The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-01-30
II MISSISSIPPI.

We see by a late congressional dis
patch that the bill to facilitate the exc
cution of, and to protect certain public
works of improvement at the mouth OF
the Mississippi River by giving control of
them to the Wal Department has been
taken up. The only hitch seems to be
that necessary as the work is allowed
to be, it is not i'll the power of Congress
to delegate any such power as the bill
proposed to the Secretary Of War. But
the work is proved too necessary to re-
linouish, and we believe some means
will be found to carry it through. In
the course OF investigation, extraordl-
nary disclosures were made. Even III
this time of shameless m~OnOpOlies, the
most d~isgraceful of all was found grasp
ing khe mouth of the Mississippi River.
The Tow-boat Company which held it,
objected to having the channel deep
rned M every vessel which stuck in the
mud paid them so much per hour to get
them out in addition to the usual ton
mage fee. When the excavations Il
der charge of Capt. Howell we're pro-
progressing the tow boats run q large
vessel aground across the channel
blocking it up and preventing further
progress in the excavations. Capt.
Howell betOOk himself to another chan
mel but they followed him there and
continued their work of mischief.
The ventilating of such q system OF
fraud and injury is the first stone thrown
at it. Its doom is sealed and it will be
but a short time before all the impedi-
ments which obstruct the navigation
of the lower Mississippi will he removed.
What Il vast future opens before the
Great River! There can be nothing
small or insignificant connected with
the vast volume of water rolling to the
Gulf. It's magnificent Delta of $4,000
square miles-the level alluvial plain
to the North which stretches above the
junction of the Ohio Of 10000 square
miles-its geological strata of forests
living on each other interspersed with
remains of extinct antediluvian ami
1aals which during $1,000 years accumu-
lated and fitted the land for the habi-
tations of mankind, its great diversified
ing the broad stream-all these things
make the Mississippi simply considered
as a natural object one Of the most sub
lime Of Gods works. Add to this its
y possibilities for commerce, and the
wealth of nations, the fertile soil on it's
banks which have justly been called
the golden" and the imagination sinks
before the possible future which lies
III some page of it's coming history.
The EldoradO visions of 1719 painted
the Mississippi as Pactolus of which
the sands were gold. The dew on the
herbage ON it's banks were said to be-
come diamonds. 1t took it's rise in the
Celestial Empire and it's eOurse lay
through mines of the precious metels.
Cruel disappointment followed the
bursting Of the bubble, and people who
had lost their NIL in exploring the stream
sunk down into limitless despair, and
died by hundreds of swamp fever.
To us, looking back at those marvel
lous tales, they do not seem so marvel
lous or unworthy of credit. If there
was no gold In the stream n~ordiamonds
on it's banks, was there not a day not so
far back when the rich argosies which
swept down the river were the tangible
representatives Of fabulous wealth.
Wealth which the teeming soil had Civ
en- forth. The spell Of power is on the
River. No evil legislation will prevent
it from fulfilling a glorious destiny any
more than it can turn its course from
Louisiana altogether. There are some
things in the world to which a manifest
destiny seems attached, because their
advantages are patent to all eyes, and
G it not for the Mississippi River We
would despair of the future of Louisi-
ana AS it is we believe that the shores
washed by that great highway cannot
anguish much longer in poverty. The
good day has been long coming, but it
is certain to arrive sooner or later.