Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-02-13


The swelling rivers in the Northern
states, so disastrous To property of ali
| kinds and threatening to the lives of
the jewellers along the banks Of the
overlooked streams, should awaken
| throughout the country d sense of the
neces sity that exists for protection of
the valley cities and farms. II the
present floods were rare, and an occur.
renee not 10 be repeated in lifetime,
we could afford to look for Is sub
sidence as ending aliapprehensious for
ut least score of years, but the fact
chat this is only a repetition ofthe work
Of last year, and that there is no assur-
ance that it will not ho repeated next
year, admnnishes us of the necessity uf
guarding against it, as far rs human
efforts may he able TO resist the floods
The situation demands government
aid OF n practical kind. a call is made
from the distressed communities for
money and provisions for the suffering
people. Without an exhibition fin
humanity congress cannot resist the !
appeal. II Will vote several hundred |
thousands OF dollars to relieve present
suffering, and when that Is appeastd |
the matter viii pass from the public
mind, and congress will think no
more OF 1t until n repetition ofthe flood |
next year or the year after eXcites
fresh commiseration for the sub.
merged people and makes another de.
mand Cor national aid. II seems not
to have occurred to congress that tn,
expenditure of this money in prevent
ing the disasters and losses of property
would have been far wiser than its
distribution 10 the people after they
have lost everything they possessed.
In one district in Ohio the overflow is
said to have caused a loss Of s., 600 GOO.
This Is not only II direct loss 10 the
but an indirect loss of that
to the country at large, for it !
essens the public capital to that ex-
.ent, which cannot be restored except
~ years Of work and privation. In q
addition TO this absolute loss by de l
'truction, the voting o: large sums of
money 10y the national and state legis- ,
atures, and private contributions of !
nd, for the subsistence Of destitute !
victims of the floods, is further loss .
to the public. Had halt the money
that will be irredeemably lost by the ,
present flood been spent in preventing q
hat loss, the country would
nave been several millions
IF dollars better OIL to-day
md better prepared to meet it in the
'uture. And the expenditure of til,
money would not have been Il loss to
he general capital, but only transfer i
# ii. 5
But the present devastation and ruin
II Ohio and Pennsylvania is trivial
to the losses that the people :
n the banks of the Mississippi suffer !
very year, and have suffered every :
ear since that river has been the
Gene of property Investments. APP 5
eals from this section for government u
id have had no sympathy from the y
'orth and East. Now that they are i
Altering, their own danger will !
waken them TO the necessity OF the y
and the Mississippi river =
ongressmen, reinforced by those of II
hio and Pennsylvania, can compel q
lore liberal policy of protection to v
ie ilood-endangered districts. Con- y
ress must Mt last take the view of the !"
latter that this demands national at b
.ntion, and that illiberality To the
Ponle of the river banks is meanness '
lie people OF the country. What is .
by angry waters in one ear u
ould protect their banks for dozen u
ears. p
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