The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-16
COL. LOCKETT's SPEECH.
A Comparison Of the valley Of the Mis-
stssippf with the valley of the Nile.

In comparing the productiveness of Egypt
and Louisiana, | find that Egypt, with her
1850 square miles of arabic territory, an
area almost exactly equal to the alluvial
lands of the State OF Louisiana, had q sur
plus for expectation of cotton, corn wheat,
rice, sugar, BEANS etc, which amounted in
value in 1876 to the sum of S63,65t 900 and
that the actual total products and better
ments of Louisiana In the same year amounted
to very nearly the same sum. After deduct
ing the consumption of the people of Louis
lana, and the large sum. paid for imported
provisions, there Is heavy balance in favor
of Egypt.
Now The question naturally arises, why Is
this? This is a question of momentOus i'm
portance to every Louisianian, and the answer
TO it Is one which should chain your atten-
ton | will try to give you that answer, and
j can do SO In one word. That word ls labor.
Not skilled labor, for of that Egypt cannot
boast; not labor of any high scientific ORDER
nor of excellent quality, but labor In immense
quantity Labor actual OF the millions Of
fellaheen who toll in the broad fields from
earliest dawn to latest ray OF departing day
light, week after week, with no intervening
Sabbath month after month with no rest
days OF rainy weather, year after year with
no winter OF repose between the harvest Of
one season and the planting of another; &C
cumulated labor too handed down from the
remotest generations of the past and stored
up in q thousand forms to be utilized in this
day just.when and where it is most needed.
And what has all this labor done for Egypt
As | have before remarked, 1t has made every
foot of arabic land TEEN with abundance: It
makes that land produce three staple crops
year, unless one Of them happens to be cotton
or cane, In which case there will be two. 1t
has covered the whole face Of the country
with canals to the number Of $40, of which 113
are navigable; 1t has brought the mighty
river Nile under perfect control, 50 that when
his annual overflow arrives his precious
waters are caught and stored and distributed
to foot Of 10 NIo;r
peace to the sea; 1t has lined the banks of the
Nile and the canals with tens of thousands of
sGkkIeks and shado0fs by means of which, in
the rudest way water Is lifted up during its
low stages and poured upon the thirsty soil.
This labor makes the soil of Egypt produce
such crops that the labOrer who pays from
sos to $35 rent fee per year for each acre of
land and a capitation tax Of 81 so, is yet able
to live. In addition to 5000 miles Of canals it
has constructed over 1000 miles of railway
numerous telegraph lines, and docks and har-
bOrS, lighthouses and Qualifications bridges
palaces and public houses. This labor In the
year 1876 paid to the Egyptian government
an income of ST., 100000. which was independ-
ent of the $6,00O000 or 100000 received by
the Khedive from his private plantations,
which were worked by his subjects without
pay. Think of this, Louisianians who groan
under a debt of $4,000, 900, upon which YOU
have to pay an annual interest of S105O,OO0,
with State expenses of about 81, 100000, l sup
pose.
And this brings me to the one great need of
Louisiana, to the only thing she needs to
make her the rival not only Of Egypt, but of
the richest and fairest lands OF the earth.
Ihat need is labor. Labor to cultivate more
thoroughly the land now titled by your plant
ers and farmers; labor to reclaim the waste
places formerly under cultivation, now lying
Dy tens OF thousands of acres idle and overrun
by weeds and briers; labor to drain, clear and
bring under the control of the pillow vast areas
81 swamp lands! now dark as night with the
sessed of almost infinite pOtentialities for bro
duotiveness; labor to claim from the dominion
of the sea wide expenses OF marsh now the
home of the wild-fowl and alligator, but cana
BILE of being converted into magnificent rice
fields; labor to, control the old Father of
Waters and make him dOcile like a we'll
trained horse to do your bidding, instead of
being, as he now is, unmaDagahle and terrific
in his destructive energy; labor to convert
every sluggish, Shiny bayou, now overhung
by tangled vines and interlacing branches of
trees, now reeking with pestilential vapors.
into bright, clear, CLASSY canals, freighted