The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-08-05
Fourth District Leyees.
4 Meeting ofProminentC Citizens to Deyise
Ways and Means for Protecting the
District from Further Overflow.

sioners for the Fourth District at Morga
az City, number of leading planters an
~ citizens of that district assembled at til
- st. Charles Hotel, New Orleans, and OF
- gained by selecting Judge Z. S. Good
- OF IeTebonne as chairman and MI
a. Richard Mccall Of Ascension secretary
II The gentlemen then present and vii.
subsequently participated in the deliber
;. atlons were Messrs. A. D. Smith, Martin
! Glynn and J. L. Kingsbury of Pointt
:. Conpee, j. Il. Deval and A. Levert, Jr.
OF West Baton Rouge, J. G. McWillams
of Iberville, r. and H. Mccall of Ascen.
- sion, Judge F. S. Goode, o. S. Daspit and
Aureli6 Theriot OF Terrebonne, C. G.
= Zenor and NJ. Bosworth of st. Mary. -
Gordon of st. Landry, H. S. Morse, su-
perintendent of the New Orleans Pacific
s railway, Geo. Pandely, superintendent of
Morgan's railway, and the members of
0 the Board of State Engineers.
From the report published by the New
. Orleans Times Democrat we make the fol-
) lowing extracts, Which will fully ex plain
the action Of the convention:
Judge Goode explained that the object of
, the meeting was to devise some means OF
raising sufficient money in the fourth dis
trlct to close at least the crevasses in Pointe
Coupee An estimate had been made by the
State Engineers, showing that the closing
OF crevasses and building OF leyees in the
fourth district would tar exceed the amount
which will be received from the five mill tax
levied by the commissioners OF the f,urth
district, as well as that to be received as
their share from the one mill State tax out
OF the general engineer fund.
Mr. Smith presented the following resolu-
ton, which he had received from the Police
Jury of Iberia:
kcsolred, That in view Of the unanim GUS
opposition OF the people Of this parish to the
ievying OF !. tax tor ievee purposes, they re-
spect1uiiy decline to appoiata commissioner
To meet commissioners of said other parishes
forming the Fourth Levee District, to devise
means OF protection against future Hoods.
Col. Zenor said he hoped the convention
would he able to devise some means OF rails |
ing money for the levees of the district.
ihey had no authority to collect taxes from
the people, and he supposed there was to he |
some Sort OF sratuitous contribution from |
the people OF the district. Of course, after
| the disastrous overflow there were many
| who would be willing to contribute their
share who would not possess the means to
DO SO; but some plan should he devised to
| raise money for them, which they would re-
turn as soon as they are able. For instance,
the New Orleans Pacific Railroad, whose
line Ut road runs through soluc OF the most
valuable lands Of tile district, might adj
vance II great portion OF the amount needed
All the parIShes would no doubt agree to
the payment OF these personal obligations
1or a certain amount. lie was satisfied they
would do this, as it would he u sacred obii-
Satlon paramount to every other.
Some discussion ensued lis to the addi-
tlonal amount which would be required
MI flynn thought that ali additional five
mil tax, With discount Tor non collection,
would DC sufficient to do the work estimated
IN the report OF the Board OF State Ensi-
neers. He said further, that from CONVEX
Stations he had held with gentlemen from
lbervlllc, he was satisfied that parish would
90 whatever the convention agreed to. :
The Pacific road was complimented for
the ald ~ had already given the plan tiers
along its iAc.
Major Richardson, Chief State Engineer.
then read the report Of the board which had
been prepared and read ut the meeting OF
the Levee Commissioners, and explained
that the estimates werD very cruue, and
might be made much larger.
Judge GOode then had read Act No. I29, I
passed by the recent Legislature. tuthoriz- 8
ing Police Juries to levy special. taxes for
u.tAoinS ltFees. CuuRe OUOde stated that =
the difficulty under this law is the doubt i
which exists as to whether the money raised
Dy GINS special tax must be expended exciu- L
SlVely III the parish where it is raised III it 7
were not for all this he would suggest that
each parish call meeting to levy IL tax to n
build levecs. He believed the people would \
levy Il liberal tax: but the difficulty lueu- =
toned presented itself. t
MI. II. MCCALL suggested that committee t
be appointed to draft resolutions i'll structing
tue various Police Jurics to see what can be S
lone III the parishes for collecting I. tax or y
contribution. He said some people would !.
contribute very little. AS far as his parish u
was concerned, only a small portion OF it-
from the Latourche to the upper line-was
Included III the district and he didn't sup >,
pose more than three or four men could ne
ound who would give any thing, us most OF S
them arc not affected. u
Mr. Il. Mccall said the overtiowed portion
of his parish did not amount to more than t
9250, uJv. Or five or six plantations. r
COL AenOr sad We ought to be satisfied il -
Ascension, Assumption and Ibervilie keep L
Up their own front leyees, without asking r
hem to keep up tie upper leyees of West
eaton Rouge and Poiute Coupee. 1t is as G
little lis the lower parishes do to assist L
hose two ln thus way the work can be
eadily accomplished. Let the people be 3
old OF it. He SAID i'll St. Mary IRON SI0,UUU d
y SIS, QUO coulu lie raised for the icvees, and
IL NOuiO uiutFtdhc W 10 ne only |
ificulty was to get the proper advance for
many who are unable to pay now, but who
viii give their paper, which is perfectly 6
,ood. Parties must be solicited to advance ~
he money. The time is rapidly passing, I'd
md we should be prepared Tor the next OF
ugh water. Ii due uliigence is observed i'll III
,uliding these levees he believed that i'll u OF
ew years we would have levees that would D
tanu amy flood. He spoke oil the great a,
'lluc OF the lands in this district and quoted 90
friend OF his, who said to protect them -,
hey were wortl, IL wall vi granite from Cairo =,
. the Gulf OF Mexico, and yet men who had s oi
Dst few hundred Thousand dollars by the 81
ate overflow would qulbbie about paying al
uything to repair the levees. A nlan
hight just as well refuse to replace the root
IL his house, which the storm has displaced ed
;ol lenur believed the majority OF the peo- 4,
lie would pay to help the ievees. At any -;
ate, voluntary contributions was the only e. e.
Ian to try; the enforcement method had OF
allied. 1t we should fail i'll our plan, let lis III
lii i'll making the best effort. The occasion at
ceds prompt action. Ii, in the parishes bl
here Si0,Uo0 or SIS 900 ought to be raised, tt
e only raise $5uUU, why then there Was te
nat much anyhow.
Mr. IL. Mccall moved that committee of
lrec be appointed, with the chair us an ex-
cio member, to draft resolutions setting p'
nth the wants OF The district and the neccs an
ty OF providing means for the ieyecs, which tic
solutions are 10 De forwarded To the presl- eli
;nts Of the Police Juries OF the district for pu
,nslderation. ia,
Carried. ~,
The chair appointed Messrs. Mccall, Zenor Wv
I'd Glynn, and the convention took Il re- -
SIS. After the recess the committee made
e following report, which was unanimous
adopted: -
New ORLEANS, July IS, 1882. IL
, the Hon. President and members of the -
Fourth Eevee District Convention
Your committee beg to rennrt that in u;c,u