The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1910-03-12

The following letter addressed
to Twenty Five Years on the Spot
may be of interest to our readers ::
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, March 4, 1910.
Dear Sir
We are subscribers to 1.-THE Weekly
Messenger" and have been much inter-
ested in your articles in your newspa-
per write-ups over the signature "Twen-
ty-fiye Years on the Spot" and we wish
to congratulate you on your position in
the matter, as we believe it is the only
true one. aud upon your clear and ac-
curate description of the situation.
| Four or five years ago the writer and
some other gentlemen looked over a
tract Of 10000 acres in your Parish, west
of the Atcbafalaya river in the Big
Swamp. with view of buying it. At
ter thoroughly investigating the land we
called upon some of the prominent citi-
zens of st. Martinville, who assured us
that in their opinion levee protecting
this land and all other land would be
built along the river banks within five
years. We purchased the lands because
Of their great richness and apparent
prOductiveness and with view Of CO.
lOnizing and settling the lands with
northern farmers. We are still waiting
to do this, but of course have been de-
prived OH account Of there being no le-
wee. If a leyee protected the lands We
purchased. they would be settled up
with actual farmers. and thousands of
people added to the population of your
Parish and thousands Of dollars added
to your income in the way Of taxation
and hundreds of thousands would be
: added annually to the wealth of the Pa
IRISH from the sales of the products Of
the lands that are now worthless fol
farming purposes. 1t seems TO me that
there is but one method to persue, and
that is for the protection Of the whole
country. and any method that would
leave thousands of acres outside OF the
levee would he only make shift. There
is one thing do not understand that
wish you would explain. if you. will, ant
that is how the lands can be taxed fol
levee purposes year after year and yeI
receive no benefits of any kind. l hav,
7 often wondered if it was legal to tal
lands year after year where there wa,
no benefit of any kind derived. Is no
this the principle that our RevUlutiOna.
nv fathers fought against.-"TaxatiOI
without representation? Those own
ing land in the great Atchafalaya Ba
sin. it seems to NE are placed in TIN
same position as were our RevOlutiOna
; ry fathers, they are taxed and derive Ii,
benefits and no representation. If TIN
people of your Parish desire to see i
grow to be one of the richest of the Unite,
1 States. which it certinly would be i
I its lands were properly protected
= rs We have handled lands in grea
many parts of our country an,
{ we have never seen country which 8
impressed Us with the richnes
and prOductiveDess of the soil as tn
!: land in your Parish, the lands must b
:, properly protected with levees. IL thi
was done. your Parish would become on
e of the wealthieSt and most prosperous il
: the whole United States; aud believ
5 that your people should stand firmly 70
q the one principle, and that is protection
z that will protect all Of our lands instea
n If small portion Of them. This is
70 day of big things. The whole countr
q is trying to get away from the litti
o things and get on to a broader basis. |
e you build little back levee that viii
4 protect only few thousand acres, leay
l. ing out the hundreds of thousands Q
i acres that are just as productive. it vii
: be money wasted and will set your Pa
o IRISH back twenty-five wears from wha
4 would be the results providing a leve
e was built that will protect PRACTICAL
q all Of your lands.
i trust that this matter will be kep
n before your people and that no cOmpro
p mise will be made with those who ar
J., attempting to have make-shift as
q levee.