New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1911-06-03


eminent. As this cannot he DIS
puted it ought to strengthen our
claims on the national govern
ment not only for aid IN the re
clamalion of our remaining over
flowed lands. Nut also for the
keeping up of our levees.
Our government is committed
to the reclamation of the dcscr'
lands Of the West, having spent
something like $lOO,OOO,OOO for
that purpose, even tunnel'n2
through mountains TO give water
to desert valleys of 100000 acres
IT the government eau spent hun
lreds Of millions to give water
TO the desert lands Of the West
to fertilze them why cannot il
protect, anil when mccessar. :
drain. the Twenty-Five to thirty
millions Of acres Of ovcrflowcd
and swamp lands Of the great
Mississippi Valley or the othc,
States of our Union, of which
Carpenter speaks in his letter
And why is IL the Senators aud
Representatives of the Mississippi
Valley and Of other States have
never received any assistance II
is the fault Of our own people.
They have been carried away by
minor and Unlmportant political
issues to the exclusion Of the re
clnmat ion Of hundreds of millions
of the richest lands in the world.
The people of tile West were
united in their demands and got
all they asked for whereas we
have been divided and never
urged our claims with the unan-
unity and zeal we should.
Just Like Our State.
When the Mississippi River
Commission came down the river
last year, on their annual inspcc-
ton, they asked if the people of
tho state wanted thcm to divorce
the Mississippi from the Red and
Atchafalnya rivers. the only meas
uro. as | have shown. that $500.
600 acres Of the richest lands in
the world can be protected and
reclaimed, they were told by tn.
Board of Trade. commcrc;pl or
CARNATIONS, Mayor and Council
Iof your city they did not want it
done. Not satisfied with that,
they went before the Legislator
aud got a resolution passed by the
Legislature telling them they d..
not want it done,
Could u more deadly blow be
struck than this toward getting
government aid to lcvccs or the
reclamation Of our ovcrflowcd
and swamp lands7 What can our
Senators or Representatives do
in Congress in the face OF such
n resolution This was done by
the Mayor, commercial organiza-
tons and politicians of the city
that would receive more benefit
from the reclamation and i'm
prOvemcnt of our ovcrflowet!
lands than any one else. They
have made their boast that the
Legislature aud Governor belong
TO them, and did get exemption
from taxation of company to
build ships fir foreign commerce,
without doing thing to build
steamboats, for the navigation of
the great river at their very door.
It looks like their idea is to build
n great city by foreign commesep
without doing anything to IL
velop the vast commerce Of the
great river lying at their very
door or doing anything for the
development of the vast rcsour-
ces of the country.
They have had everything they
asked for; members Of the Leg
islature, Congressman and Sena-
tors have been at their call, ready
to fall over each other to do all
they asked; but when the levec
taxpayers who have contributed
so much to keeping up the levees,
but whose lands are subject TO
overflow. and poor men who
have lost everything, ask for re-
lief from the floods of the Miss
issippi through the Red and Old
rivers, by the enforcement, they
have protested against it, saying
they were afraid it might posi-
bly, do them some injury and
the people of Shreveport and
Monroe, the upper Red and
Ouachita rivers, have also oppos-
ed it, for no other reason than
that some of their steamboat cap.
tains have told them they were
afraid of the navigation of the
Atchafalaya and the locks at
Plaquemine, when. if necessary,
they can also have locks at the
mouth of the Red, so they will
have two routes into the Miss
lsslppi. AS patriots and Louisi
analns ] appeal to them to let no
such frivolous reasons as these
govern them in keeping the great
resources Of our State from de-
velopment. Such men have
proved themselves unfit to make
laws and govern either city or
State and should be hurled from
ooJ ofbo,a ,>,t ., a.: