The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1910-04-09
AN OPEN LETTER.
To The Mississippi Commission,
The People of Louisiana,
Ihe PeOnlc of tho Miss NallnA-

Gentlemcn As YOU have been
! committed by act Of Congress 10
/ the whole question OF the reclaim
alton of the overlooked lands, and
the improvement Of navigation, /
/ submit to you the observations Of
4 map who has been a resident Of
/ the Atchafalaya Basin for ON cr sly
/ " years. and of one who has suf-
! Tered previously from the flood
| waters from the Mississippi rivpr
! coming down the Atchafalaya
through the mouth of the Red and
through the Old River, also, OF one
who has been student OF river
| questions during his long resi-
! dence, and Of one who has written
much on these subjects
To enable you to Judge proper
/ ~ and inteIligently of tho great
! question, now uppermoSt, Of di-
vorcing the Mississippi from fine
! Red and Atchafalaya, | submit for
your consideration statistics Which
| have gathered with great care.
| and such observations n | hay"
noted during my long residence
| Previous to the establishment OF
! the present system, the leVccs were
y
| Of the lands fronting on the rivers;
but since the establishment OF our
! present levce system all taXpay-
ers of a levce district are taxed
| equally with those living On the
| banks of rivers, Under the pres
| ent organization of the lpIer main
| tenance work and levCe building
| the leVccs have reached high
/ OF, 1 e 4 = l..
| those residing in the rear are af-
forded equal protection with those
| who have the protection works up
on their own lands.
| The parishes 81 the Attakapas,
and other coastal parishes, many OF
! thouf1he most populous and possess
| sing the greatest wealth OF any of
| the parishes of the state, when
| they find that they are being over
| flowed by the waters of the Miss
issippi coming down the A,chafal-
| ava, demand the enforcement Of
| the Mississippi from the Rod and
| Atchafalaya Those parishes 10
! Gated on the great father Of waters
oppose the proposition, fearing
| that such a course will raise the
| height of the flood waters in the
| Mississippi river and in some man
ner injure them. The same hue and
! cry was raised when the Plaque
mine and Lafourche rivers were
diked. But the closure of every
outlet of the Mississippi which has
been effected thus far, has demon
strated the falicy of the fears of
the people along this line; but
| they have operated in materially
aiding in the reclamation Of vast
areas Of valuable lands. There
fore | csntiOn the Commission a
| gainst needing too far the opposi-
| ton of those who have set their
faces against the divorcing of the
Mississippi from the Atchafalaya.
While the western parishes are
paying heavy taxes for Ievee pro-
lection they can never get that
protection as long as Old river is
open, with the double expense of
maintaining another set Of levees
of their own to protect their lands
from the floods coming down the
Atchafalaya. They are entitled to
equal protection with the Mississi-
ppi parishes, paying as much as
they do for Ievees; therefore, their
demand for the enforcement of the
rivers.
To show the importance OF this
measure | have gathered the fol-
lowing figures and facts bearing
upon the twenty-one parishes ly-
ing on the west side of the Miss
issippi river from the Arkansas line
to the Gulf, including the La
fourche parishes. | find from Ma
fnf fu hot IN ho
ten parishes south of Red river
there are 2,475,586 acres of wood
land unimproved 43S,8SG acres of
used for building sites and pastur
age; and only 785,962 acres which
are improved and in cultivation.
The crops of sugar, cotton and
rice made on these lands and ship
ped to market in 1908, an average |
crop year, not counting what was |
used at home or for other pur-
poses, amounted to S39,663,OOO or
an average of over $50 per acre
on all lands cultivated. In addi-
ton to this there was sawed and
sold from timber taken from these
lands by the several mills at least
$12,O0O,0O0, making in all $51 $685.
900. These figures are mentioned
in this connection merely to show
the annual value of these lands.
Almost every acre in these ten
parishes. which is not subject to
is under cultivation. OF
the remainder of the land at least
l 100000 acres can be reclaimed
cultivated and improved, and will
be as fast as they are protected
from the floods of the Mississippi
now coming down the Atchafalaya.
The highest of these unprotected
lands seldom overlooked before
the civil war, and they were be-
ng rapidly settled up. Since then
many sugar plantations and farms
aggregating 10000 acres, have had
% be abandoned in consequence Of
he oft recurring floods.
7 will now call your attention
bearing in the metropolitan pa
,ers of today. On March goth /
ound the following: Il
Jatchez, in feet,.-- =. ---4O.2
There is no guage at the mouth
of the Red, but the stage of
water must have stood at SO or 81
1t Simmsport, several miles
down the Atchafalaya river, 324
1t Alexandria, on the Red. 76 !
1t Camden. on the Ouachita,--- 6.5
These readings show that Doth
hese rivers were at normal stages, ]
,ut when they attempt to dis J
barge their waters into the At !
they are prevented from
o doing by wall of water from
L:rI I