The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-03-26
Address to the People Of the Districts CT
LOGisi ina Subject to Overflow.

OFFICE OF THE CENTRAL EXECUTIVE COM
mittee OF the Section of Louisiana Sub
Ject to Overflow, 26 Carondelet street, {.
New ORLEANS, March 25, 1876.
10 the People OF the Districts OF Louisiana Sub.
ject to Overflow:
Nearly year ago q convention was held in
New Orleans, composed of delegates from the
overdowed sections of Louisiana, for the purpose
OF devlsing some means OF protecting larger
portion of this State from destruction by the
crevasses in the levees OF the Mississippi River,
and for the further purpose Of uniting efforts
with those OF other States subject to the same
disasters, well as to obtain the joint efforts of
those States and communities interested and
doing business in the Valley Of the Mississippi,
and desiring it's immediate material prosperity,
and with the view Of urging the Congress of the
United States to taKe the matter into considera-
ton, and to make the locating, building, repair
ing and maintaining the levees, q national v ork
independent Of all state concerns, an Interstate
Convention was called and held at Vlcksburg,
Mississippi, composed of delegates from NJ any Of
the States Of the Mississippi Valley. At that
convention committee was appointed to pro-
coed to Washing ION, and in conjunction with our
delegates to Congress, to lay the result of the de-
lberations of the convention before the repre-
sentatives OF the people OF this whole nation.
Both the committee and our representatives in
Congress have discharged their duty to their
constituency well and faithfully. A bill has been
introduced for our relief, and special committee
from the National Congress has been appointed
Investigations. The committee will in a short
time be amongst us, and will doubtless be glad
to have presented to them the grievances Of
which we complain, and if impressed fAvo ably
with our representations of the facts, be instru-
mental in securing to us the relief we stand so
much in need of.
All should not be left to your committee, nor
is it meet that we should srrogate to ourselves
the province OF suggesting what should or should
not be done, or OF imparting the information
necessary for Congress to act. The information,
and the petition for relief, we think should come
direct from the people who have suffered 80
much and still suffer from the repeated Overfiows
of the Mississippi River. This suffering does not
confne itself to any particu ar class OF society,
but it appears in all branches OF business the
Workshop, in the commercial circles of the city,
in the ordinary walks of the laboring glasses, and
all are made to feel the severe results of the
common disaster which clamors for redress and
which they are powerless to avert.
The committee, approaching theimportance Of
action, and with a sincere desire to discharge
their full duty to their constituency issue this,
their call for convention Of the people Of the
overlooked districts OF the State OF Louisiana, to
be composed of two delegates from each parish
for every member of the Legislature from such
parish, and to be held in the city Of New Orleans,
on Wednesday, the 18th day Of April, 1876.
The magnitude OF the interests involved in the
levees Of the Mississippi River must be appre-
ciated by every citizen OF our State. Upon the
successful termination of our labors, we conceive,
depends the prosperity or ruin of our country.
Nothing but the perfect protection Of the State
from overflow can re.ins tate our lapguishing
commerce, our depleted treasury, our expiring
agriculture. We must cultivate our fields, re-
store our trade at home and abroad, develop our
resources and render our once beautiful land in
vitng to the strangers with capital and industry,
and then we shall occupy among our sister States
and in the world, the position to which we are
entitled
Much depends upon ourselves to restore our
State to her wonted material prosperity, and our
and happiness, and it rests with the people to
have their grievances redressed, or by inatten-
ton and inactivity to permit them to assume the
Of lasting curse.
TOBIAS GIBSON, Chairman.
T. UPPER, Secretary.