New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-09-22
Section eighteen, to be- section twenty

/ WAS cAoA AOL COulucuCO uAAbA ouSA WOIA u
completed; and that said company shall b.
under no liability for damage. as stipulated
by the fifth and other sections of this act
on account OF injury from overflow, unit
one year shall have elapsed from the tim
this act shall go into effect, and that if sucl
work be not completed within one yea
from the time this act goes into operation
that this act and the contract resulting from
it shall he subject to be repealed, amended
or changed, at the discretion Of the Genera
Assembly. 4a''
Mr.. Ray: Mr.. President, I regard thi
prOvisO as of the greatest importance, and
offer it, not with any desire to embarras
the bill at all, but in order to place it in I
situation to do justice to all parties. Now
| according to this section, as it stands, ant
other sections, the moment the deposit Of {
million Of dollars is made and the act gOes
| into operation, the company is entitled Il
| collect this tax or toll, as they call it. Now
can not see the justice Of giving this com
pany the right to exact toll until they have
done the work contemplated. New levees
| have already been constructed by the State
| at a great expense, and the people are en-
| titled to the protection afforded by these
levees. ss, s---s-ls.s. d.
This proviso goes to this point. that this
company shall have one year from the time
| 1t goes into operation, which will be in Sep
| TENDER next, to construct their levees, and
no toll shall be collected until they have
completed the work. Otherwise, from the
moment they deposit this million, and the
act goes into operation lin September next,
they will have the right to demand this
toll
Now, say, that the people of the State
who went to the expense of constructing
levees, should not be required to pay any
thing for the protection afforded by these
levees. This prOviso gives them one year
from the time the act goes into operation to
perfect their system, and they are not en-
titled to collect any tax or toll until they
afford protection.
IA message was received from the House)
Mr.. Ray: Now, Mr.. President as l was
going on to observe, think this prOvisO
will do justice to all parties. As said be-
fore, the levees are in existence and will be
turned over to this company; they were
built at the expense of the State, and in so
far as they afford protection, the people are
entitled to this protection without paying
anything for it. Now, this provisO gives
their levee system, and hold that they
ought not to be entitled to charge any toll
until then, because the object Of the toll is
to pay for protection. and until we get that
protection there ought not to he any toll :;
but the moment they give us that prOtec-
ton, which, under the act they promise,
from that moment they may collect toll:
else they might go on and collect toll for
two years, without doing any work what
ever.
Mr.. Blackman: Let me understand this.
If the levees are turned over to them next
year, if they take possession in January
next can they collect toll on this years
crop!
Mr.. Ray: Well, the wording of the act is
positive in this case. l do not want this
toll to be paid without protection is
afforded. The moment protection is
afforded, perhaps no owner of property
company one year to perfect their system,
and as soon as it is perfected let them have
the right to collect their toll.
Mr.. Blackman: l think you are right.
Will the Secretary read the amendment
again. (The proposed amendment was
read.) Now. the question is this-as a
matter OF course it provides that unless the
work is completed. no toll shall be collected
but then you restrict them to one ycar-wi1
one year be sufficient! / think two years
would be better. 1t is TO the interest of the
company to finish their levees, but per
haps they may not be able to complete the
work in one year.
Mr.. Ray: That is a matter for the con-
sideration of the friends of the BILL The
great point is this. that there should be no
toll collected until protection is afforded;
and then the prOvisO states that if the levees
are not completed within the specified time.
then the Legislature shall have the right to
repeal or amend the act.
We. who live in the overflOwed districts
do not want to be too long without protec-
ton. Two years seems to be a long time to
live without protection against overflow:
but if the friends of the bill think that
little longer time than one year is necessary.
perhaps it might be granted. But the
great point is to require no toll to be paid
until protection is given. regard this as
by far the most important provision in the
bill. Remember, Mr.. President. that we are
We are making contract with a fictitious
company-who have almost
everything their own way, and it is for us to
guard the interests of the people interested.
am deeply interested as an individual in
the subject OF levees, perhaps more so than
any other Senator on this 1oor and do
not want to pay taxes to this or any other
or even to the State, without
being protected. l am not particular about
this deposit of a million of dollars, until the
time comes my object is not to injure the
bill but to stimulate the company TO hurry
up and give us the protection which they
guarantee.
Mr.. Campbell: Mr.. President, the remarks
Of the Senator from Ouachita are based on
the proposition that the point Of his proviso
is, that until the land is protected, no toll
shall be collected. But his proviso does
not say that
His provisO says that until all these levees
are completed, no toll shall be collected. If |
he will strike that out, and say until pro-
lection is afforded there could be no OBJ |
lection to it. But that is already provided |
for in another section of the bill, which con-
.ains all that the gentlemen says is the point |
IF his provisO. On the contrary, it stipu- |
ates that no toll shall be collected until |
these works are all completed that may |
AXE five years to accomplish We have
low been under the protection of the Board
If Levee Commissioners for seven years,
md they have not yet completed their
system.
The bill provides that only as fast as they
afford protection the company may collect |
oil; but the prOvisO OF the Senator saws
hat they shall only do that after the work
IN all the levees shall have been completed,
lot only in Louisiana, but also IN Arkansas
md other States.
Mr. Blackman: Mr. President do not
hink that the prOviso of the Senator from
)uachita goes that far. If it means any
hing at all, l think it very correct in prin-
Idle. Xuc ScAltlCdlcu Ncll AuOW, tndU al |
hough we have had a very Intellectual sys-
EN- under the last Board of Public Works,
hough they have not done what they ought
o have done with the public money, at least
he work has been commenced The State
las expended eleven millions since
1865, and understand the Senator to mean,
hat while these levees have been con-
tructed from Grand Levee down, it is true
revasses occur, but as these levees have been
INSTRUCTED at the expense of the State, it
, not right that these men should come in
nd charge toll upon these levees.