National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-05-29
The Mississippi Levees.

From year to year congress is called upon
to make appropriations for the relief of per-
sons who have been impoverished by tho over
flowing of the Mississippi river. There is no
constitutional authority for the expenditure
of the public money for such u purpose, but
when great calamity has fallen upon u COM
munity nobody cares to interpose constitu-
tonal objection to the granting of relief.
Members of congress find it easier to 10 chart
table at the expense of the government than
to give portion of their own earnings to
those whose suflerings excite their compassion.
Tho policy, however, is not safe one, and
it would probably be best to trust to private
benefcence in all cases except where the ne
cessity for relief is immediate and overwhelm-
ing.
There has been good deal of discussion as
to the authority of congress to appropriate
money for the building of levees to prevent
oyerhows, and sort of constitutional fiction
is kept up under which the operations of the
Mississippi River commission are ostensibly
carried on for the improvement of naviga-
tion, although every one knows that the real
object is to protect tho riparian plantations
from overflow. If the government is to be
called upon to make large appropriation for
the relief of the people in the lower Missis-
sippi valley every time the river overtlows,
it would be better to drop the fiction about
the improvement of navigation and to set to
work in good earnest to repair the levees.
Prevention, in this case, would be much
better than relief.
| After the levees are completed il will require
tho maintenance of a large force to keep them
in repair. TheNcw Orleans PicayRe attribute;
most of the disasters of the present season to
tho bad policy Of the Louisiana state authori-
ties in applying all the money set apart for
tho leyee fund to tho building Of new EN-.
! baukments, while the old ones are allowed TO
| 90 to ruin. 10 properly maintain the loveei
| will require the employment of permanent
corps of laborers, and the establishing of de-
pots for tools and materials for Strengthening
threatened points and repairing breaks. In
fact, system precisely like that adopted b.
railroad companies for keeping their en-
bankments intact must DO applied to TIN
levees
Perhaps the United States government viii
finally be obliged to take control of tho who'll
business. At present the Louisiana stat
government is not able to cope with Thu
foods 1t is losing ground all the time, aud
the crevasses grow larger aud more numer
Gus every year. This, no doubt, is partly due
to the inelliciency ofthe state administration
but to keep the Mississippi river within it
banks is a tolerably big undertaking, an,
more money is required than the state car
afford to expend. In recent speech mad
before the Louisiana legislature Senator.ele
Eusts said that permanent exemption from
the disasters of tho destructive floods Cal
only DO ultimately secured by friendly fed
eral legislation"
1t is quito evident that the people of th
lower Mississippi valley arc looking to tn
United States government to take hold Of tn
work, The Mississippi river commission a