New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-01-23
OR LOUISIANA LEVEES.
By J. 8. whitaker.

The first settlers OF this STATE, century
aui half ago, found along the banks OF
oar great river an almost lmpeoesrSole ior-
es... covering a soil OF unsurpassed fertility.
To redeem this wilderness. 20 relieve It OF
its Jungle 0: cane, vines, trees and brush
wood was a work Of no small moment; and
when thus relieved, and the fist planter
had prepared his land for cultivation. Ne
found he had a foe to encounter yet more
ditfiouiu ~ sU0dne than those he had aireany
conquered. This enemy was found IN tho
! rushing waters Of the mighty RIVER, "nicn'
at certain seasons overhowed IT'S BANKS.
FRUSTRATED the iabors of the h1sbaudmar.
aud swep. away his naD:.acions. 10 meet
! this foe and TO preserve the result OK their
! laso-s, 1t was found necessary to raise en-
barAnerts where the lands we're most eX-
posed. We can conceive that this was Hrst
done by the voluntary labor OF tLe coioniss
wno Gas. his fortunes n the wilderness.
But, as new access:ons 20 the mia o.chu-s
| came aud tho population increased, tae h-st
| governors o. :ha province provided bE Or
| ,;icarce for Tie construction OF these EN-
| baukMerts and keeping :hem MP, COM
pei!lug tie Ii parian pcopr.ecorS 10 40 SO AT
| their own charge ana oE the!: own labor;
| aui threatening, i. 2Ot dore, that the lands
occupied By them on tho borders CT the
! river and It's tributaries would Do taHan
away, and restored 20 the kings domain
THIS state Of things continued through the
entire period of the French AID Spanish
.ion:niOa, down 20 the commencement OF
tle prasea. century. Thus we're con-
meuca,; and raised the first levees con-
5truc.ed in Louis ana. We can scarcely
conceive of the a,nolDt OF labor required
+ Iuuss have 1eel cCus-an. AIT uurem-.-
ts1s.
UaGe- tbs tr:ri.oria. government, al the
commencement. OF this century, after We
became Sta.a and Til 1860, the front pro
rr!etor still continued to construct at his
own expense and keep up his ieyees: tae
police OF parishes anu towns bordering on
| The warehouses; compelling, under heavy
penalties. this work 10 be done. The result
| of ali tn.s was that, through the energy and
ul.iriuy Iabor5 0. a century. the State o.
| Louisiana emerged ice.u a wilderness and
! everywhere along .le BORDERS o. her rivers
| aud Dayous existed these walls OF defense
raised ny the industry o. the planter; anu
| these Jefeoses. when tina war came. We're
msasurao.v comp.sts. As we'll expressed
| IL ilge Merrick, Cafe. Justice n 1876. u
! Lyons vs. HinchieJ: at ia & matter OF
pub.lc necessity. and 20 shelter the iLhabi
tants asa.ast foundations. AS the property
would be 0. no value withou. the levee. the
Lasis.ature hai the power 10 compel such
riparian owners to make these ievees and
roads n front Of Their plantations without
value which such works would confer on
taei- property.
The accomplishment Of tais grand result,
was the wo;k Of toe A.r!cs Il, acting under
the intelligent instruction o. the European.
Tee relation tha: existed between tae two
races making force subordinate to mind.
brought about the great result. cleared the
forest and raised :iose a-::.ic;a. walls TO
protect TIE lands Had NOT slavery then
x.s-ed, wh.ca enabled tae planter 70 bring
large force 70 bear u a particular Girec
ten, this WORK could No. have Oeen accom-
pushed. Who shall say that Providence
lid not dee:gn and permit here, for a IA
yOrat people ana tor :aA Creat.op nj a para
{ So. ne Institution aid tiA event.
Ine war came. l. suudecsj tle long
existing relation between -ha Two races.
Our labor system crunblel into dust: and
tle river, 70 ,onge- restrained By ;ae
bounds tnar had been fixed 10 Its progress,
ali NJ longer kept within limits by the
s.eeD.e=s vigilance OF the planter and his
ser.+. gaia resumed ia sway over the
is-.l:a. destroying pl-ilessy those puny
barriers n It's Haywald ana ungovernei
course. Four years of war, with its-accom-
Dan7Ing ieyas:atIons accomplished this re-
sui- Plantations were oye,tlowed; the
lato. OF years swept away; and the ere
Vase carried devastation and ruin where
the rch rewards o. agricultura. industry.
Up % this date no deb. had been created,
10 ruinous burdens TO keep up these arti-
fc.al barriers The people themselves had,
As we have seen, whether wll.Ingiy or IN
iuc COupusioa, taken care OF tuls IL after.
At the breaking out 0. the war. II 1851, the
State die 70. owe cent .or .evees. Seven
years Later shs hal :ssIed her bonds for
TIE object OF building ami repairing levees
~ os = =,
construction and repair Of their leFees were
taken Cd: OF tie hands OF the planters aud
placed in the hands Q. commissioners,
boards o. public works, ard the like. and
the State. throughout - borders, taxed
To pay the interest OF these bonds. Ia
1857 We fed an issue made VI Ii,03O, 900,
tle Legislature failing at the time
- appOint properly authorized persons 10
ji5burse the same. o. attend 10 the works.
What became Of this monry was the cub
l3c- Of investigation 10 a future Legislature.
Little result appears to have been derived
frou the vast expenditure. The system
which had carried safely the State and is
people n former years, " As lost sight OF.
ID Wit; Tee placing IN the hands CT those
mos. interested this charge. Had the por
tons O. the State requiring .eyee5 been
divided iato districts and placed IN charge
Of proper parish officers interested the soil
or le;t entirely to the care OF the propr!e-
toEs, how different would have been the
result. Il appears, however, that tais sys-
ten, the only one successfully tried, has
got been thought worthy Of consiGera ton.
IL 1871, a number ot public spirited indi-
vi;aais. seeing the wasre.ui expenditures
thaU lad been made OF the means Of the
Safe, and the bonds tina. llai been SO reck-
iessiy Issued to the injury Of tie unsor-
tuuata taxpayers, organized Themselves
IL % o ccMpanv and b-ne-o.ent.y :, offered
10 take charge 0. these a.iaI-s for the State.
aud to construct and keep II repair ell the
ievees for twenty one years. TheT offered
no money, bI. tney had 3 nominal capital
nt $50 900, o10-noaa OF the stock paid up.
They neither o.ieGed nnc gave any security
that they would accomplish what they pro-
posed.
Tue year ISL was a remarkable year for
speculative monopolies created oy the
Legislature, and tbs was perhaps the most
remarkable 6. tina. remarkable year.
But the work could not be done without
money, AID sixty cents was gracefully
agreed On as proper price tor moving a
clbic yard Of ievee earth. True. this could
have been done by contract Tor from twenty
to thirty cents, but that was small con-
sideratiou A few millions of dollars, more
or lees was not TO be considered as weigh
ng "a the balance against the opportunity
of having the work done by these benevO-
lent people.
In 1870 the State cons.itution was amended
SO as to read. And prior to the frat Of Jan
uary, 1890, the debt Of the State shall not
be 81 increased as to exceed S25 900, 0O0;"
but in 1871, notwithstanding said amend
ment and the existence of indebtedness
above the amount, the State, through its
Legislature, made che contract above stated.
1t was estimated that the number of cubic
NV 70 aerT,a !,
be Is 100000. This amount, at sixty cents.
wnI1,d cost 80 900 600 fOc cnuatructiOn ard