New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-11
Me,t, 0rlfai1s 8epnhlieat..
PROC EDING S
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
EXTRA SESSION.


SENATE CHAMBER,
Thursday, March 10, 1870.
The Senate met pursuant to adjourn
ment.
Present: Hon. 0. J. Dunn, LieutenaI
Governor and President of the Senate; an
Messrs. Anderson, Antoine, Bacon, Beare
Blackman, Braughn, Campbell, Couplant
Darrall, Day. Egan, Foute, Futch. Jenk
Ogden, Packard, Pinchback, Poindexte
Ray, Smith. Todd, Whitney, wilcox, WI
iams, Wittgenstein 80.
Prayer by the Rev. Mr.. Lemaistre.
The reading of the minutes of the pre-
vious days session was dispensed with.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.
Mr.. Lynch, from the Committee On Raj
roads, reported favorably, with an amend
ment, on Senate bill No. 226, "Amendin
the eleventh and twelfth sections of an &C
entitled San act to incorporate the Nortl
Louisiana and Texas Railroad" etc.
Mr.. Lynch, from the Committee on Rail
roads. reported favorably on House bill
No. 2SS (fle of 1869, ITO incorporate.tht
Grand Bayou and Mansfield Railroad Com
pany."
Mr.. Ray, from the Committee on Inter.
nal Improvements, reported fayorably on
House bill No. 81, "To incorporate the
Louisiana Commercial, Agricultural and
Emigrant Association" etc.
And reported an original bill, to be en-
titled Gan act to improve the navigation
of the Ouachita river" etc.
Mr.. Ray, from the Judiciary Committee,
reported by an original joint resolution,
Authorizing the appointment Of Board
of Commissioners to examine the inven-
ton of the cotton worm destroyer
Mr.. Braughn, from the city delegation,
submitted the following minority report
A minority of the Senators from the par
ishes of Orleans and jefferson, to whom
were referred Senate bills Nos. SO and 24O,
and House bills Nos. l54 and 225, have the
honor to report that House bill No. 225 not
having passed the House. and not being in
possession OF the committee, could not be
considered.
The minority of the committee, after
mature consideration and due examination
of all the other bills, report favOrably on
Senate bill No. SO, which cOntemplates an
underground system of drainage, and
recommends its passage, with the following
amendment:
In place of the provision making two
members of the Senate and three members
of the House part of the commission, insert
the following at commencement of the
second section:
The Governor of the State shall appoint,
By and with the advice and consent of the
Senate, two persons, who shall be citizens
of Jefferson City, and three persons, who
shall be reaidents of the city of New Orleans.
and who shall hold their offices for the term
Of four years.
The language of the original section to be
changed SO as TO substitute these five per-
sons tor the committee from the General
Assembly, and to pay them the same salary,
and to give them the same powers as are
now given to the legislative committee.
Respectfully submitted,
G. H. BRAUGHN, Chairman,
r. N. OGDEN.
H. ]. CAMPBELL,
A. 3. BACON.
mittee, submitted the following majority |
report:
New ORLEANS, March 9, 1870.
To the Honorable President and Members of the
Senate:
GENTLENEN-The undersigned. members
of the committee appointed from the parishes
bill No. 154 was referred, have the honor to
report, that by virtue of an act, approved
March Is, 1858. three drainage districts were
established, including portions OF the par.
ishes of Jefferson and Orleans, and an as.
sessment was authorized to be made for the
purpose OF levying, draining and retaining
the swamp lands embraced IN those dis.
tricts. After a lapse OF eleven years, the
Legislature, having found the operations
under this law to be failure, passed the
act of March 2, 1869, consolidating those
districts and authorized the expenditure of
said assessment in the construction of
large canal that might be used for drain
age and commerce, also for building
a levee,, etc. This act provided that
to the Chef Menteur, the assessment
fund should be paid to the company. The
Canal Company proposed by this bill to
change the route in accordance with the
of the eleven QD civil |
engineers, who signed the protest against
the Governors approval of the. act of March
3, 1869, which will be found, by reference
% the Governors veto and accompanying
documents, wherein they say the present
New Canal and the Carondelet Canal, if
extended into the lake in con-
3ection with the deepening and protection
If channel through the lake middle
ground, west of the Rigolets pass, would
lfford better and far cheaper means of
the passage Of vessels of
greater draft of water than now from
he Gulf to the city, while the question
# excavating and navigating a channel
through the middle ground of Lake
'orgne. Thus the practicability of deep
ming q channel on the route named. for |
commerce, is admitted by the engineers re- |
erred to, and is asserted not only to be
sasible, but OF great public necessity by the
iXteen civil engineers who recommended
be approval of the act, which was also made
part of the documents accompanying the
eto. 1t will be thus seen that all OF tue
engineering talent of the country agree as
o the necessity and practicability of the {
proposed canal. Nature has thrown an arm |
f the sea, which borders on the rear of the
ity, with channel already cut by the force {
f tides nine-tenths of the distance to the '
ca, and on the completion of the balance {
he depth of water thus attained will be |
,reater than at the bar of the river. Within {
he last month, we see by the reports of the
chamber Of Commerce, thata large number
# vessels were detained at the mouth Of the
Mississippi river, with seventy thousand |
'ales OF cotton, wheat, tobacco, and other
-aluable merchandise outward bound, and
large number of vessels with valuable car
.oes of merchandise and emigrants, seeking
N entrance to this port, were likewise de-
aimed.
The loss to commerce by these detentions
would, in the course of one year, come to
efficient amount to pay for the deepening
f the lake route to the sea to depth Of at
east eighteen feet. II
In consideration of the amount of expend
ture saved by change of route, this bill I