New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-12-05
THE THREATENED SUSPENSION OF
DRAINAGE.

| On the tenth OF June last an ordinance
was introduced into the City Council di
recting the Mayor to terminate the drain.
age contract and stop the public works.
At the meeting last Tuesday the ordi.
nance was again called up after long
sleep, amended by fixing the time for the
termination of the contract for the first
OF January, 1874, and postponed for one
week. 1t is likely the ordinance will
pass at the next session of the Council.
Unfortunately for full understanding of
the reasons which move the Council to
take such step at this time we are not
favored with the official debates bv this
administration. The expenditure of a
few dollars every week by the FLANDERS
Council so irritated one or two patent
reform organs, which did not have the
public printing, that they raised a great
cry about it and demanded that the Gus
tom OF publ shing the official debates at
the rate Of forty cents square, payable
IN certificates worth sixty cents on the
dollar, should be discontinued. Mayor
Witt and his associates are modest men
and really do not care to see their
speeches published at the public expense.
They were anxious, too to make some
showing of reform. So the publication
OF the official debates are suspended, and
the public can only guess at the reasons
for stopping the work of draining the city.
We suppose (rashly, perhaps, the reason
to be impecuniosity. This was the cause
assigned by Mayor Flanders some months
before the present Council came into
power. But the Administrators for the
time, and we believe with the consent of
the public, oveiruled him and ordered the
work to be commenced. Since then a
good deal has been done, and mary thou
sands of dollars Of expenditure incurred
for digging bitches, constructing protec-
ton levees, making bridges, etc. Posi-
bly, the work could not be left in its pres
ent unfinished condition for many months
without mourning the risk of losing all |
that has been done. The city may be in
such condition that it is utterly unable to
proceed, but we have not heard that such |
is the case. We have not yet been off,
cially informed in so many words that we
are absolutely too poor to keep Lake
Pontchartrain from our doors or to get rid
Of the unabsorbed water after a summer
shower. Perhaps if the ultra economists
had not insisted on silencing municipal
'loquence as a means Of killing off the
ludacious REPUBLICAN, which sometimes
peaks out too frankly to suit the tender
Of our old sinners. we should
lot thus be in the dark upon SO important
subject.
Whatever may be the cause, however,
# the threatened interruption of a work
which many people, especially those who
wn property between Galvez street and
be ridge, think imperatively necessary.
70 say to Messrs. Wilt & Co.. try and
void such calamity. Do the best you can
d little while longer Is there no old
rainage tax for instance. due to the CITY.
'hich can be collected On any terms? Or
as it all been paid for the legal talent
nat successfully assailed that formidable +
'oking windmill, the Ship Island Canal
Our law expenses. though ! !
OF much diminished since, have been ,
'signed place in the budget and no ,
niger come out Of the drainage fund. a
erhaps we may consent to let ST. Charles :
rect so unpaved tor another year les. t
ecial!y az we see no way to help it, or +
main patient in case the street gang. ,
hich piles nr little mud hills just before Z
Tains 70 be Immediately washed back
,aitl. withdrawn altogether in exchange
r the prospect Of complete drainage.
onsider well, gentlemen, before you de.
de finally. Pinch and pare somewhere
Sc first, and let the dredging machines
If away for while longer if possible.
or we assure you that there is no duty
~ owe to the public whose faithful dis Q
large is more urgently demanded than P
lat of providing US With s.: Jeas: the Z
Of drainage