The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1877-02-03
:. Communicated.
Tones Bayou.

let informs us that the Government
dam has yielded to the water pres
sure and given away, and again til
the current is pouring through thi
rice n0turu!cS with its accustomed
velocity.
Fifty thousand dollars of tI'* cur
rency of the United States was no.
sufficient to arrest the current Of wat
or following the natural inclination O
the telluric surface to be found at
that particular locality.
When water can be taught to fud
its way ITO tho sea" up an inclined
plain aud he made to abandon its self
made course, then, and then onl,
Will any practic|c good be derived
from the hitherto futile attempts t,
block up the "sllort cut" for the wat
crs of Red River.
1t is one of the most remarkable
facts of the day, in connection will
this Tones Bayou affair, that the men
of science vic have surveyed the
valley of Red River were not taught
by the rapid current flowing through
the mouth of tic bayou that there
was q natural cause for this thing
and to oppose it was detrimental to
a large class of land owners in that
section. If the object had in view,
in closing up the mouth was to pro-
cure Glow ;;;;.tcr navig ation," t''ey
could have better obtained this &c.
suit by following this rapid current
through Tones Bayou into Bayou
Pierre removing obstruction where j;
became sluggish and giving it all the
help it required to make it's own
channel.
Closing up any of the natural "out-
LETT in the valley of Red River is not
only prcj;:lic'al to to tho land-own-
els there unto belonging, but it is
opposed to all science and the laws
of hydrostatics. Moreover there is
another light wherein to view this
subject of the closing up Of Tones
Bayou. Some few years passed the
lands known as "swamp lands' he
longed to the State and the Lcgisla-
ture made an appropriation of many
thousand dollars to clean out the o..
structions in Bayou Pierre, 1ecpeu
It's channel, and thcsvby redeem the
lauds on its banks and contiguous
thereto.
Upon the faith Of this appropriation
for the purpose Of redeening these
lands they were sold and private in
dividuals became the purchasers.
The appropriation made by the
State was insufficient tot the com.
pletion of the work, yet enough was
accomplished to give increased i'm.
petus to the current, which alone i'll
course of time would have redeemed
the lands aud trade good the faith Of
the State.
Now then the question arises, what
right has the general government to
come forward and interfere with the
pledges of the State3
The purchase money for these lands
has gone into the treasury of the
State and it remains for her to see
that this tacit contract is carried out
so far rs in her power lies; and we
contend that it is her duty to see
that no one steps in to interfere in
this matter, not even the Federal GOV
ernme8t.
The State has been enjoying the
yearly taxes on t!ioso lands which
she never could have done but for
her promise to have them redeemed
by deepening the channel Of Bayou
Pierre land now for the General Gov
eminent to step in for tho purpose Of
closing up Tones Bayou, and for
ever shutting off the Water from b.
you Pierre is an act Of bad faith to
the original purchasers or their legit~
innate successors. It is i we'll es-
tablisIred principle in political econ.
omy that no one shall enjoy property
to tho prejudice of another, and if
steamboat men and the interest of
commerce requires navigation i'm.
proved in Red River, they must find
it through the proper channel. If
one-half of the money that has been
in closing up Tones Bayou
had been used for the purpose of re-
moving instructions in Bayou Pierre
and deepening the channel through
the lakes, there would have been by
this time low water navigation
through this route.
--~s~
BLAINE's OPINION OF Don CAME
RoN.-Don Cameron was appointed
Secretary of War last summer when
James G. Blaine was laid up in ordln-
airy. A friend went to VISIT the sun
rtrucl, 20 D,l;I1,+o a., b,.,S1lo,+ o,.l