The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1883-06-09
THE LEH1E CONVENTION.

xu0 me9tII1g OF u 0eV00 OOu
vent;on called to meet in Baton
Rouge on the 18th. instant will be
m assembly of representative
men, whose debates, and conclu
sions will be of great interest to
the people residing 10 the lower
districts Of Louisiana, and any
opinions promulgated by that body
will have q strong influence on the
future plans aud work that may be
done for the prevention of disas
trOus Overt1Ows from the Mississippi
River.
The delegates, who will assemble
in Baton Rouge are all personally,
as we'll as collectively interested in
the result of any deliberations of
that body.
They should certainly 60 to Bat
on Rouge with no other design
than to promote and advocate meas
nres that will prove beneficial to
the Staten
The individual ideas of the dele
gates should not be permitted to in
terfere with any plans that may be
successfully adopted to prevent
such disasters in the future as
have afflicted the people in the last
two years.
The Government of the United
States is disposed, the people in
the entire Mississippi Valley, arede
termined, that something must be
done, to prevent the destruction of
the crops, and the property in the
Valley, if human ingenuity and
science eau devise any means By
which it can be effected.
The plans of the Mississippi Riv
er Commission, now endorsed aud
sustained by the Government and
its Treasury should A permitted
to have u fair trial and it's work
aided by all the moral influences Of
the people.
As the contemplated improve
ments and tue results they may
bring about, are, to some extent,
experimental, patience must be had
until a fair trial is given them, and
this t1ia! cannot be made in Il day.
Time must be given tor a trial.
The closing Of the Atchafalaya is
one Of the visionary ideas that
ought not to be encouraged for a
moment.
The control of the amount of Wa
ter that flows into it is a question
that demands serious reflection.
Let the. Levees be properly made
above the mouth of Led River so
as to restrain the water of the main
river within its banks and force it
down to the Gulf at once, aud not
allow 1t to pour into the Ouacbita
basin, the Achafalaya will be ne1es
sary to carry off the waters of tho
Ouachita and Red rivers. II the
Mississippi can be made to obey
the commands of the River Commits
sion, as it has frequently done, the
problem Of limiting the flow into
the Atcbafalaya, to a quantity that
will not endanger the basin through
which it finds an outlet will he one
of easy solution.
To do any thing, however, that
will prove beneficial will require
money, and that in no small
aud the sums necessary
can only be found in the strong
boxes in the Treasury of the Uni
ted States Government.
Hence, while all plans merit dis
cussion, and any ideas deserve con
.sideration, in the proposed conven
ton, it would be unwise to attempt
that would run counter
to the plans of the River Commits
sion.
That Commission has the money,
and without money nothing can
be done:
The aim of the convention should
be to advocate aud recommend
measures that will enable that com
mission to give q fair trial to its
now under construction. The
of that commission have al
produced great benefits, and,
Il carried out will undoubtedly
prove Of great service.
At least, it is the only thing in
view to-day. It be 1shoold encour
ged, sustained and aided by all them
6uence which the Levee convention
eau give.
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