New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-02-23

three years. refer the Senator from Qua
chita to page 1874 of the Revised Statutes,
where it is provided that the State shall be
divided into thirteen judicial districts. 1t
: that law means anything ut ALL it means
the division of the State into judicial dis
tricts, and it is, therefore, bindin. upon US
as such. 1t matters not that the Legisla-
ture, at its last session, saw mt to adopt the
same law on this subject which had been
previously enforced. The constitution pro-
.vides that it cannot be changed for period
of four years.
Mr. OIIara rose to the point of order that
the Yeas and nays having been called Tor
on the adoption Of this motion to refer no
debate could he allowed, under rule twenty
seven.
The Chair decided the point well taken.
The motion of Mr.. O'Hara to refer the
bill to the Senators representing the inter-
ested district was then adopted.
IMPROVEMENT OF BAYOU COURTABLEAU.
The bill provi,lin, for the improvement
OF Bayou Courtableau. and making an APP
preparation therefor. being under consider
atom
Mr.. Anderson said will state for the
information of the Senate, that at the mouth
Of Bayou Courtabeau, which empties into
the Atchataaya river, i bar has been formed.
and the citizens OF that section OF the
State are put to great Inconvenience i'll con
sequence of having to employ an inside and
outside boat to carry their freghts. Three
years ago an appropriation was made by
the Legislature for this work, but it was
not sufficient to complete it, The amount
of that appropriation was fifteen thousand
dollars. The trade which comes through
this bayou is Il very important one to the
city of New Orleans. Tho parish of
st. Landry ships over twenty Thousand
bales of cotton and about ten thousand
hogsheads of sugar yearly by that route.
The parish of Ayoyeles ships nearly the
whole of her immense crop in the same way.
Ii this bar was removed. all the sugar and
cotton could get through this channel. For
the last six months. with the exception OF
the last four weeks, they have had to rcship
their freight at the mouth of Bayou Courta-
b!cau on account of this bar. 1t is neces-
sary to stop the outlets which permit the
water to go up into the swamps. The two
currents meeting there have formed this
large bar. which We now seek to have re-
moved. The work Is proposed to he done
under the superintendent of the State En-
gineer. Ii will be for the benefit OF a very
large ana very wealthy section OF country.
the people of which ship very large
amount of freight to this port. They also
pay ii large amount of taxes. We ask tor
nothing more than has been granted already
to other parishes of the State There is no
job in the measure, and hope there will
be no objection to it. 1t is simply il work
of great public Importance to the people
whom l represent on this floor. hope the
Senate will have libcralty enough to grant
us this small pittance which will be of such
immense benefit to the people of that sec
ton and to the city of New Orleans |
move that the bill be considered as en-
crossed for IA third reading.
Mr. Raglan: do not propose to make any
opposition to this bill tonight. because |
am not prepared to do so. | observe. how
ever that it calls for an appropriation of
sixty thousand dollars from the State treas
Irv. lnasmucl "a bills OF this character,
calling upon us 10 assist lii cleaning ont
bayous, buidin. railroads. and digging
canals throughout the State are constantly
before tho Senate. and inasinllcil as there
has recently been much talk here about
economy and retrenchment IN the manage
mcnt OF the finances of the State. | would
ike to examine into this matter before
am asked to vote upon il. | move. there
fore that it be made the special order OF
the dav for tomorrow. 10 come up i'll II, reg
ular order in the calendar and that the me
mortal on which the bill was based anu the
bill itself. be printed in the journal.
Mr. Lewis: | do not doubt the prop!ietv
of giving sixty thousand dollars of the
money OF the State for The Improvement OF
BAYOU Courtableau. but it We have the
memorial and bill printed. the cost will bc
that much more. Az ii matter of economy.
| oppose the motion of the Senator from
Baton Rouge [Slr. Ragan].
Mr.. Anderson: | think it Is unnecessary
to put the State to the expense of printing
this bill and memorial. The bill only asks
that the amount TO he appropriated shall
be expended only after the report OF the
State Engineer shall he made the warrants
to be approved. on the return of the en-
gIncer. by the Governor. IT also appoints
Il board to carry out this work. Ii | could
see any advantage to he derived from
having it printed: if l thought it would
give any more information 70 the Senate
than can he obtained at present. | would
certainly have no objection TO the motion ut
Senator Raglan: but | hope that gentleman
will withdraw his objection and allow the
bill to come up Immediately. If the Senate
will not pass the bill, of course | can not
help it. | shall have done my duty to my
constituents in presenting it and advocating
it, passage. The petition for this appro-
pration has been given to me by the Repre-
sentative from that parish, and has been
drawn up by the steamboat captains. and
signed by all the passengers. 1t is a matter
that has been talked about i'll the parish
for several years. The people thought it
very strange that the parish OF st. Mary
and the Bayou Teclle could yet all the State
aid they wanted for their Improvement.
when they could not get anything at all.
They concluded therefore. that their repre-
sentativcs in the General Assembly were
not doing their duty.
Mr.. Barber: am pretty familiar with that
section of the State III which the gentleman
proposes to make these improvements. l
was unfortunate at one time IA to he
compelled to lay for sixty hours on the oh
Struction which he desires to remove. 1t
is an obstruction which was placed there by
the confederate authorities during the war
in order to prevent the federal boats from
coming up into that section of the State.
Trees were cut down and rocks sunk there
i'll order to prevent the passage OF any YES
sells. | am of the opinion, from all that l
could observe during the time we were
laying at that place, that sixty thousand
dollars is more than is required for the re-
moval of that obstruction. | think the
proper expenditure of twenty thousand dol
lars would complete the job. In all proba-
bility sixty thousand dollars could he cx-
pended there, but l doubt very much
whether the people would be benefited any
more by the expenditure Of the whole
amount than they would be by the expendi-
turc of one third OF it. The last time was
there. which was not very long since. the
obstruction was not more than five hundred
yards long, and after it's removal the bal
;nce of the work can be done very easily
and at a very reasonable expense. l am
opposed to the appropriate of such a large
amount of money for this improvement.
and l. therefore, move that the bill be so
amended as to appropriate only twenty
Thousand dollars.