The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-07-01
THE RIVER AND HARBoR BILL.

sage through the House Of Bill No. 1854
appropriating, among other amounts fol
the other streams, the sum Of "a, 123, 900
or as much thereof as may be necessary
out of any money in the treasury moi
otherwise appropriated, for the improve.
ment Of the Mississippi river from the
passes to Cairo, intending the harbors OF
New Orleans, Natchez, Vicksburg, Mem
phis and the rectification of the Red and
Atchafalaya rivers at the mouth of the
Red $500, 900 from Cairo to the Illinois
river and 5000, 900 from the Illinois river
to Des Moines Rapids, including stone
or brush revetment at or near Quincy.
1t will be seen from this that the con-
tinuous stream from the Rapids to the
Gulf has been divided, as it were, into
three sections, each having a separate
appropriation, which the bill prescribes
shall be expended by the Secretary OF
War according to the plans, specifica-
tions, estimates and recommendations of
the Mississippi River Commission, now
made or to be adopted by it. It is also
provided that the Secretary Of War shall
prescribe such rules and regulations as
may be necessary to secure judicous
and economical expenditure of said sums,
and shall cause to be made and submit
ted to Congress annual reports, on or
before January LIST, giving detailed state
ments of the work done, the e1pendi-
lures made and the effect of such work,
together with such recommendations as
ho may deem it proper to lay before
Congress.
This portion of the bill was, in its orig
inal shape, referred to the Committee on
Levees and Improvements Of the Missis-
sippi river, and was reported on as far
back as the gath of March, but the COM
mittee being without the power, under
the rules, to report an appropriation.
and in order to obtain certain action,
went before the House Committee on
Commerce and asked that the appropria-
ton for Improvement of the Mississippi
river be incorporated in the river and
harbor bill which was then before it.
The request was granted as to the full
amount asked, but with the proviso that
no portion of the money should be ex-
pended to repair or build lcvees for the
sole and exclusive purpose of reclaiming
lands OF preventing injury to them by
overfiows, and with the further proyiso
that the Commission is authorized to re-
pair and build leyees, if in their indg-
ment this should be done, as part Of their
plan to afford ease and safety to the nay
igatlon and commerce Of the river, and
to deepen its channel. The object of
these limitations-fo they are nothing
more nor less in a legal sense-can not
be seen at first sigh. and their meaning
is ambiguous. They might have been
omitted, especially so as they restrict but
this part, which is Of interest to lis, and
not the remainder of the bill. 1t is
thought, however, that their Insertion
was made to do away with the opposi-
tion understood, orfwhiol did actually
exist, against this bill, and to facilitate
its passage. The various and opposing
Interests brought to bear had to be over
come, and the people Of the lower Missis-
ippi Valley will be satisfied if the bill
finally passes rs it is and without fur
Their restrictions. It is not to be under
stood that the bill is entirely crippled by
these claims, for the intention of the
which may he used in con-
STRUNG, was, as expressed in its report,
that believing this work to be Of such
vast national Importance and Of such
a peculiar and intricate character, the
commission should not only be left I'M
trammeled by conditions of any kind
whatever, but that i. should have alum
dant means for the completion of this
great work at the earliest possible
period; and by the second proyiso,
which actually acts as a restriction upon
the first, tho building or repairing Of
levees is left to the discretion of the
commission, if they consider it necessary
to do SO in order to deepen the channel
and give ease and safety to the nayiga-
ton and commerce of the river. And
since this appropriation is to be expen-
ded according to the plans and recon-
mendations of the commission, it is to be
presumed that the Recommendation in
their printed report, that the building of
1etces and the closing up Of gaps in
those built, is the first thing to be done
i'll order not only to deepen tie channel
but to prevent destructive floods, will
be taken into consideration and acted
upan.z 1t will be seen that it is better to
leave we'll enough alone, and should any
attempted alteration of the parts Of the
bill prove dangerous to it's ultimate pas
sage, it should remain as it is.
The Committee Oh Commerce, from
the facts laid before them and the dis
cassiois held, came to the conclusion
that the only true rule to determine the
amounts of the different appropriations
made in the bill, was the tonnage that
doated through the harbor i'll and out
and over the river that was to be i'm
proved and appropriated for This was
believed to be the fairest test as to the
Importance of an Improvement. The
amount to be appropriated depended
on the character Of the work
to be done. The amount of commerce
was held to settle the question as to
beginning the Improvement, and the