The Nevada County picayune., 1912-10-04


 Governor Donaghey Of Arkansas and Elect Joe T. Robinson of tho same state. were among the other speakers at the convention. Mr. Rob nson declared hat the various leyce districts should no longer be treated as separate projects but should be united into oue great system under federal supervision.
 since any leNee system is fatally defective if weak at any point ue said, it seems logical thal these va rious levee districts should either be consolidated and the whole placed under national contfol or the various state leyees saperyi5el 5y federal board designated to lr.as about ani- fgrgjty in the leveee fer the ea-ira Mississippi river system
 Either federal control or fedora supervision involves many local and important problems which @ill requiv. time for solution.
 The federal government, with the consent Of tEc atete interested. cat effectively survey and supervise caH- 5tracticn and maintenance with view 10 establishing permanent lines aed giving the levces tho neca5sa.'s. strength and consistency as whola. Before this can be done, however many cucatloHs must ba answered
 "in addition to uniformity. fedsral control of the Mississippi river lefca5 will inevitably resna ii national f. raHt.al support. r is iaconcsi1ab,a that the eoYernmsnt waHld withhold reasonable and necessary apprJpria ien fog adequate pr2.1et.on against floods, Il once it assumed respoasi hility
 @Federal aid may be justified on tHo grounds: The a]luYial overflow lands cf the Mississippi valley cons i tute a national asset continually in- ereasing in value. The task Of recla. nation is. therefore in is broadest aspect rational, not local Moreover, to impose the whole burden on the property within the flooded area viii ereatly delay the completion Of a safe and sufficient system of levess and almcst colfiaaate the property sareh: 10 be reclaimed"
 The following telegram from Presi. dent Taft WAS rcceiTcd hg .. \. XII. foa@h, president Of the association and w&s read before tde convention a0. N Killoagh. President Interstate
 Ieyee Association. Memphis. Tenn:
 T regret ny enforced absence from your interstate tevea convention. shall Ee much interested i'll it's re. suits.
 Recent events have shown urgen. need for better cooperation between the federal government and tho ipdi- vidual states of the Union. as well as between tie atltes themselves, in matters of leye construc ion, bank protection. drainage canal and irriga- ton canal werk within the valley Of the Mississippi and it's tributaries.
 The importance Of the subject is increasing so rapidly that for the next few years the urgent and Meritorioua demands of the Mississippi river val ley will require all the funds that can Ee spared from both the federal and separate state treasuries, and prob ally more legal facilities than now exis under federal and state const,tu- tions
 our association can help mich ia bringing about the additional state Ieeis,ation necessary for the best cor. poraticn. and in creating strong, healthy public opinicn as 10 a proper division of expenses and work between all parties concerned.
 You have my best wishes in such work and in ,ae future prosperity Of | your valley. William II. Taft.
 M2ior T. G Datney chief engineer of the upper Yazeo love district. whe is regarded as one of the best inform. cd men in the country on the subject ef levees, iu an address before the 1 convention, went haustiyely into l the building of icYeos and the protec. 1 lion of cayng lanfs.
 col. (. M. D. ToHreend. president oi ths Mississippi River Commission tcok the position that the eonstrue- ti0n Of reservoirs and other proposed schemes for controlling the flood wat CTS. vii! no accomplish the desired rcsult5 and tha' the luilding of leyees and the reyetment Of the river banNs provide the cnly solution of the prob | lcm.
 o. \. Killough. president Of the St Francis Levee poar,i of Arkansas, VAS reelected president of the as. socia ion. W. l.. Park. vice president Of the Illinois Cen ral fatlg- ad: B [. ! prsh. president of tAe Missouri Pacific iron Mountain system, and ]. \. Rlaz- CT of Chicago we're elected vice presi dents at large and vice president was named for each state touched bN inc Mississippi river 4 paid secre' tary is 10 be employed and campaign O publicity and education will be