The Opelousas courier., 1894-05-12
Proposed New Levee District.

A large and respectable meeting OF
the citizens residing in Fausse Polnte,
parish of Iberia, vas held at Loreau-
willie on the 9th day OF May, 1894, Tor
the purpose of urging the creating OF a
Teche district.
Charles Mestayer president, and Mr..
Jos. Camos secretary, and appointing
E. r. King, Fl. Steckler, Jr., and ): Z.
Rroussard a committee on resolutions
and appointing a committee to collect
funds to a necessary expenses, to-WlC:
Louis Broussard, Morenas Dugas, Eu-
gene Prince, Albert Boutte and Numa
Broussard, adopted the following reso-
lutions, tO-wit:
Whereas, the people residing on the
east and northeast bank OF the bayou
Teche, from Port Barre, at the head OF
the Teche, to Berwick Bay, a distance
of $50 miles, every mile OF which Is oc-
cupied by farms and plantations, whose
have never Men known to overflow,
have been attached to the Atchafalaya
Basin Levee District, composed OF the
marshes of Pointe Coupee, West Baton
| Rouge, Iberville, Assumption, Lafour-
che. Terrebonne and all those portions
Of the parishes of St. Mary, Iberia, st.
| Martin and St. Landry, east OF the Da-
Won Teche, against their will and pro-
test, thereby being compelled to pay
g%rievous and unjust taxes for the bene-
ft of the river parishes, receiving little
if any benefit from the anne.
Whereas, from the constantly lncreas-
| ing volume of water coming down the
| AtchaAlaya and discharging itself
| through numerous rivers, bayous,
| and ann in a basin from 80 to Az
miles wide and from 60 to 70 miles long,
it is impossible for either the State OF
| the levee board to construct any system
| of leyees to protect the people residing
| therein, and they are necessarily COM
| PEELED to build levees to protect them
selves or to abandon their homes n
lands. Under such circumstances, we
consider it IL grievous wrong and IN
Justice to compel them to pay taxes for
| the benefit of the people residing IN the
| river parishes, holding it a self-evldent
proposition that taxation and protection
| should go hand in hand.
Whereas, there being six OF the river
| parishes to three of the Teche, his
| gives the former such a preponderance
in the levee board, as to enable them to
lew such taxes as suits themselves,
duu vi uISpoGIbS w NsIa "tobc wv
of such taxes for their own benefit with
out making any just or equitable re-
turn to the people OF the Ieclie parishes
| for their portion of the same.
Therefore, we the people OF Fansse
Pointe, 10 mass meeting assembled, do
| appeal to the Legislative authority of
| our State to grant us a levee district OF
| our W composed of all that portion of
the parishes of St. Mary, Iberia, St.
| Martin aud st. Landry, now embraced
in the Atchafalaya Basin Levee Dis
trict, so that we may have the right,
dear to every freeman, to levy our own
| taxes, and make such use of the pro-
| ceeds of such tax as we may find most
beneficial to ourselves.
2. In making this appeal, W. recog-
| nize our obligations to the bond-holders
OF any other legal Indebtedness that
may have been contracted by the Atch-
| afalaya Basin Levee Board during the
time we are in that district, and in case
the new district is granted us, we obi
gate and bind ourselves to levy a tax
sufficient to pay Il portion OF the
same. We further bind ourselves to
raise a fund for the purpose of assisting
in keeping up such levees as VT may
| find necessary for our own protection.
3. We respectfully and earnestly re-
quest our Senator and Representative
to support this measure by introducing
a bill for that purpose and earnestly
and zealously pressing the same before
the Legislature to its final passage into
a law.
4. We appeal to the people OF all the
Teche parishes to join us in the meas
ure to hold meetings, get up petitions
and bring their influence to bear or
their Senators and Representatives.
pecially to those of Arnaudville, Breaux
Bridge, st. Martinville, Iberia, Jeaner-
cite, Charenton, Franklin, C~entreville,
Patterson and Morgan City.
5. We authorize Capt. E. Z. King to
put these resolutions in proper shape
and request the Times-D Democrat, Plea
yune and the local papers Of the par
ishes of Iberia, st. Mary, st. Martin and
| st. Landry to publish the same.
A rousing vote OF thanks was extend
ed to Capt. King for the interest he has
manifested in this matter, and the meet
ing adjourned.
CHARLES MEsTAYER, SR.,
Jos. CAMos, President.
Secretary.