New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-12-24
The Louisiana flood.

There are two facts in regard u the beau
sifu, and wealth producing, but very unf0r-
tunate State of Louisiana, that the country
can fully apprehend without the aid of
congressional committee OF investigation.
The fact is. that less than one year ago
were submerged by the bursting of its
ievees. The second is. that the broken
levees are broken still, and no ability exists
in the desolate State 60 repair them. For
the foods Of the coming year the gaps are
all open, aud certain to remain so unless
power greater than that of any single South.
ern State steps in to rebuild the levees.
The events of the humiliation in Louisi-
ana We need DoS recall. The whole nation
was deeply moved by the spectacle. The
national government was constrained by
the magnitude Of the disaster to come to the
assistance of the drowning and starving
multitudes, and ratiOns and clothing were
dealt out to thousands Of citizens whose in
dustry was sverthrown and whose very
lives we're in danger. Private charity was
called forth. and every State in the Union
sent it's thousands to supplement tho goS-
ernment aid. But the memory of the great
Louisiana calamity has almost passed from
meE's minds, and the ways are, as We have
stated, all wide open for its repetition. 1t
cost as much Q year ago to relieve the vic
Tins of the great overflow as would have
made the levees absolutely safe. Yet We
again invite misfortune. that we may waste
our charity by relieving distyssses that
might be prevented.
We think we can eruiy admoniah che na-
tiOnai Legislature that neither Governor
kellogg nor Governor McEnery let loose
tile Mississippi foods on the fertile parishes
of Louisiana. And il is also too true that
neither Governor Kellogg nor Governor
Penn can withstand the torrents likely to
move down again in the same pathway to
the gulf. Here is one subject, at least, con-
cernine Louisiana that is above all party
control and wholly unfit for partisan dis.
cussion. The nation should deal with this
matter as national one and at once adopt
measures to rebuild the broken levees 1t
is work that Louisiana is wholly unable
to grapple with, and should not he required
to undertake. were she ever SO Sich and
prosperous.
ANY one who understands the configura.
ton OF the lower valley of the Mississippi
who has studied the interlacine, sinuOus
waterways that connect the waters of the
Arkansas, the Red and the Mississippi
rivers with each other, and form so many
outlets Of the great river into the gulf-will
recognize that any levee system to be effect
ual must not only be complete in each
State, but must be unit in design. What
will it profit Louisiana if she wallis in the
Mississippi; river by an impregnabls levee,
if Arkansas. by neglect or inadequate work,
lets in the food in the rear !
The refusal of the national government to
assume as its duty the construction and
care of tho levees OF the Mississippi river is
one of the numerous causes that have Oflate
years alienated Western and Southern sym
pathies from 'be government at Washington.
1t is safe to say that if One-third of the
State of Massachusetts, or even Of Rhode
Island. least Of them all, had lain for
month inundated by an irruption of salt
water, the entire energies of the nation
would have been called out long since to
erect barriers against the ocean tides. But
we Of the West and South may be washed
into the gulf and be forgotten, tor we have
no rights that the government can respect
The Louisiana comm ssiOn of engineers
have issned letter on the subject Of the
work committed to them, which is striking
in the exposure it makes of the feeble and
utterly futile efforts of the State to renew
its system of levees. We need not 20 into
detail as to figures. We only allude to the
fart which the New Orleans Picayune pre-
sents and enlarges upon, that If all the
work the State of Louisiana is hopelessly
aiming to do were already done. every acre
of land inundated in the early months of
the present year would be open to the first
floods that swept down upon them.
Congress, as body, may not zee that an
immediate attention to the material inter
ests of the country, including the proper
care and improvement of the navigation of
the Mississippi river, is a primary duty.
more pressing, indeed, than the appointment
of many committees of investigation, and
more likely to restore confidence, revive
business and inspire respect for govern
ment itself. But to the members .rom our
own STATE and from the Northweat WA ara
free to say, the cause cf Louisiana is our
cause. and NO effect should no spared to
save Gu, Southern coast from future DESC
latiuns hv adopting . levee system na-
ti0nsl, effective and perpetual. and doing
il at once. st, Louis Oen,QcrGt,