The leader., 1903-10-28
Approaching Levee Convention.

lCnalFIIlan Luce OF the Executive
Committee Of the Interstate Mis-
sissippi River Improvement and
Levee Association, announces that
more than two thousand dele
gates will attend the convention
of that body which will meet in
New Orleans on October ~, ac-
commodation aggregating this
number having been requested
thus far from the various States
and Territories. Among the del
egates will be members of the
Mississippi River Commission,
United States Senators and Con-
gressmen, Presidents of Railroad
systems and many other men of
National prominence.
Judge Robert S. Taylor, of the
United States Mississippi River
Commission, recognized as one of
the best posted men in the country
on Mississippi River matters,
writes that he has cancelled several
important engagements in order
to attend the convention. He will
deliver an address. He is a
strong advocate of the national
control of the Mississippi River
Levee system.
Senator Depew advises that he
is in hearty sympathy with the
objects and aims of the conyen-
ton.
United States Senator M. S.
Quay of Pennsylvania, writes Mr..
Luce: II am in entire sympathy
with the project, and will be glad
to do what ever [ can in its be-
half"
These are samples of more than
five hundred similar letters from
leading men throughout the coun-
try, now in possession of Mr..
Luce.
The Governors of at least fifteen
States will attend, while the Pres
idents and Chairmen, as well as
other members of all the Levee
Boards, River Improvement AS
sociations, and many of the Boards
of Trade, Chambers of Commerce,
and similar bodies in the Missis-
sippi Valley have advised the Ex-
ecutive Committee of their inten-
tions to come.
The object of the Executive
Committee has been to secure the
attendance of the headsof all these
bodies, as we'll as the heads of
all the big railroad systems in the
Mississippi Valley, and in this
marked success has been attained.
Thus the convention will be
probably the most representative
gathering ever held in the Missis-
sippi Valley, if not the entire
country.
The object of the Interstate
Mississippi River Imp ovement
and Levee Association in calling
this convention was to bring
prominently before the Congress
of the United States and the peo-
pie of the country the vast good
which would result were the gov
eminent to assume control of and
complete the Mississippi River
Levee system, for thereby would
be reclaimed and brought into cul
tivation more than 10000, 900
acres of the richest land on the
American continent. No land re-
clamation plan on such an immense
scale has ever before been at
tempted the English reclaimed
only 100000 acres along the
banks of the Nile; the Dutch
dikes reclaimed only $500, 900
acres, while the Zuyder Zee will
reclaim less than 100000 acres.
That the 10000, 900 acres of now
annually overfiowed lands along
the Mississippi can, with compar-
alive ease, be reclaimed by the
government is fully apparent from
the reports of every engineering
investigation ever made. Gov
eminent levees do not break, and
in order to reclaim all this vast
area, now largely impenetrable
swamps, it would only be neces-
sary for the government to bring
up to its standard of construction
all State and private levees and to
complete the line. The larger
portion of the work has already
been done.
At the convention on October
q the matter of government con-
troll and appropriations will be
discussed at length, and arrange
ments will be made to send a
strong delegation to Washington
at the proper time. Men who are
yersed in the matter say that the
movement is already hacked
solidly by thirty States and Ter
ritories, consequently it is only a
matter Of time until the Govern
mpnt will take control.