New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-01-06
-no.t needed. No effort should be spa'0u ~
bring about this result ..
THE rEyEES.

/ ,os+ needed. No effort should Do sp"' GU ~
hiring about this result.
THE LEvEEs. , am
tho mast year nearly 3,oov,ooo
Ii rards of leyees have oeen uu ,;.s,o IN
GUY e,. safe The report Of the colnm nS"u.
tris n;,aars herewith submitted, SUI"
o .' 1u tIaw have ordered ninety seven leSo" q
~. oo1strncted this season, ana haro u. LOU
~ decline building many more; wm wiz Com.
have turned over to the t.ovoo ,svees
pany to repair -aa a0 0eo cubic yards,
N M,,i both from this report and lrom
th "' renort of the Uoard of state engineeiIs'
;ro onnaars that at least million cuoio yar ~
no,,tj ha adyautageously ordered.
a;,,snsnce of the levees OF the Mlssis
sinni Is a subject of national impor,anou,
| and the State of Louisiana, hoidlng 20" ~.
| alInyial territory than any Otnef o,a
dering upon that river, 10 V,taiiy Ma are
sn yast the benefits to be deriVeu so
w;aslv extended that it has long DeeI
thought an appropriate subject 1or na..ona u
| aid IA stated in my inaugural aoofooo !"
wear ago, l was in position duIins
1 iahors in different department OF the pun
! j,c service to ascertain the views OF Tue 10
| tional legislature on this important su'Jot
| and found them to be IN con sonanof th;s
| This oninion: but the Legislature Oh Ini'
state nv the Incorporation of the LeVee
| Company in 1871. having adopted On very
| large scale a plan of its own Tor tue Gun
struction and repairing OF ievees' the oon
sideration OF the subject by the natiohai
| government svas postponed. taAe .n'I
! occasion to renew the Recommendation.
| then made, that the Legislature authoriAo
| the amendments Of committee, 10 Do co"-
/ 81 fnlI cOmD6ColC
anime and report upon the character a!u
sutf; cheney of the levees constructed anu III
process Of construction by the company
and the degree of energy with whicn inc
work is being conducted. In matter
| of such magnitude and Importance. ana
| likely to constitute so great a draln On
fine State treasury, it is all important that
I the people should know from the most re-
| liable sources neither this gigantic under
| taking is really to be successful, ana confer
upon the State the results promised.
in the meantime recommend that the tour
mill levee construction and repair tax au-
tborised by tbs acts of 1871, be reduced to
three mills This amount, am assured, Will
| be amply sufficient to provide for the con,
struotion of tho levees ordered ana all
probable accessory repairs.
RED RIVER.
when representing the State in the United
practicable, urged successfully an amend
ment to the river and barbor bill, making,
among others, an appropriation for the re-
moyal of the raft from Red river and the
improvement OF Tones bayou.
The removal of this raft by the United
States, and the closing of Tones bayou
with the same logs, has been great feat OF
engineering. What the actual result VIII
be, in respect to navigation and the height
of floods, remains to be seen.
Referring to the Instructions presented
by the falls ae Alexandria, together
with the probable closing of the mouth
Of Old river, concerning which petitions
have been received, l will state that l
have sent these pstiGons to the State engi-
neers, with Instructions to make a special
report on the subject. But as these works
appear too extensive for the State in her
present condition, and as Red river is a ma
tional river, bearing the products of several
States, and as the general government has
shown q disposition to improve its naviga-
ton. it is to be hoped it will continue the
work. l recommend that your body memo.
rialise Congress in this regard.
CHEAP TRANSPORTATION
The people CT the State are to be congrat-
ulated upon the favorable light in which
the attention of the entire country has been
directed to the Mississippi river by the pro-
question in the West. One result of this agi-
tation was manifest in the recent we'll timed
visit to our State of the Senate Committee
on transportatione There is every reason
to hope that this movement will ultimately
SO strengthen the hands of our Representa-
tlveS in Congress as to render comparative
ly easy the hitherto difficult task of OBJ
tanning for the State that consideration
from tho general government to which it is
justly entitled. The universally favorable
discussion of the Fort st. Philip canal pro-
Jectis, trust but the certain prelude to the
construction of the canal itself recommend
that. without unnecessary delay, you grant
the right Of way and appropriate the neces
sary lands for the constructs of the canal
It's completion will be the 81 gnal for an I'M
p1ecedented influx of capital, enterprise and
Labor. which must infuse new lie into every
part Of the State.
Maintenance of Orders
EFFECTS or VIOLENCE.
10 seizure permanent increase of
prosperity obedience to law must be en-
forced, riots, massacres and assassinations
must cease. Capital, naturally SO sensitive,
shuns community where turbulence and
violence are tolerated. The tide of emgra.
ton has heretofore stopped at our very Dor
ders, thoughin climate, productveness of soil
and natural resources, Louisiana possesses
advantages over almost every Southern
State. Occurrences such as the ATTEMPTED
riot in New Orleans on the fifth of March
last, the massacre at COlfax the resultless
parade OF resistance to law in ST. Martins
willie, and the UNPUBLISHED assassinations of
officers of the law and worthy citizens in
the northern and western parishes of the
State, have spread the i'll name of Lonis-
lana far and wide.
VIGILANCE COMMITTEES
The enforcement of the law ia the sole
safeguard for every citizen ONLY by ohe.
dlence to the law can he secure permanent
ana an efiicant protection for life and property.
there are officers delegated for this purpose
IN every parish of the State. If thew fail
IN their official duties they should be held to
d strict accountability, and whenever an
polntees CT the executive will certainly do
my duty IN this regard as soon as the facts ara
made known to me. All socalled vigilance
committees should be discouraged and mt
Gown The violent melting out of pun
lsamenI oy irresponsible persons to alleged
criminals Is often an act of greater erin.
inalty than the ottense charged again AZ tha
persons punished. A'
THE COLFAX MASSACRE
among she worst deeds of violence which
nave Nls graced the State, the massacre at
Colfax in April last, when a Iawless and
irresponsible mob, without any author;tu
whatever, slaughtered in cold blood more
imam ioo col ored people, stands out in hold
reiief SIDE by side with that other causeless
s 81 ~ ss IN New Orleans in July, 1866,
winch shocked the moral sense of the an,
tire country. Proceedings have been taken.
to- punish the Colfax rioters '"A0n
DIRECTS OF LAW.
but the working of the present criminal
law is defective, and needs amendment
Measures will probably be presented RI
you providing for such changes of ven;ne
and other judicial regulations "a will ;nsuro