The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-06-25
ASK APPROPRIATIONS.
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WANTS GOV
ERNMENT BUILT LEVEEs.
Fish Snid Government Is in n Meas
urc Rcsponsible for Floods and
should Give Protection.

Now YORK. June 23-The MISSISSIPPI
river commission convened here today In
the army building and Immediately went
into executive session to deliberate on and
possibly make some changes in the annual
report of the commission. The report, as
soon as 1t has been put in the desired form,
will be forwarded to Secretary Of the Navy
Long. The congressional appropriation for
damages to property from the Overlooking
OF the Mississippi amounts to S2,933,333 for
the fiscal year ending June 30, 1898. This
sum will be distributed by the commission
after the hearing OF testimony on damages
from Cairo to the gulf and under the ex-
ecutive and disburslng supervision of the
commission.
sion Senator Berry of Arkansas addressed
tho convention He said the future OF the
Mississippi river depended upon the report
Of this commission. II the report WAS
favorable a sufficient sum OF money would
be appropriated TO protect the banks. lie
detailed at considerable length the causes
for dissatisfaction which had arisen III the
Southern States against the levee system.
He reviewed the action of congress IL it's
appropriation and said that ii was only
by the most strenuous efforts that S2,g33
1888 had been granted. He was not there
to tell the commission how TO make the
apportlonment but to emphasize the neces-
sity that the money should be distributed
SO as to cause no charge OF naruauty;
Governor Mclaurin OF Mississippi Wild
that it was as much the duty Of the govern
ment to protect one Side OF the river as
it was the other. The people OF the levee
district themselves had expended largo
amounts of money. Two districts alone
had spent about sll 900, coo up 10 date and
he declared the people were taxed to the
limit TO protect lcveos.
Continuing, Governor McLaurin said that
he thought one of the governments chief
duties lay IN protecting the navigation ana
settlers along the banks OF the Mississippi
He said that levees increased the current
of the river and washed and improved the
channel He hoped the commission would
report fnvorahly as appropriations from
congress depended upon its action
CONGRESSMAN Ca,chings of Mississippi
followed in tho same lines as the preceding
speaker.
Congressman McRae Of Arkansas said his
State would do her share toward extending
the levee system.
CONGRESSMAN Baird OF louisiana said the
need Of more and better levees had recently
been demonstrate.
Louisiana" he said. has already spent
twenty three billions of dollars in protect
ing the people. And Louisiana wants
liberal allotment"
Representative McCulloch of Arkansas
declared that congress was nlgSardly and
argued for an appropriation. He stated IL
YVES as simple TO improve the system as II
was TO improve New York harbor and the
building of a levee on one side of the river
increased the damage and obstruction on
the other side. He complained against the
"a 1..,,. Tu,,t yfa,arss ~
against the taxation for lcvees.
Congressman Love of Mississippi de
clared that fully one-fifth OF the original
value of land had been ruined by floods.
StuyNesnnt Fish, president of the Illinois
Central railroad. said the Federal govern
ment was to blame for Its action in denud-
ing the forest lands In Northern States by
railroad grants AS the government had
been responsible for the greater severity
OF the floods, ii was d. just that it miti-
gate by liberal appropriations some OF the
Mississippi mischief done.
Upon the conclusion of Mr.. Sish's speech
the delegates from the leyee districts in
the various States Froeented infinitely the
needs ID their particular sections for APP
preparations
Nearly all the delegates who addressed
the board thie afternoon dilated on the
millions that had been expended since the
levoes were constructed. They told OF the
enormous amount of taxes raised TO defray
the expenses OF keeping UP the levces. and
nearly all of them complained of empty
treasures, devastated lands and impaired
| credit. They all stated that they had gone
to the limit of taxation, They declared IT
was absurd TO tax land owners who had
lost everything by floods. II was shown
how impossible it was TO issue bonds. The
whole burden Of argument was the posi-
bilty OF the government lending helping
hand. With the leyees repaired and the
lands protected no additional help would
be required Tho estimate made OF ex-
penditures by districts ranged from $S0Q0.-
900 to Sli 900 600 600.
Colonel W. G. Yeager OF Mississippi said
that had there been no levee between the
river and Vicksburg the flood would have
beon appalling In loss OF life and destruc-
ton Of prope-.-. II che levees had not
| given away the water would have risen
four and ona.half feet higher than the flood
of 1892, the highest op record.
| Many of the delegates pointed out that
the frst-class levees resisted the en-
crSachments OF the flood.
Judge Prindel OF Arkansas maintained
! that the Mississippi wSK grel.t National
highway and should be protected by the
government.