The Concordia eagle. [volume] (Vidalia, La.) 1873-1890, 1881-05-14

the full power. management
and control in he making and
repairing of public levees. and
, he urges that the exercise of
this power, ia manner and form
as was done in this case, is
fully sanctioned by Art. 200 of
our Constitution. which reads
as follows:
Article 200. "The State tax
on property tor all purposes
whatever, including expen-
SEES of government, seho0ls,
, levees and interest shall not
exceed IN any one year six
mills on the dollar of assessed
valuation and
no parish or municipal tax for
all purposes whatsoever, shall
exceed ten mills on the dollar
! of valuation; provided, that
Tor the purpose of erecting aud
constructing public buildings,
bridges and works of public
Improvements in parishes and
municipalities, the rate OF tax
+ alton herein limited may he
! Increased when the rate of
such increase and the purpose
5 for which ii is intended shall
have been submitted to a vote
of the property taxpayers OF
such parish or municipality
; entitled to vote under the
I election f.ws of the State, and
a majority of same voting at
r such election shall have voted
therefor"
: Aud he contends that this
article be self operative, no
3 legislation was needed to put
! it in operation. Previous to the
: legislation contained in Act
!, No. 20 of 1866 aud Act No. ll5
! of 1867 the police juries in this
| State were vested with all
powers touching public levees,
but from that time To ibe-1TrG
? of the adoption of the Consti-
tuition of 1879 this power was
S absolutely Withdrawn from
r them, and was never restored
= to them, with the exception of
I the power to repair and pr"tect
/ completed levee
, No greater powers on the
e.. subject are conferred by act SO
Z which contaius the last Iegis'
: laiion On public levees. The
4, obieet of this act, as expressed
lin it's title, and shown in its
: text, was to invest the police
{ juries of the several parishes
? with the management aud con
5 troll OF all completed public
: ievees in this State, and to reg
q ulale the manner in which the
same may be cut for rice fumes
/ or other purposes.
r The great changes which
$ were wrought on the condition
: of the country by
THE CIVIL WAR
!, imperiously required the repeal
, of the legislation, under which
a the control of the public
;, levees had been lodged in the
+ police juries. aud the burden OF
building aud maintaining the
E same had been imposed on the
Mississippi river aud other
streams subject to over1ows.
The legisla ion creating the
+ Louisiana Levee Company and
The various boards of State
& engineers to whom were sue
cessIvely confded the control
and management of these i'm.
, purtaut public works and by
: whom the immense amounts of
the State revenues were lavish
!, " spent in the interest of
J levees. is a salient feature in
the recent history of this State,
and leaves no room to doubt
the legislative inteLtion Oh this
subject.
Act. No. 33 Of 1879, which
!, regulated the system at the
lime of the adoption of the
| constitution placed the control
of levees in the hands OF a
board of engineers who had the
, power to locate aud survey the
, works, of district commis>
sioners who levied the tax and
OF the governor who had the
, power to let out the work. Un>
der that law uuljcp iurips had