St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1910-02-12
AGAINST DANNING OF
BAYOU COURT ABLE EAU.
Strong Resolutions Passed By Heeilng Held
At The Courthouse Last Saturday.
On BOOKER T. PLAN Mr..
mr.. ANDREPONT CHAIRMAN
Enforcement Of BED and Atehaialaya from
Mississippi Is Favored. Legislative
Committee Appointed.

The meeting held for the purpose
of protesting against the damming Of
Bayou Courtableau so that the
waters would be thrown into the
Teche for the purpose Of making that
stream naVigable, held at the court
house last Saturday, was largely at
tended, and the resolutions adopted
were unmistakable in tone and intent.
This section-the entire parish of
st. Landry and other parishes effect
ed are against the damming of the
Courtableau.
Hon. Yves Andropont was chair
man Of the mass-meeting, and Mr.. A.
H. Garland, secretary.
Resolutions were passed favoring
the divorcement of the Red and At
chafalaya rivers from the Mississippi,
and committee was appointed to
ask the Legislature to repeal the
joint resolution asking for the dam
ming Of the Courtableau. The joint
resolution was a Trojan horse.
Messrs. 3. B. Dubuisson and Thos.
f. Lewis spoke at Saturdays meet
ing.
Mr.. Yves Andrepont, on calling the
meeting to order, spoke as follows:
Mr.. Chairman and Fellow Citizens:
1t affords me great pleasure in be-
ing called upon to preside at this
| realize that there were
so many others present more worthy
Of this honor With your kind in
diligence, ! hope To be able to dis
charge my duty impartially and with
an eye single to the common good.
This is no ordinary gathering. IT.
IS one of vital Importance, not only
10 this parish, but to our sister par
shes as we'll. The purpose Of that
meeting is to protest against the
tanning Of Bayou Courtableau,
which to me appears to be a blow
Ieyeled st the universal demand now
being made for the opening up of the1
waterways Of the State and Nation
which the people demand.
For years our people have been
insisting upon the opening of the
Bayou Courtableau, whereby the
same might be restored Gas IN years
past) to navigation and just at the
when our hopes are about to
DO realized, an attempt is being made
10 frustrate our work. The Bayou
Sourtableau is a navigable stream,
and as such is under the protection
Of the Federal Government. It will
not be closed other than 1T its in-l
stance. Il matters not how neees-
sary it is for the people OF st. Mar
bin aud other parishes to grow rice:
It matters not how necessary it may
be to flush the Teehe in Iberia and
St. Mary, and to purge it Of the
refuse now being poured into it. this
should not be done at our expense.
These people nor the State Board Of
Engineers, must be permitted to dam
up this bayou to our prejudice, de-
stroging navigation SO eagerly sought,
destroying the Schell Canal, the fu-
sure hope of our people.
There is no politics involved here
70. It is a matter Of self preserva-
tion- Our people can therefore
Bnite without reference to past ar
present political differencesand by
united efforts there Is no doubt Of
success.
again thank you for this unso-
iicited honor =
The resolution committee reported
the following resolutions, which were
unanimously adopted:
Whereas, the closing Of the Bay-
ou Courtableau at its mouth has
been suggested within recent years
and has been favorably considered by
5he Engineering Department Of the
state Government: and
Whereas, the said Bayou has been
provided by nature as permanent
,hannel for the drainage Of the rain.
all from 1900 square miles of terri
'ory covering over one million acres
# land, and now to a considerable
sxtent occupied and cultivated hy 8 |
hrifty agricultural population, whose |
lealthfulness and livelihood depend
amost exclusively upon the preserva- |
ION unimpaired of the drainage of
heir lands; and
Whereas, the said Bayou has been
lrovided BY nature, also for the use
+ man, as a permanent navigable
faterway connecting a great extent
{ fertile country with thu Atchafa-
aya and Mississippi Rivers, and for
'hich purpose it was successfully
sed from che time Of the invention
t the steamboat up to the advent of
be railroads in our midst; and
Whereas, the largest irrigation
lant in the Southern States has been
,cated upon it's banks with canals
Id laterals intended to irrigate many
lousand acres of fertile lands in The
arishuf St. landry. and The parishes s
4iacpnt fhatetO an the South. and /