New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-07-13

4 work will be carried out with that same sin
gleness of purpose. If / find the company
are not sufficiently prompt; that they do
not put sufficient machinery and boats to
work; or, if this contract with them should
prevent our executing this great work with
equal advantage as itcould be done with
others, reserve to the city its rights
/ am obliged to say this because
4 there seems constant reiteration and
throwing back to me of my own expressed
opinions on this subject. l admit entered
on this with an insufficient knowledge OF
this subject. and that my knowledge even
now is not great, but our duties are great,
and if the Council does not do them it VIC
lates an express statute. The statute says,
do So We are not lawmakers here. We
are told to do thing, and it is that for us
to consider. We know that the majority of
the people want this thing done, and we
know that in comparison to the disadvan-
tages of entering into this thing at the
present time, the advantages are very great;
and think it is our duty, considering the
/
that can be said pro and con, to go straight
forward and perform this work. If we do
that, we certainly will be excused; if we do
not do it, we will be blamed. vote for the
minority report because it indicates to a
| certain extent the performance of the in
structions laid down by the law. vote
against the majority report because it indi-
Gates an unwillingness to carry out the pur-
| poses of the law.
Mr.. Bonzano: If ! understand the minor
ity report it provides tor protection levee
one foot in the water at low tide. That
implies levee which will require reyet-
ments either of iron OF of wood or of some
other solid substance which can resist the
action OF the waves. have never yet
been able to bring my mind to advocate
levee in the lake, with the exception of an
experiment of twenty-three hundred feet
from the upper line levee of the New canal,
which, in conference with members of the
Council, gave my consent to support. But
as for building the whole levee front one
foot out in the water at low tide, which
may involve five feet of water at high tide,
and constant knocking of the waves
against it, l am not prepared TO indorse
anything of the kind.
The Mayor: / ask the indulgence of the
Council and its pardon for taking the floor
to discuss this question, but / deem it
my duty to oppose the course recommended
by the Administrator of Public Accounts.
The gentlemen has said that if we do not
go on to do this work-or rather that the
attempt of the majority of the committee
to delay and retard this work, is an attempt
to violate an express legal enactment, and
an attemp5 to disobey the instructions of
the law. / do not like to come upon the
gentleman too frequently by quoting his
real opinions, though he certainly declared
this most outrageous work, one impossible
to perform-one which he declared the city
had no means to carry ont. He does not
like TO have these things alluded to, but
hope he will not object to my allusion to
his opinions on this very point of the
validity of the law, as expressed in an
ordinance which he himself wrote, which
he himself voted for and insisted on, and
which he carried through the Council over
my veto. Here it is: IGE .aI
WHEREAS, The Council of the city deems
certain portions of said bill to put in ques-
tion the right of the city to the proper con-
troll of its drainage system and Its right
voluntarily to contract for the work, and
agree upon price for the same, and does
not recognize the validity or constitution
atty of the said act in certain of its parts.
Please tell me why we have not the right
to oppose law which he voted for then,
and carried over my veto, was not consIitu-
tional or valid. Therefore
The city expressly declares and notifies
the Mississippi and Mexican Gulf Canal
Company that it does not waive its right
freely to contract for the work of excavat-
ing the canals and erecting the levees re-
quired, with the SAID company, or any other
party, as may hereafter appear to the best
advantage of the city.
This the gentleman voted for not six
weeks ago, and now he tells us we are
attempting to. violate the law because we
say the same thing. In this ordinance
written by the gentleman, sustained by the
gentleman with all his acumen, all his elo-
quence, and all his ability, and they are not
small, as we all know, he declares thus:
That the city reserves the right hereafter to
contest, at law or otherwise-what is the
meaning of otherwise |! Any portion of this
bill, whenever 1T may appear to the ad-
vantage of the city, / think that thereafter
has come now. We are now discussing this
very question. 1t is exactly such an ext
gency as is contemplated by the ordinance,
and yet the gentleman comes here and op-
poses our taking this new departure. In
the ordinance which he wrote, which he
voted for twice, and which he carried with
SO much eclat over my veto, be says:
That the city expressly reserves the right.
at any time hereafter, to contest, at law or
otherwise, the cOnstitutIOnality or validity
of act No. 30 of the legislative session of
1871, or any portion thereof and notifies the
Mississippi and Mexican Gulf Canal Com
pany accordingly.
/ take the gentleman's own words, and
contend that it is for the interest OF the city
to stop here, and to limit the work to what
has been done. The city has already safe
protection levee in the ridge There has
never been an overflow except by the holes
cut in the ridge, or by the coming down of
the Mississippi river. 1 proclaim if there
is protection levee needed to be built it is
above the city, against the Mississippi river.
Isay, further, that this protection levee is for
the benefit of spectators, of gentlemen
who own lots beyond the ridge j say here,
it is a large speculation of Messrs Moves,
Bussey and Lafayette Folger, by which they