Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1869-10-02
THE SPIRIT MOVING.

E[f - rl
Below will be found q stirring articl
from the Civic Guard, an influential pa
per published in the parish Of Terrebonne
1t is pleasing to see that the rear parish
es are beginning to take an interest il
the ievee question. They ought to d.
so IS much as the river parishes, all be
ing protected by the same works. In tb'
absence Of any assistance from the State
through its cherished Board of Public
Works, but one remedy is left, and thai
is for the rear parishes to p%ecuniarily
assist those upon the river banks in pro
portion to the number of miles of levee
Make q fund for their own benefit
and not wait for assistance that may be
delayed for years. This proposition has
often been made, but as often rel ected,
because itIwas thought the duty of the
river parishes to keep up the evees, or
for the State to do so. The first object.
ion was wrong. and the second proved a
failure-at least it has been q failure
thus far. Being left to our own resources
the simple question is, what shall we do ?
In. our opinion this Let the police
%juries of the rear parishes assess an ad
valorers tax upon all property within
their respective Iimits-the river parishes
doing the same-and q sufficient sum
will be raised annually to protect ALL
The Legislature may change its com
plexion at the next election, and, if so, a
healthier order Of things will be estab.
but it must necessarily be some
before the credit of the State will
be in a condition to secure loans upon its
good faith. When that happy day shall
we will be relieved Of our burden,
and perhaps what we have expended for
purposes be refunded to u.s.
Meanwhile, we must take care Of our.
selves as best we can. But to the article /:
So far we have heard of DO action be.
ing taken to secure the Southwestern por.
ton of our State fro the waters of the
Mississippi. This does seem strange
with three or four years Of devastation
by the floods staring Us in the face. In
of an adequate force for building
Grand Levee being actively ard en-
ergetically at work. nothing, we are told.
is under operation and We are left at the
mercy of the waters and the Legislature.
God only knows which is the worse of
the evils, and when We contemplate the
We can only exclaim, The
Lord deliver us. for our suffering is great
er than we can bear. But what ia
everybody's business is nobody's bust
ness" and thus with a burthen Of taxa
ton unknown 10 the civilized world
with the prospect of a food of which the
Dutch bad no conception, with ruin aud
to thousands of our citizens,
all stand aloof and leave the matter in
the keeping of those who will never put
one shovel of dirt on another unless BY
the assurance that they are to be " hand.
remunerated." And so step by
step we approach the abyss, all being vi
tally interested aud yet none taking an
in saving our State from another
devastation. Those who are not
directly subject to the crevasses in Grand
Levee, ave that they areinot overlooked
and should not be taxed for it's establish
meut, but when the tax collector is at our |
ioors there is no time for argument.-I
And though be paddle up in his canoe,
each and every q of US, equally inter
'sted, must pay into bis hands bis pro rata,
be be- high add dry, or five feet
1nder water 1t believes us, then. in view
the approaching, it may be said i'm
danger, to be up aud doing :
All who have influence should at once
BRING it to bear on this great question,
or it involves our utter ruin or q pros
,erfty 6nexampled in the history Of our
State. If the proper steps are taken for
he security Of our lands from overflow,
year will show that the people of
4ouisiana are not asleep, but are deter
mined with energy, industry and econo
ny. to regain and maintain their former
tatus in the commercial world.
~ The editor Of the Iberville South
ouo ho ~.oe~.. <..H 60 a. n, II