Thibodaux minerva., 1854-03-25
The Lafourche Bill.

| MEssRs. EDITORS 81 have been surprised tt
hear it bruited about that 1 opposed the Bill O.
Col. Williams for the improvement of Bayou
| Lafourche, and as you have asked in YOU
| worthy journal why moved to reconsider the
| Bill, hope you will do me the justice to per-
nit me to make response. ... A..
| The facts of the case were these: was moi
consulted until the last moment about the bill,
| nor did [ even have time to read it, when it
was referred and ordered to be printed. In
the meanwhile I came home, remaining several
days, and was taken by surprise my return
to the Capitol in hearing the bill called up. l
examined it as well as I possibly could do for
the moment, and apparently saw but one objec-
lands Of your parish and the parish of Terre-
bonne from sale for the space of two years, and
then they were to be put up at public aution
and sold at the highest bidder giving, as con-
ceived, all the chance for time to the speculator
moved to strike out the reservation from sale
for the space of two years, and gave my reasons
thus: that it was a glaring injustice to retain
from sale the swamp lands of two parishes OF
the state for the benefit of particular i'm
provement when all the other lands of the state
could be bought at the minimum price of 81 25
per acre; that at this very session an appro-
priation Of $4,000 had been made out Of the
swamp land fund to the parishes of Morehouse,
Catahoula, &C.; that the same amount had
been made to the Pointe Coupee levee and yet
no swamp lands were reserved from sale. l
further stated that it would prevent the develop
ment of the resources of Terrebonne, and mate
rally hinder emigration to our parish, that our
lands had not been surveyed and reported upon
by the commissioners, and that there were many
of our citizens who desired to enter these
lands . and that saw no reasons why they
should be cut off and not have the same chance
as people in any other part of the State. My
amendment was voted down and this was the
ground and the only ground upon which our
Hon. Governor aped Gen. jackson and pocketed
the bill. I would further remark that we
could have got the appropriation just as easily
without the reservation from sale of our swamp
lands.H .is ..atas=sga III IL 7assat tsfl ~
Secondly, this bill proposed that there should
be four commissioners-but not one of whom
was from our parish-who should have the
power to make an outlet on the East side of
the Bayou Lafourche. The Hon. Mr.. Bossier
put in an amendment &C that no outlet should
be made on the east side of the bayou, which
was carried, at the time understanding that
no outlets should be made at ALL But ON exa-
mination Of the bill next day after it passed. I
found these commissioners had power to make
the outlet on the west side of bayou Lafourche,
and an idea of one of these commissioners was
that it ought to be made at Lockport. They
had discretionary power to make it where they |
chose, even if it should be through the Terre-
bonnie and Lafourche Canal and behold,
Messrs. Editors, to put the best and dearest
interests Of ten thousand people in the hands of |
four commissioners, / thought was an idea /
strange, passing stranger" for you will per-
,eiye the outlet could be made no where but
through our parish. For this reason moved
! reconsideration, which was almost unani-
nously carried but on the sacred promise of
he commissioners that no outlet should be
made to the detriment of our parish and per-
hitting our parish to have commissioner in
B. G. Thibodaux, Esq. afterwards voted
through and through for the bill. @
Now, Messrs. Editors it is very easy to get
J large appropriation for our bayou in which
We are all deeply interested. Let us before the
lext session call a mass meeting of the people,
agree on bill, divest it of the objections that I
have mentioned, and assure you it will pass
almost unanimously.
b Respectfully, RICHARD D. JORDAN.
Terrebonne, March 23d, 1854 ..l a. a I
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