New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-09-22
SEPTEMBER %, 1870.

it is not right for you to collect tolls, be
cause the State has already built levees fGa
the protection Of tho people," l.s... i
Mr. Campbel: Mr.. President, will state
that have NO objection to the principle ad
vocated by the Senators, but whatever the
Senator from Ouachita may mean, his pro
viso does not say what he contends il
| means.
Mr.. Blackman: want proviso that en-
bodies what say.
Mr.. Campbell: That is perfectly right,
but the provisO of the Senator from Ouach-
ita does not mean what he says; it says, on
the contrary, that "until all the levees are
built" no toll shall be collected; whereas
the bill as it stands says, that until the Land
is protected no toll shall be collected.
Now, Mr.. President, there are four differ
ent propositions in this provise: First, it
says, that "until the entire work of prOtec-
ton required by the second section Of this
act is completed NO toll shall be collected.
This may be work of FIVE or ten years.
Secondly; until this work is done It re-
age Thirdly. it provides that unless the
work is completed within ono year from
the time the act goes into operation, the
act is void. Fourthly, it provides that a
subsequent Legislature may alter or amend
| this act.
The whole thing looks to the destruction
of the bill. If the Senator wishes merely
to provide that until protection is afforded
| no toll shall be collected, agree with him !:
but great deal more: it means that, but
his prOvisO does not mean, that this
whole work. work Of ten years perhaps,
shall be made in one year, or the act be-
comes null and void.
Mr.. Blackman: Suppose they get pos
session of the levees already constructed,
and never build any more
| Mr.. Campbell: They deposit one million
| Mr.. Blackman: For what! For dam
| ages!
Mr. Campbell: Yes; therefore move to
| lay the prOviso on the table.
Mr.. Lynch: Mr.. President, l merely
want to present one or two points. First,
we have no definite statement as to the cost
of protecting the alluvial lands. 1t has
been said that three millions was necessary
to protect Louisiana from OverflOw-that
amount is not necessary now. There is the
Ashton levee, which has been built; that
was in o horrible condition. have here
the official statement of the Board Of Public
WOrks-last year the leyees constructed
aggregate nearly two millions Of cubic
yards. Grand Levee stands as monument
of the perseverance and good work of the
board; it cost 1868, 900, and is well worth
100000. That is one which this com
pany gets now without any considera-
ton whatever to the State. During
the same time lcvees in other
portions Of the State. have been built,
amounting to near two millions Of cubic
yards, and this year two milliOnR five hun
bred thousand cubic yards, have to be put
in according to the contracts made. Now,
sir, there is nothing in the bill to compel
this company to close crevasses; and all the
ievees built last year and the year before
are turned over the company. All the COM
pany has to do is to deposit million of
dollars and take possession OF all these
levees.
Mr.. Bacon: The levees have stood seventy
or eighty years.
Mr.. Lynch: Yea. and they may stand sew
enty or eighty years more, and these levees
are to be turned over to the company. 1t
seems to me that some such amendment as
this is needed, unless the interests of the
people are to be ignored, and all the levees
turned over to this company without any
guarantee whatever. l hope the Senators
will look at this and see what effect it will
have.
Mr.. Campbell: Mr.. President, 1 have
heard nothing in the argument of the Sena-
tor to change my views.
Mr.. Ray: Mr.. President, have said all
the time that I did not insist on one year
being speeified-that l was not welded to
that particular time, although want some
specified time. We all know that we have
already made an appropriation sufficient to
put up all the levees. The Ashton, the
Grand leyee and others have been COM
pleted, and we have made the necessary
appropriation to finish all the levees. 1t is
a mere question of money, not Of time, to
finish the levees. With sufficient capital
you can build all the levees in Louisiana in
one year.
l regard, therefore, the proviso as of the
utmost Importance. My object is not to
embarrass the company unnecessarily, but
we do expect the company to spend some of
their own money. We are standing on one
side as a contracting party, and we create a
corporation with whom we make the con-
tract it is our business, therefore. to see
that the people are protected.
l say that, without this proviso, the mo-
ment the deposit Of a million of dollars is |
made, thelcompany, without striking one
lick Of work, can go forward and collect the |
toll. 1have examined the bill carefully. and |
l say that, without one lick OF work, they |
are entitled to collect toll. do not doubt |
their intentions for one moment, but say it |
is wrong that they should have the right to
collect toll without doing any work They |
contract to do certain thing-that is to |
build these levees-and we ought to demand |
that the levees should be built before we |
give them the right to collect toll.
From 1928 to 1865. there was no break in |
Grand Levee, q fact which shows that the
levees on the Mississippi river, except at |
certain points, may stand a very long time. |
We turn over to this company levees that |
cost twenty-five millions of dollars. speak
at random. do not know what they cost.
l say We turn over levees that cost the
State, at guess, twenty-five million dol
lars, and they, simply on depOsiting one
million, can go forth and collect toll of
from one to four millions; and that they may
do without doing one lick of work. All we
ask OF them is to carry out their promise
and build the levees, and from that mo-
ment they may collect their taxes; and if
they do not do that in one year, then the
matter Onght to be open to the Legislature
bill goes into operation in September next,
they are entitled, from that day, to collect
toll, even on the crop of this year, and that
might amount to more than the deposit
made by them. They might 90 on in this
way and collect toll for two or three years
without doing any work to speak of.
Let lis, Mr.. President, demand of them
to complete their system and give us pro-
lection, and when protection is afforded, let
10 this within one year, do not let us suffer
rom it, but let the State have the right to
make contract with another company
It seems to me that this proviso is every
way what it ought to be. We are standing
IN one side as one of the contracting
parties; this company has written their
,wn charter and their own terms; let us
'ay whether we will not demand other
tipulatiOns. 1t is for lis take the other
idle, and protect the citizens, and this pro-
riso will do it, and do it effectually; and
nope the Senators will not be recreant to |
heir constituents