The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1901-11-29
THE LEVEE REALITIES.
LAKE COUNTY WANTS THE
lEVEE TO HICKMAN.
BUT THEY DO WANT CO-OPERA.
TION TO HELP BUILD IT.

The Lake County Advocate, owned by
MIR. j. c. Harris, the head of the Levee
Board and chief promoter of that enter
prise, makes the following editorial ex-
PLANTATION as to the levee situation
which, it is fair to say removes some er-
roneous apprehensions that obtained III
the Kentucky section:
Self preservation and protection is
the leading feature with the Tennessee
ans. aud a line will ultimately be carried
through from the highland in Lake
county to the bluffs IN Obion county
or to Hickman, Kentucky. This has be
come an absolute necessity. and the
beneficial effects have already been felt
by the portion of levee built There
was at the beginning some opposition
to this enterprise; some persons honestly
doubling the successful carrying out
of so gigantic an enterprise with the
means in sight to do it, But now the
people of Lake county are all together
and IN the harness. The writer of this
article is well acquainted with the pro-
prietor of the Courier, and believes ham
to be a fair man and sincerely a levee
advocate and thoroughly in sympathy
with the enterprise, but my dear friend
sympathy will not build levees at $40
900 per mile-just about what this levee
will cost to Hickman-which We have
found out by practical experience. We
have never heard of a single individual
in Tennessee express or favor in any way
the levee across the lake with the State
line, and the writer hereof Is interested
in Kentucky land which would be val
liable with the Hickman route and to-
tally worthless without the levee; but
the law under which we are building
this levee says we shall go from Slough
Landing north to the Kentucky line and
thence east to the hills in Obion county,
provided that we may 60 through Ken
, lucky to Hickman, Ky. if they, the
Kentuckian' S will contribute sufficient
I TO make 1t cost no more. The Courier
says the Kentuckian's would like to
cooperate with Tennessee neighbors. if
permitted to do so, That permission is
hereby granted. not only granted. but
earnestly solicited. Cooperation, GER
tainly means for both to do their part.
We have put up sl00, 900 spot cash with
the free right-of-way and are blowing
it in, and will put up $1,000 more if
necessary, besides great amount of
time and push to get it started, and are
now nearly TO the Kentucky line where
we must stop till we see through. Now
my Courier friend, what has your peO-
pic done, hew do many of them talk and
what do they say? We know that
some of them have said that Lake coun
ty is so vastly interested it must build
this levee or greater part OF 1t will be
destroyed by washouts; they will have
to build to Hickman because 1t Is Im-
possible TO cross the head of the lake,
and if it was possible to cross the lake
they would enjoin US and sue us for
damages; others have said the levee
shall not cross my land without paying
prices dictated by ourselves, and that
there was no law in Kentucky to force
the right-of-way by jury of valuation,
and so unpatriotic as to put in excessive
claims for the cutting of row of corn
through cornfields when making sur
vey of this public enterprise IN August
| 1899. annoying the government officials
and the Lake County Levee comrnls-
sion persistenuy with those unreason-
able claims.
With such distractions thrown in the
way and the do-nothing policy on the
part of the Kentuckians, it would be
discouraging if We could not help our
selves. Being thus confronted 1t te-
came necessary for US to make an ex-
animation to see how We could get to
the hills. and have found by actual sur
yey by the same man who made the
Hickman survey, and it is demonstrated
by the actual cubic yards that we can