The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1909-02-19
To Drain the Levee Districts,

Editor Tennessean: desire to cal
your attention to the fact that there is a
bill pending in the Legislature, provid-
ing for the establishment Of drainage
and levee districts. This bill looks to
the reclamation, for purposes Of agri-
culture, of the swamp lands, and lands
subject to overflow, Of our State These
lands lie almost entirely in West Ten
nessee, and while the whole State is. IN
terested in the reclamation Of these
lands, the division in which they lie is
especially SO interested. And Memphis,
the commercial metropolis Of this re-
gion, is, or should be, much interested
IN this subject.
Many have given this subject but lit
| tie, if any, thought, and have no idea
of the large amount of these lands ly-
| ing in West Tennessee that are unfit for
tillage in their present condition.
There are approximately one million
acres Of this land unfit for cultivation
in its present condition, or upon which
the cultivation of crops is too precarious
for profitable agriculture. All the recla-
nation projects of the Federal Govern
ment, which it expects to complete by
the end of the year 1910, in the arid
regions, comprise not more than twice
this amount of land. In reclaiming
these arid lands the Government is
spending vast sums, an average of thirty
six dollars per acre. The most of these
wet lands in West Tennessee lie along
the little rivers land their tributaries)
that flow across the plateau slope"
and to the Mississippi, and in this re-
gion there is no stone Therefore the
cutting of bitches, and all earthwork, is
cheap compared with the cost of such
work in rocky regions. A few dollars
an acre would reclaim most of these
lands. These little rivers are tortuous
in their courses through their flood
plains, which they often overflow, but
wind in gentle curves. By straighten-
ing and cleaning out these tortuous
streams their bottoms could be saved
from overfiows, practically. The aver
age fall of these streams, if nearly
straight, would be about three feet per
mile. The fall of the Tennessee River
from Colbert Shoals to the mouth is
four inches per mile; of the Mississippi,
from Cairo, less than six inches per
mile
The bill referred to has been care
fully prepared and is of the same gem
eral character as the laws of other
States on this subject, long since en-
acted. This bill should become a law,
and | write to enlist, if | can, the Nash
Vile Tennessean in the advocacy of this
If any details are found i'm
perfect they should be amended by the
next Legislature. These lands are. all
good, for tillage purposes, if reclaimed,
and many of them are as rich as the
best delta lands of the Mississippi.
Legislation of this character was held
unconstitutional up to 1905, when our
Supreme Court overruled the former
cases and upheld the validity of such
legislation. This is why, no doubt, we
ire so far behind other States in enact
ng laws on this subject.
Under separate cover I send you a
printed pamphlet discussing the impor-
ance, and feasibility of retaining these
ands. Possibly you may find time to
Examine it.
/ address this letter to other papers
or a like purpose, hoping to enlist their
id in the passage of this important
MEASURE.
JNo. S. COOPER.
Traptnp Tam Fab 10