The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1871-03-11

run between that bayou and this CITY tWIc
= week. They 60 down the Bayou Court,
hlean to its mouth, then up the Atchafalay
river. out into the Mississippi and down t
this city. They bring freight from the pa,
ishes Of St Landry, Avoyelles. Lafayett
and CaIcasiru, and from portions of tn
parishes of St. Martin and Pointe Coupee
There are many large plantations there
and the country is we'll known to be ricl
and productive hope the motion to pos,
pone will not prevail
Mr.. Pinchback: After listening to tn
from St. La'sry [Mr. Anderson, and th
eloquent renia, ks of my friend from Con
cordia [Mr. Harrisl, | feel that l canno
better express my sentiments on this bill
than by quoting fgom speech which wa:
delivered by the Hon. Mr.. Knott, of Ken
lucky, in the House of Representatives o
the United States, on the St. Croix anc
Superior Land Grant. IL his opening re
marks, he says:
IF could be actuated by any conceiv
able inducement to bctray the sacred trust
reposed in me by those to whose generous
confidence am indebted for the honor of O
seat on this floor; if could be Influenced
by any possible consideration to become in.
strumental in giving away, in violation OF
their known wishes, any portion of their
interest in the public domain for the mere
promotion of any railroad enterprise what.
ever, should certainly feel strong incli.
nation to give this measure my most ear.
nest and hearty support for | am assured
that its success would materially enhance
the pecuniary prosperity of some Of the
most valued friends have on earth, friends
for whose accommodation would be will
ling to make almost any sacrifice not in
volviig my personal honor or my fidelity
as the trustee of an express trust: And
that fact, Of itself, would be sufficient to
countervail almost any objection I might
entertain to the passage Of this bill not in
spired by an imperative and inexorable
sense of public duty"
That is just the position | take on this
hill Iqnote further:
"But, independent of the seductive iufu-
ences of private friendship, to which | ad-
nit that | am, perhaps. as susceptible as
any of the gentleman see around me- the
intrinsic merits of the measure itself are
of such an extraordinary character as to
commend it most strongly to the favorable
consideration of every member of this
house, myself not accepted, no,wthstand-
ing mv-conStituents, in whose behalf alone
| am acting here, would not be benefited
by its passage one particle more than they
would be by project to cultivate an orange
grove on the bleakestsummit of GIeenland's
icy mountains
Mr.. Anderson desire to know wheth-
the gentleman is personal in his remarks
| wish to state that this is no lob" I
do not wish to be insnlted on this floor.
7 ask for this appropriation honestly, and
| want that distinctly understood.
Mr. Pnchback: IF the gentleman con-
strued the language that have quoted as
a reflection upon his intentions in the
introduction of this measure, he has made
a great error. dsclaim any such inten-
ton. I am discussing this subject as l
think it my duty to do, as a Senator on
this floor, and have the right 10 make
any quotations desire As the language
of this speaker iMr. Knott expires es
my sentiments exactly, on this measure, I
saw fit to quote from him IN preference to
explaining my position in my own words.
do not intend 10 occupy the time of the
Senate in reading the whole speech. /
shall read only those portions of it which
will apply to the subject matter now before
the Senate. have not yet made mp my
mind as to the amount of benefit to be de-
rived by the people from this enterprise.
1t may be all the gentleman says it is, but
am not syet satisfied that it is so not
his assertions. In connection
with my friend on my right [Mr. Harrisl
ask for time to consider IBIS matter. I de-
sire that it should. be postponed until to-
If that time is granted me I
shall not insist, in connection with my friend,
rom Baton Rouge Mr.: Raganl upon the
printing of the memorial and bill in the
ournal. do not care so far as ! am per
sonally concerned, whether they are
printed or not, although it has been Gus
ofaary lately for bills of the most trivial
character to be ordered printed and made
he special order Of the dav for sotne future
lime, in order that the Senate might have an
to examine them: I could call
he attention of the Senate to several in
stances where measures Of less magnitude
md Importance than this have beer, post
,oned day after day, in order that the SEN
tie might have tim. 10 consider their pro-
,isions. Many bills that did not ask for
iollar from the State have been treated in
hat manner. This measure proposes to
ak MY property, as we'll as the property
# every other man in the State, and yet |
he gentleman Mr. Anderson1, wants to
nsh it through in nights session. beg
cave Of the Senate to read one other ex-
ract from the sreech that I have already |
uoted
"Now, sir; who after listening to this
niphatic and uneqnivocal testimony of these
intelligent, competent and able-bodied wit
esses who tat is not incrednlous as St.
'homas himself will doubt for a ftioment
hat the Goshen Of Louisiana $ is to be
,nnd i'm this Bayou Courtableau, so,ne-
There in the Parish Of St. Landry. Who
Fill have the hardihood to rise in his seat
n this floor and assert that, excepting the
inc bushes, the entire region would not
roduce vegetation enough in ten years to
.tten grasshopper"
Now, | am told by the honorable Sena-
'r on my right Mr.. Harris that this bay
u has only three feet Of water in it in high
'ater, and foot and half in low water.
IN the other hand. / am informed by the
entleman on my left [Mr. Anderson that
is q very important stream, and that
lrge quantities Of cotton and sugar are
rougbt through it to the city. It becomes,
ierefcre, question of veracity between
ne two gentlemen. have as much right
, be guided by the statement of the Sena-
,r from Concordia [Mr. Harris] as 1 have
, be guided by that of the Senator from St.
t. Landry [Mr. Anderson1. If this bayou
ms through the district represented bv
enatnr Harris. il is reasn nahIe To nres,,rne