The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-02-20
The IntereoastaI Waterway Channel.

The BANNER is in receipt of a
communication from our fellow
citizen and civil engineer, Mr..
Walter Y. Kemper, relative to the
projected inland waterway from
Franklin to Mermentau, thence to
Brownsville, Tex. In his letter Mr..
Kemper embodies an excerpt from
bill now being urged by Con-
gresham Broussard, the pur-
pose Of which is to author
ize the Secretary of War
70 change the location CT the
eastern terminus of this way from
Franklin to another point on the
Teche which he may deem ad-
visable or advantaseo to the
best interests of the people and
communities affected.
The following is the excerpt
from Congressman Broussard's
bill:
Section |. That the project adopt
ed by Congress in the River and Har-
Dor Act of March second, nineteen
IIuIlNIcu dEQ SCNCus III du 1illduu
Waterway Channel from Franklin to
Mermentau. Louisians. may be modi-
fed by the Secretary of War, in his
discretion, by changing the location
of the eastern terminus of said
waterway from the town of Franklin,
on Bayou Teche, to such other point
on said Bayou that he may select:
Provided, That in the event the
modification herein authorized is
made. valid title to the necessary
right of way shall be secured to the
United States free of COST
This matter, to which the BAN
NER has already briefly referred
to in recent issues, is one of
most vital importance to the peo-
pie of Franklin and that part of
the parish of St. Mary known as
the Cypremort country. The
plan of this waterway, as origin
ally framed as we understand it,
was intended to make Franklin
the eastern terminus and basis of
supplies of t.le canal, via Cote
Blanche Bay section, through the
rich Cypremort valley, thence on
to the starting point at Mermen-
tau. The purpose of Congress-
man Broussard's bill is to make
this eastern terminus at some
other poin. on the Teche, which.
if successful, would practically
destroy whatever trades or other
advantage our town and parish
would derive from the construc-
ton and operation of this new
water route. 1t has only been
recently that Lieut.. R. R. Ralston,
assistant to Lieut-Col. L. H.
Beach, engineer in char ge of this
district, and comm ttee of cit'-.
izens from this city, went over the
route outlined above and found
it not only IT, most advantageous
to all concerned, but the only one
which would thoroughly engross
all the aims, purposes and possi-
bilities of such waterway.
Now what our people want to do
and they want to, begin at once,
and bestir themselves actively, is
to call a mass meeting of all
business and other classes and
to submit strong memorials to
Congress asking for the establish
ment of this eastern terminus and
basis of supplies at the city of
Franklin, and appointing one or
more energetic citizens to at once
secure the necessary right of
way and all such other data as
may be needed from the people
through whose le ads t',is canal
will pass, so as to make a strong
case in our favor befo Congress
as soon as it convenes next
This canal project seems to be
one, which, by right of topogra-
ply, belongs to the town Of Frank
lin, as it's eastern terminus and |
basis of supplies. Any other
place for this terminus would |
strip the richest section of the
State (the fertile Cypremort sugar
of participation in the
immense benefits to accrue from
the completion OF this great water
way. Furthermore, with the
eastern terminus at Franklin, all
that rich country lyisg between
Franklin and Morgan City would
be largely benefited as well by
their contiguity to the canal.
No other object exists for the
cutting of this intcrcoastal canal
but the reducing of freight rates
to the agricultural and business
classes and the placing of these
rates on a permanent basis.
Change this terminus to any other
point but Franklin-and what
would the parish of St. Mary, the
richest perhaps in the State. get