Pointe Coupee Democrat. [volume] (False River [i.e. New Roads], Parish of Pointe Coupee [La.]) 1858-1862, 1858-12-04
EFor the Democrat.1
AyoYELLEs. La, Nov. 90, 1853.

SSsAS - - S0kO III
appeared in the Poiute Coupee Echo
signed Justice" which contains the
assertion !: That a large ad
was made to the contractor
through the hands Of B. B. SHINES fol
whom he was bondsman, and that he
failed to hand over the amount to the
said contractor, but kept it for his own
use; the work was consequently neg
!ected by the unfortunate contractor.
This statement is undoubtedly made
for political effect, and conveys the idea
that fraud has been practiced by n oc'
cupying a high position. l therefore
deem it my duty, as the unfortunate
contractor" to whom allusion is made, to
give a plain and concise statement OF
the transaction. In December, 1856, l
became the contractor for cutting a ca
nal and clearing away the timber on a
line extending from Bayou Moreau to
the Latenache, the whole contract
amounting to about $40, 900. Itook the
contract in good faith, believing, from
the statement of the Engineer Of the I'd
Swamp Land District, that the work
was practicable, and did obtain an adj
vance of $40, 900 on the said work. The
magnitude of the work did not justify
me in commencing it without some
guarantee that the money would be
forthcoming in proper time, and the
amount advanced was not disproportion.
ate as compared with the advances usu-
ally made by the Commissioner to other
contractors in the District. | may be
permitted to allude to the works on Cat
Island in the LIST District, undertaken and
completed in the belief that the Aoney
was ready on the completion ofthe work,
whereas it was not until after a. delay
of some twelve or eighteen months con-
sumed in application to the Legislature,
that the money was paid-before which
time some Of the poor contractors were
ruined.
Upon an examination of the line of the
work / found it wholly impracticable, as
the lower portion, where the work was
to be commenced at Bayou Latenache,
was covered with water. This will be
afterwards shown by the Commissioners
Report, made to the Legislature at its
last session, in which the opening OF
certain bayous is recommended next
fall, in order that the work may be done,
and III his report he attaches no blame
to the contractor for not having com
pleted the work. | did commence the
upper portion between Bayous Moreau
and Marine, but found it impossible to
complete this portion Of the canal, owing
to the fact that both of those bayous be-
ing full of water, it would rise in the canal
on a level with the water in the bayous.
/ was not prevented fora want of means
to carry on the Work-nor was nv fail.
ure owing to this fact. This assertion
is perfectly gratuitons on the part Of
" Justice" as he we'll knows for ten times
$4,000 the work could not have been
done. ! had twenty applications to re-
let the work, but after the parties ap.
plying had examined the route, they de-
clined taking it at any price, as it was
impossible to do it with the water stand
ing on it. Had the work been practi.
cable it would have been pushed forward
to completion and paid for, without ask
ing the Commissioner for any further
advance. / had every reason to believe,
from the Report of the Commissioner
and from private interviews with him,
that the contract would be continued
until by the cutting Of the bayous |
wouldsbe able to co the work; but, to
my establishment, in the month Of April
last / was told by the Commissioner
that my contract had not only been de-
clared forfeited, but that be had pritately
relet it; in violation Of the Act Of 1854,
section Is, which requires all work to
be advertised atthirty days notice in the
parish paper-Revised Statutes, ?. 427.i
In corroboration of the assertion that
Al