Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1858-10-02
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LeVees.

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The projectof taxing %alluvlal land proprl-
etors for the purpose Of keeping up saIeSard
efficient levees N the State, seems to be
spreading with a feryor promising some rem
edy at least Of relieving riparian proprietors
Of che obligation Of keeping up Ievees for the
benefit OF the greater portion of the State.
n the last number Of the Lake Providence
| Herald, we find a circular from the hon. HUGH
sHoEr, strongly advocating the system, which
he=sets forth at TOO great a length to permit
us to t~ralsfer it entire to our columns. In
reference to the obligations Of from. proprie-
tors, he says
Upon what principle of Justice can it be
maintained, that there san obligation rest
ing on the front proprietors# 10 build an eus-
balikmens for the eosfuio protection Of a
whole district Of country as much nay more,
| interested In its erection than hlmselE-when
| at the sane time in many iasta noes the en-
tire front tract wall not self for Il sufficient
| amount TO pay for the building of the ievee 7
In the early settlement Of this State the land
was held by the front proprietor by Spanish
and grants, and he held it upon the cordit-
ions OF The grant: Of Relying up q road and
{eues on Tic {rozt, and a COMPREHENSIVE these
conditions Was III fact tue main consideration
OF the grant. but at this time the settlements
were confined to the m~argfnaufthe river, and
the highest point being selected by the gram
tee where the river would be only d little
oversits=banks at the highest flood, the en-
bankment could be thrown up a little cost
In time, these conditions OF the grants ce-
came very %onerous. and no doubt Induced the
passage OF the various acts OF gongrt SIS by
which the riparian propiietors who he'll I'M
der Spanish ard French grants had the right
of concession given to them. When, them,
the Territorial Legislature first undertook to
regulate and enforre the building of lsvees
at the cost Of The front proprietor and tosub-
jerD the land to sale for that purpose, it was
onfy enforcing the performance of an exist
ing contract between the sovereign and sub
ieet. This was the starting point Of that
legislation which commenced, We believe, in
1907 and has continued directly, through the
agency Of the Police Juries to fore the fip-
ariatl proprietor to keeF' i'll repair a Ievee on
his front, and If he failed to do so. TO sell him
out for the benefit Of the pablo. This Iegis-
tat5on was based on the assumption that there
was an obligation resting On the riparian
proprietor to build and repair the @lsYees;
and when applied in those portions Of the
State where the lands were held under the
Spanish and French grants. there was some
show of justice In it. But, we know Of no
lands Oh the Mississippi, north Of Red River,
the same principle OF legislation has been
applied to enforce the construction Of the
lexees as If the obligation existed by e~ontract
when it is cnly imposed by State legislation
alone. and that assumption Of legislative
power which claims to sell out CHE man for
the purpose Of creating aa- enbanknlent
which is TO be q ommor protection for 4
hundred or a thousand of others without
making them contribute in proportion to the
amount OF capital protected BY 1t, SO far frnm
creating an obligation, Is an unWarran!aoIe
INVASION OF private property ior public use.
Such A power can only be assumed under the
plea of necessity, which knows 10 law, ana
is especially blind to justice. But, it is for
tanate for mankind, that 4 policy which vio-
lates common right and common Justice, |
though sanctioned by legislative and judicial
authority cannot be perpetual. 2
Whenfe form andEevo!utlon commend them
selves to The common sense Of the people, i
.tyraats and oppressive laws are bound to give
way.
He then shows the benefits OF this tax in |
h. parishes Of Concordia and Ie:sasin the
following words. And it is a fair deduction |
if the same principle were acted upon |
by all the parishes, the results would lie the
me |
Many years since, we commenced advo-
eating the p LEY Of erecting levees by an ad- !
tax, or d comtnou tax, upon The
principle that the erection Of an embankment
a common danger should be done by
an d-valorem tax OH all the capital protecteI
by it. The parishes Of Concordta and Ten- |
sas first acted on this p.incIrle, to a limited
When the interior lands q. those i
parishes We're settled up and we're found
fertile with the front lands, they |
recognized the principle Of contributing their
for the purpose Of setf-protection.-l
They have the most effective levse systeIa !
of any part of the State, and the have good
They notouly raised the funds, but
them applied by men of scientific attain
aided BY practical experience.
The New Bayou Sara PAcKHrss-7he Louis
vile Courier, OF the 18th, says:
Under the active supervision of Capt, S.A-l
the President Of the Bayou Sara Mail
Company, the two new boats fo1 the New
Orleans and coasttrade are progressing rapid
ly. The Crosse Ietes the freight boat. is
5srIr /