New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-06-18
|, THE WEEKLY REPUBLICAN

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- DssArss OF THE SENATE.
s- SATURDAY. March 70, 1870.
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A motion having been made to take th
Mississippi Aevee bill from the Financ
Comrnitfee-asasfs aaf lI-
Mr.. Packard said: Mr.. President, wha
] ask il the remarkable, pressing publ
necessity of bringing this bill before th
Senate. Ia it Of that very vital import
ance TO the State that the regularly con
stituted committee Of the Senate must b.
forced BY resolution of this character x
stop further investigation upon the bill
and thus, in this humiliatiDg manner, b
compelled to bring this bill into the Sen
-ate in all its Unconstitutional determines
and they not be allowed to report the ne
ceesary amendments to make the bill con
etitutional? Is this the very uncommon
and fnparliamentary course that certain
Senators propose to resort to to achieve
their desired objects? --s.Ct
What is this bill, and what does it pro-
pose to do? Here comes to this Legisla,
ture company of men incorporated under
the corporation laws of the State, and ask
for what? They ask, sir, for this Legisla'
ture TO turn over to their company all the
levees Of the State, to have and to hold
for the term Of twenty-one years. They
ask further, sir, !, that they shall
have the power to construct, man.
age and maintsin, and not only, that, but
to locate all the levees in the State for the
period of twenty-one years. In this great
grant of power what rights are vested in
this company? The right of locating
levees wherever IL may subserve best the
interest Of this company. And, sir, this
bill provides that the stipulations herein
contained can not be altered or amended
except by consent of this company. .
Now, sir, suppose this company deem it
for their interest to build levee the
shortest away across, instead of round a
curve or bend in the river, as the company
may have occasion to do very often within
the space Of twenty-ope years, what re-
dress has the owner of the land? None,
but to submit to it, according to the plain
terms Of this bill. This bill would un-
doubtedly have the effect in the course of
twenty.ons years to straighten the Missis-
Mppi, but what would become of the
valuable lands in the turns and bends of
the rivers in the State is another consider
alton. Can not Senators realize how un-
guarded this bill is? Would they attempt
TO- force the, people along the levees
into such vortex of ruin as this bill con-
templates! .-.
Another feature of this remarkable bill
is, that every acre of land which COM
mission of engineers, all paid by this COM
psny, and completely under their control,
shall be pleased to designate as alluvia],
and all the lands adjoining such which,
by dint Of locality may, by any "hocus-
pocus" reasoning, be deemed by this COM
pany as protested by any levee now in
existence, or which may be erected by
said company hereafter, is to be taxed the
sum Of ten cents per acre. Where will
be your redress, supposing this company
claims toll upon three-fourths of the land
Of the State? 1t is all to be left for twenty
one years to three fallible men, with no
sweeping provision will include all the
lands OF the State now subject to tidal
overflow, whose fixed value is twenty-five
cents per acre. Think of sweeping con-
tiscations OF lands in two years and half.
Hundreds of thousands of acres of
lands will be taken in the space
of two years and half for tolls. In
twenty-one years one-fourth of the lands
Of this State will belong to this company.
The same will have been taken tty virtue
of this law for tolls. You might as we'll
donate right out q fee-simple Of the entire
State of Louisiana to this company as to
pass this bill. It is emphatically diyest-
ing the rights of the people of the State.
and without remuneration. This uncon.
stitutional principle is in the very mecban-
ism of the bill and communicates its whole
provisions.
Another unconstitutional principle is
that it proposes to levy tax of ten cents
per acre wi hout regard TO the value of the
land; while the constitution of the State
says "all property shall be taxed in propor-
ton to its value, to be ascertained Is
directed by law" The Legislature, by
this bill, will authorizes the levying of this
tax for twenty-one years, aud the authori-
ties of this State will collect the
same, and pay it over to this
company. The bill makes the State
an instrument in the hands Of the COM
pany to Cypress the people Of the Missis-
sippi valley.
Did the bill provide that the State could
protect the rights of the people; that the
law could be amended in case theyfound
it oppressive; that the State should COM
pei the company to perform its duty; then
there would be some shadow Of reason
ableness ia the measure. But the State
has nothing to say except to obey the
company. The State proposes to have its
hands and feet tied, and lay supinely on
its back for twenty-one years and let this
company rob the people. The bill pro-
poses to give to this company the right to
compel the Tax Collectors, that are paid
by the State, to drop the State business at
any time and to collect the tolls for this
company. However important it may be
to the State to have the Tax Collectors to
work for the State, yet they must be taken
from their duties to the State and 90 to
work for this company. Or In other
words, this company proposes to
control the collections of taxes.
in the State, and to say when the revenue 8
of the State may be collected Admit, if
you please, that the State would have the