The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-01-09
VOL. VIII.
TIRE BIGGEST SCHEME BEFORE
CONGRESS---MR. BEAGAN.

Incredible is the folly Of those who
propose to build parallel eaTthen walls
on either shore of the Mississippi from
Cairo to the sea, and vet, when Con-
grcss ad journed for the holidays, such
proposition was pending. l. in-
wolves enormous expenditures and the
creation of works as costly and endur-
ing-anazing as the Chinese wall or
the stupendous bridge at $. Louis.
When planters discovered the produc-
tive value of the lowlands Of the Mis-
sissippI and began to remove impene-
trable forests that cotton and sugar
might be cultivated, each landowner
built an earthen wall, or leces(from the
French Iecer. to raise up), shout his
own fields. This diverted the water
from his own to his neighboHs farm.
The two then co-operated until a COM
munity, and then the county, and then
Le0ee districts were organized by local
legislation. Finally States entered
upon the stupendous task of cOnfnlng
the turbid, murky waters ef the
mighty river to its tortuous ever
changeful channel. Mississippi, Lou
isiana and Arkansas expended enor-
nous sums, and the more they toiled
and the vaster the heaps of earth along
the rivers shores, the mightier walls
did the floods demand. When tie su-
perabundant water was heaped Up be-
tween levees, it rose continually to
greater heights, and the more
the people toiled the hore
the ungovornable "father of
floods" demanded. From Cairo tGthe
sea the distance by the rivers couse
is one thousand miles. If the average
height of the levees were only ten feet
their cost to the Gulf would exceed fip
hundred millions. Since the waite
hemmed in would flow backward, filt
ing channels of tributary streams
these, too, must be "leveed'' and thu
cost simply incalculable. 1t is sim
gular fact that the river is constantly
lGYeeing itself or lifting up its own
shores. When it oveEflOws the water
first going out moves very slowly. II
then contains most mud in solution
and at that instant deposits it most
rapidly. Therefore the river even now
runs along the summit of tortuous
ridge in the midst of the lOwlandt
from Care to the sea. These proposed
leoees would therefore rise higher and
higher each year, even as is seen In the
valleys of rivers of Italy whose lIttora
walls haYe been upheaved through
centuries until they have been made
loftier than church spires, reared along
their course. The task of Sysiphu!
was not comparable to this which un.
thinking lawgivers, as directed b.
Eads, the employer of Fladd, who plan
ned and built the mighty bridgI
and devised the jetties through which
the river projects its vast volumes o
mud into the gulf. When 500, 900, 00(
of people inhabit the continent sn(
cultIvatable swamps are worth enormou
sums, then the superhuman task o
building these intermenable and eve
growing earthen walls might be un
dertaken.
But the necessity will never arise
There is an easier and cheaper method
of reclalming the swamps. Ages ag'
it was partially perfected by an extlnc
race. There are traces OF their tol
even in Texas. People have said tina
Red River was once partially diverted
from its course, and that canal con
yeyed its superabundant waters int
the Sabine, and again into the Atcha
falaya, thus relieving the low countr,
about New Orleans from oveIflows
Into Red River, thus made lnnocuous
the Arkansas was diverted througl
Bayou Bartholomew and the Neoshe
that flows into the Missouri, was mad
to flow into the Arkansas. Th
Tennessee might be diverted fror
its course and made to dis
cover the ocean by traversing tn
channel of the Tom Bigbee or Ala
bama. The longest canal required t.
accomplish any of these purpose
would not cost half as much as levee
from Cairo, 240 miles, to Memphis
Then these canals would be self-sus
tanning and of infinite commercis
value while leyees must be steadl
upheaved through centuries, becomin
constantly more and more danger
GUS and more and more ruinou
to them who build and to thos
proteced by them. Locks and dam
along a canal from the Mississippi
Cape Girardeau to the st. Francis
White rivers would be used for pu
poses Of irrigation. The annual sui
mersion of cotton or corn fields double
their productive value. To the amt
ally deposited alluvium brought dow
the Mississippi from the Missouri riv'
the lowlands are indebted for the
extraordinary fertility. Eads's pu
pose to '9eyee" the river is impract
cable, and il practicable, most unwi:
and needless. The Texas delegatio
In the House, it is stated by the Phil
delphia Times, will probably contr
the determination of this question
II this be true, there viii never be
level constructed at the cost of Il
government. Here aud there the Tiv
will be straightened, the speed of Il
current accelerated, the channel tn
deepened aud overnows lessened
number and destructiveness. But II
submersion is essential to the CONT
ued productivsness Of lowland plant
r tons. The layer of alluvlum deposit
! by the muddy water is the equivale
: of guano. Without it the country }
: comes valueless for the production
n cotton, and therefore the wisdom
r..