The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-09-25
AID FOR THE LEyEEs.
Probabilities that the Leyee Bill VIII BE
Passed at the Next session
Of Congress.
VI N%HASEESS. NM"
New York Herald.,1


4 Of Congress.
New York Herald.1
WASHINGTON, Sept. 20.-If one might
Judge of Southern public opinion FROM
the conversations OF congressman. and
other persons of influence from that
section, who appear from time to time
in this city, it would seem that the
South, or at least very large and infiu-
entail part of it, Is very DESTROYS Of an
appropriation for the permanent i'm
provement Of the Mississippi and its
tributaries, and, what is extremely sig
nifcant,. would very gladly rest content
with such an appropriation and ask for
nothing more in the way Of subsidies or
public aid.
There can be no doubt that the levee
| system OF the Mississippi is in a very
bad condition. The great river, in the
first place, was never systematically
leveed. Before the war the work was
done by organizations of planters, who
kept in tolerable repair and very slowly
extended an immense patchwork, unsys-
tematic, temporary In it's character and
always breaking down. During the war
the 1evees were neglected. After the
war they became the objective points of
seen that the work, to endure and to be
effective and economically maintained,
must be carried on on general and
comprehensive plan. To embank the
river In spots only Is to compel it to
break it's banks at other places and COM
NIT ravages of various kinds.
Petty appropriations for repairs or
new levees in favored localities are
therefore waste Of money. This has
long been seen, and Congress seven
years ago ordered a survey Of the whole
mi hr ~
general and scientifically correct plan
-of improvement. This survey was made
by Gems. Humphreys and Abbott, two
engineers Of recognized ability, and
their report has been in print for some
time. The plan they suggest provides
for thorough embankment of the Mis-
sissippi, beginning at Cape Girardeau,
below st. Louis, and for such an amount
Of leveeing Of the tributary streams as
is required to confine the backwater
and force the great stream to do its own
work Of securing out its bed and thus
making room for itself. 1t is the opin-
ion Of the most experienced men that
nothing Legs than such a comprehensive
improvement Is useful, nothing less
would be permanent, and what the in
terests Of that great region need is per-
manent security.
10 carry out the plan of Gems. Hum
phreys and Abbott would, it is estimat-
ed, cost $50, 100000. This is a consider
able sum of money; but Southern men
assert that the government would re-
cover 1t in a few years in the increased
value Of government lands still held
that 1t would establish on firm founda-
ton the prosperity OF very great and
naturally very rich region, and would
enormously increase the production of
cotton, sugar and rice, and thus add to
the general wealth of the country |
They say that the States along the river
banks cannot do the work; that the |
region has outgrown the old patchwork |
system that it is useless to make small |
appropriations to repair crevasses that
whatever is now done should be under
the control OF eminent government en-
gineers, such as Gen. Humphreys, and |
should be done by the Federal govern
ment and on scientifically correct prin-
ern men will strongly urge the |
advisability of such great and COM
prehensive Improvement, and the ar
guments for it above stated have already |
been presented to the President, who is |
understood to take the ground that |
while he Is totally and earnestly OPP
posed to such internal improvement |
schemes as the usual river and harbor
omnibus, which Is made up by giving |
every member and Senator slice, he |
would favor some great and needed |
measure such as this plan for scientific |
leveeing of the Mississippi is repre-
sented to be. He has not committed |
himself to this plan, but it is believed |
from what he has said that while he
would veto one Of the old fashioned |
river and harbor steals he would con-
slider favorably a needed improvement |
like the one in question.
Meantime there is reason to believe |
that il the Southern men can get an
appropriation for the levees they will
not care for the Texas Pacific; in fact,
a good many are opposed to this, and
many more are understood to hold that
they cannot probably get both, and will
readily give up the Texas Pacific If they
can have the levees. Georgia, North
and South Carolina. Alabama and Flor
ida and Virginia will be opposed to the
Texas Pacific in any case. Some Of the
Texas men are only lukewarm in its
support. They say that all the connec-
lions lead to st. Louis, and that they
prefer to secure some further help to
the improvement Of their own harbors.
1t would not be surprising, therefore,
to find, when Congress comes together,
that the Southern men are united for
sufficient levee appropriation to carry
out Gen. Humphreys plans, and are
ready to compromise on that.
kEMPER COUNTY.