Evening journal., 1897-06-26
MISSISSIPPI LEyEES.
People Along the River Want
Them Done Away With
Methods Suggested for the Protec-
tIon of Farms and Towns I'm
Flood Times-Opinions OF
the Sufferers.

CAIRO 10 NlclSDhib Alohh SbeoAA'SNN
men, planters, residents of river cities,
river prophsts and the oldest and young
est inhabitants of the districts which
are in or contiguous to the flooded dis
tricts. Probably the only class Of peo-
ple who do not concur in this assertion
are the government engineers and mem
bers Of the leyee boards in the different
states. Even they admit that the levee
system has proved failure this year,
no far as giving protection to the lands
behind them is concerned, and the only
defense they can offer is that the high
water of 1897 is without precedent, so
that no calculations based on conditions
Of previous years could be taken into ac-
count in coping with the floods. To this
argument the disgruntled populace re-
ply. "What has brought about the un-
precedented high water but the exten-
sion of levee system to keep the water
pent up in n narrow channel, contrary
TO the intent of nature?" Year after
wear the broad bottom lands into which
theriver had found access have been shut
of from the Mississippi; perodicallyi 1t
has broken from the restraint put upon
Il and entered the forbidden lands.
A system of outlets has been tried.
butsfound wanting, and now the people
along the river declare that the same'ir
true of the big leveesystem. These peo-
ple are not skilled in the science OF en-
cheering, but they appear to compose
amaiority of the better classof citizens,
and base their conclusions on their OBJ
sarvations in years of previous over
flows. They are the class who place
lotches on the corners Of houses and il
tree trunks 20 mark the extreme height
of the water, and who are familiar With
every crook and bend in the river, its
tributaries and lakes and bayons.
And what do they offer as q substi-
tute for the great embankments which
liberal government has helped to
create? They have many things to
oFfer but few subscribe 10 any substi.
tute for the levees. On the contrary,
they say that they welcome the over
flow, with its resultant rich deposit Of
silt on their impoverished land. Tho
horrors of the crevasse, the resstless
current which uproots trees and sweeps
houses from their foundations are not
characteristics of an overflow, but are
the creatures of the levees, produced
only when the big entertainments fail to
hold theriver in its course, and, having
increased its pent-up fury, finally allow
it to wrealk death and devastation with
the force which the levees alone cre-
ated "Let the periodical overflows
come they say. "and we viii welcome
their calm approach and permit them TO
enter our fields and plantations unre-
strained
Then they point TO the great mounds
which a prehistoric race have erected
on both sides of the river commonly
called Indian mounds" and declare
thot thisIw was a method q former race
had ofTmeetlng the waters. Many OF
these mounds have been taken posses
sion of by the planters, and where they
do not exist the planters have already
begun their erection. On these houses
and barns are built, cattle pens art
erected, and they serve as most effective
havens during the time of overflow.
Another method which is already EN-
ployed, even behind some of the larges
and strongest levees, in which the peo
pie have no confidence, as n result o.
years of experience. is that of building
small private levees about the few acre.
included in their orchards, garden
and plots of ground surrounding thei
homes and those of the hundreds of EN-
ployes on every great plantation.
Some of the people who are oppose
20 the continuation Of the levee system
are advocates of the STRENGTHENING o
L.. -. rTl,fr al Iarlnrn
that the money now being eXpende
by the government in levees could b
applied to much better advantage i
strengthening out the crooks and bend
which the errauc Mississippi takes, an
materially decreasing the distance be
tween Cairo and New Orleans. deeper
ing the channel and allowing a free
access to the gulf But here the OF
ponents of the leyees lose the esupport G
their .adherents, -the stcamboatmer
who say that such stream woul
have 50 swift current as TO rende
navigation practically impossible.
Much of the dissatisfaction which e'
lists among the people where the leveC
are not under the control of the go'
eminent is due to their belief that II
state DOdIuA are hohtAtolnutu WIN W
ruption. and that the funds appropr
ated by the states serve as q grab-ba
for those intrusted with their distribl
tion in the form of high official salarie
expensive clerical forces. exorbitant e
pense accounts and Open connivan'
with the contractors who work and b
under their direction and approva
Hardly atown Of any size can be visi;C
between Cairo and Yicksburg whei
such accusations are not made openl
and citizens. 5yho have the weight
business. success. or high official stan
ing areeagers seto father statemen
derogatory TO the probity and go'
faith offhe-loca levee boards. For Il
water fighters. who work night al
day along the river front. in the actu
labor of battling with the river, th'
have the greatest respect. and on
words of praise are heard for the