The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1907-03-09
GOVERNORS AID INVOKED
Bayou Lafourche Lock Question Dis
cussed with States Chief Executive.
Big n ass-NIeeting to be Held at
DonaldsonviIlle ON Wed
nesday. March go.

nesday, March go.
A large delegation of representative
citizens of Ascension and Assumption
parishes visited Baton Rouge on
Wednesday and held conference with
Gov. n. G. Blanchard rel alive to the
substitution of locks for the dam which
now cuts off communication between
the Mississippi river and Bayou La
fourche at Donaldsonville, it being the
desire of the committee to enlist the
aid of the governor in compelling the
Atchafalaya and Lafourche Basin
levee boards to perform what is
claimed to be their bounden duty in
the premises, namely, the construction
of the locks at the earliest practicable
time. The matter was discussed for
more than an hour, with the result that
the governor agreed to call a joint
meeting of the two levee boards to be
held at the courthouse in Donaldson
vile on Wednesday, March 20, at 10
- C4OCA d. LIE dbu w INV 4GC IlC dteOh0@
dance Of United States Engineers Jad-
win and Conklin and other prominent
officials converse ant with and interested
in the subject of levee mainten ance
and lock construction. Gov. Blanch-
ard promised to be present himself
and TO do all in his power to forward
the object in view. It is expected that
very large crowd of citizens of the
Lafourche valley will attend this meet
ing and set at rest any doubt as to
the state OF public sentiment on the
lock question among the people most
directely concerned in its solution.
Hon. r. NJ Sims, member of the
board OF control of the state peniten-
tiary. acted as spokesman for the del
egation. which he referred to as about
the strongest body of ''kiekers" he
had seen in number Of years. Each
member of the party wore on the lapel
of his coat long white streamer bear
ing the injunction, s'Don't Deadlock
the Locksee
After introducing the visitors to
Cove Blanchard and presenting the
latter with copy of the resolutions
adopted at the joint meeting of rep
resentatives OF Ascension and AS
sumption parishes held at Napoleon
vile on Feb. g Mr. Sims proceeded
to state the purpose of the delegations
visit to Baton Rouge. He said they
had come to appeal for the enforce
ment of the laws, and believed that the
governor. as the chief executive of
fcer OF the state, could assist them in
gaining the privileges to which they
are entitled through calling upon the
Atchafalaya and Lafourche Basin
levee boards 60 carry out the letter
and spirit of the law by erecting locks
at the mouth OF Bayou Lafourche.
He recited the many advantages to be
derived from the building of these
locks and the hardships imposed by
the failure of the levee boards TO full
fill their promises ana obligations.
He said Bayou Lafourche had been
closed about three years ago and tn at
since that time more than $500, 900 had
been expended in an effort TO postpone
and put aside what the law specifically
said should be dones A large pump,
he said, which was Installed at Don
aldsonville with the assurance that it
would give relief, now stands far out
in the river in dilapidated condition
as monument to the mistakes of the
men who had it constructed, and in
other instances the people have seen
their money expended for things that
are of no material benefit to them.
ssThe gist of the situation, said Mr..
Sims, sis that when the dam was built
we would not have consented to such
action if we had not been promised
that locks would follow in the near
future. With a stream 10 miles long,
which is conceded to carry more ton
mage than any other like waterway in
the country, it is a shame that its ad-
vantages to navigation should be SO
hampered. We come to you as citi-
zens and taxpayers and ask that you,
as our chief executive, give US the pro-
lection which is justly ours"
At the conclusion of Mr.. Sims
speech, the governor asked number
of questions regarding the sentiment
of the people living in the territory
traversed by Bayou Lafourche, to
which Mr.. Sims replied that every
body wants the locks except those
who do not understand the situation,
and few who believe that if the dam
is removed it will cause an overflow.
stAm I to understand, asked the
governor, that you want the locks,
but if you cannot get them you want
the dam removed anyway" There
was a general response of ''No; we
want the 1evee boards to carry out
their obligations to the United States
government and the people of our
section. y
The governor then gave an extensive
review of his conception of the situa-
ton, as gathered from newspaper re-
ports and other sources, stating that
he did not think it was the purpose of
the federal government to render
Bayou Lafourehe unfit for navigation,