New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-12-01
The Levees.

The interstate levee committee met yes
terdsy, Governor Hebert presiding, and
adopted the following memorial to Con-
gress:
To the Eonorale the President of the Senate and
Speaker of the House Of Representa- tives Of the
United States in Congress assembled:
At an interstate levee convention which
met at Vicksburg on November 9, 1875, and
in which the States Of Mississippi, Louis
lana, Arkansas and Missouri we're repre-
sented by delegates, the undersigned were
the United States in regard to the proteo-
tion and reclamation of the alluyial lands
of the Mississippi river frem annual inun.
dation. r.t.
To the performance of the duty imposed
upon them they do moet earnestly pray, and
in the name Of the people of these i've great
States, petition you to enact such laws and
make such appropriations a. may be neces-
sary to enable the proper departments of
construct and maintain the levees necessary
for the protection of the lands now subject
to annual overflow by the Mississippi river.
They will not attempt in this memorial to
give the many reasons why the people of
these States think that the government of
the United States should assume this work,
for this subject is not q new one in your
honorable bodies, and both there and else
where has been under discussion for years.
Suffice it to say here that the work is
national one, because many sovereign States
have Q common interest in it, and because
no State acting in its individual capacity
can perform the work, and because the river
against whose waters these riparian States
claim protection 10, as it has been aptly
called, IAN inland sea" ian ocean river"
upon whose bosom floats the commerce of q
mighty empire, directed, governed and pro
tected by the strong arm of the national
government.
Further, they would respectfully rep
resent that railway transit has become
the most important factor in the pro-
motion of interstate commerce, and
that the States lying south Of the
ys S.n 1IosS ss sS :as .na snd
nections east and west across this over
flowed basin, extending north and south
over 600 miles, while thus vast delta is sub
ject to annual inundation.
Az to the entire feasibility of the work,
and increase in national wealth which the
completion of these lines must bring, We
have only to refer you to the statistics COL
haustive report made to the last Congress
by the United States board Of engineers
appointed by the President of the United
States under an act Of Congress to inves-
tigste this subject III. 4 Forty-third Cong,
second ses Ex. Doc. No. l27), and to the
Senate report No. I70, Forty second Con-
gress, second session.
Your memorialists will not presume to
suggest any Of the details OF the legislation
prayed for, but simply express the hope
and desire that the national government
may take entire charge of the levees and
perform the work through the instrumen-
taiity Of its own officers and engineers.
In conclusion, these five sovereign States
ask that the national government, their
common head and representative. extend to
tAeir citisens the protection and relief they
can not themselves afford to them.
Signed p. o. Hebert, w. W. Blank ford,
D; T. Kenner, E. D. Farrar, G. q. Waddill,
w. I. McMillen, H. R, Lucas. Of Louisiana;
D. H. Reynolds, F. c. Tsppan, j. O. Flour.
noy, William Startling, 6. w. Eappington,
Of Arkansss; Charles Clark, w. b. Pitt
man. E. Jeforde, F. A. Metcalf, E. Rich
ardson. of Mississippi; E. o. Stanard, John
+ Bofnger. George W. Carlton, Of Mis-.
sSA~A a :. .