF the other States
which fall within limits she would have trouble
expense in providing for but it is there drained
Iowa. Missouri, Afhan,as and he tsrriiory ives,
States; Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan Ohio,
Mississippi
Mr. Woodbridge the State engineer OF Louisiana, in his
last annual report, staies
The experience of the past together with proper arpre-
danger, should put forth all our en-
ergy, that may be prepared for The next great hood,
which may be memorable than all the past have
been The regular and of tho Isvees
above, the clearing OF the iads afordns cay and
rapid discharge the rains ard aordng ready
ton 10 the 10 melting The ice and snow the prevention
OF evaporation by dun nshlng the exposed surface the
! m
diateiy the foods aboyeshoud admonioh 10 be
the alert and leach us that not a moment is be lost.
When the Europeans first setted the delta of the Mis-
ssspp they discovered that they subject to dan
fully inundated second year after It's foundation, that
Benve and his followers had serious thoughts Of aban-
donipg re site their city OF the delta Observa
ton however, and reflection on what many OF them
had probably in Europe. led them to the concu
sion they could themselves by levees dke-
THIS plan nedatelY adopted aud prosecuted with
much vgor only the city but in the country that we
hnd according Monet the historian o the valley OF the
MisssspP soon extended large portion OF the
Goa His words are I'm l75a oaIy 'hir,y.hye years
after us foundation plantations lined The banks OF the
river for twenty miles below the city, and for much
greater distance above, In this distance the whole coast
was in high state of cultivation, and nearly The
wnoe securely projected against tue hoods oil the river by
For nearly a century after this period inconvenience
have resulted from the cveeDg system, and all
and parochla laws were made Tor the CONSTRUCTION and
protection o the evses, and Il became the firmly esab
policy e,ablshed completely relied on that several
Of the natural ouets OF the river closed up, increasing
In is2s the mos, Overwhelming inundson known to the
only the whoe county above Red Iiver, but
large number oil the plantations below Their crops having
dssrroyed, and their force ie leisure, and their
fears excited the whole region above Red river turned
their industrious efforts 70 securing themselves agains,
similar misounes for the otuf- constructing high and
strong evees ISIS the second grand epoch the his
tory OF line leveeing From that time the sy
vigorously prosecuted ll foundations
ing almost annual occurrence hefecting persons are
beginning TO that what viii do very well when only
na though single planter may erect his ccunvalaion
those residing on his banks attempt thing he
breaks asunder their bands and spreads wbol. sale deuc
ton. One may hun with nponty tut he will over
wheln copcered effort with general ruin The lcyeen2
sysiem IS sysieta OF paual individual protection, but
seems dangerous as a universal reliance.
Until few years since from the mouth of Red river
TO the mouth OF the Obio the west bank and ali the
east except al few piaces-such as Nachez Vicksburg,
Memphis, &C., where the highlands approach the river
that sidethere seemens on the Mississippi,
except the small patches and cabins OF few wood chop
pers, and OF the public lands situated had been
sold. But how different is the scene! Al the land
in Louisiana on the river has been sod and most of that
in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri Hundreds oil
miles OF it covered by pl limitations land thus
sold and in few years. If these nundalions be pre-
vented the whole OF both shores OF that magnificent
river, which the world has nothing equal, and CON-
pared with which the Rhine the Danube, the Nile, the
Indus, the Mediterranean OF the old world, OF
small Importance will be continued succession OF
plantations, xns, villas and gardens such exist
without interruption from Baton Rouge down, which
be orgoon BY any citizen who has them,
and which combines much that Is beautiful and grand
with much of utility and value, that IL is equally the
admiration OF the lover OF Nature and of taste,
and OF the philosopher and political economist There
no doubt presume-lhough the report does not show
that fact to other States IN bouslana-tha,
average as much of this overnowed land has been sold
by the government in each OF The States OF Mississippi,
Arkansas and Missouri, IN the hrst- State and
if this be the case would show that than six mil
lions of dollars have been received by the government
from land thus reclaimed which otherwise would not
have been sold To this might be added large quantities
OF the same kind Of land sold in Illinois, and in In.
diana.
Surely the United States can afford, and is morally
bound, make indemnity for the vast thus
received from the inhabitants and the States occupying
these lands In the days Of their prosperity they did not
ask IT. they would not do it now If misfortune had not
come upon them, and in consequence Of their
tons, from which that great power from which they now
seek relief has derived so much advantage.
To show that these not the partial interested
views Of citizen OF the State to be benefited, recur
again the able report of Mr. Wilson, which has been
BY the Secretary OF the Interior in his late report
After discussing the improvements necessary TO prevent
these annual foundations, he proceeds;
IL Is that these improvements will be xpensvc The
OF the have attempted TO calculate
be done with degree OF accuracy I'LL the neces
say surveys have be- ,de II has been supposed that
may amount to SIX or ten millions oil dollars Admitting
that II viii cost the or even double that
the would be OF consideration In
4 to the benefits that would How from IT,
The Destruction Of property and crops this by the
overflow has been estimated amount TO hve seven
millions OF dollars Of which can hereafter be
prevented by these Improvements Moreover about three
four millions of land will be reclaimed, which
Otherwise would be valneless These lands
fruitful as any In the world, and by proper cultivation
would yield abundant OF and cotton the great