The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1913-05-24
nent and channel work.

ment and channel work.
Federal control of and full RESPONSE
bility for the protection of the low
lands of the Mississippi Valley from
floods and overflow is absolutely pro-
vided for by the Newlands river regu-
lation bill.
Exactly the reverse is the case with
the Ransdell-Humphreys bill, which re-
quires that work done under it's pro-
visions shall be done by the Federal
government only when the local levee
boards shall sustain one-third OF the
cost of such work.
The Newlands bill provides for ac-
tual and unhampered Federal control
and power of action at all times, par
ticularly the power to act promptly in
case of emergency.
The Ransdell-Humphreys bill, on the
other hand, provides for Federal con-
tributions without Federal power. Any
local leyee board could delay national
action indefinitely by a failure or re-
fusal to cooperate, as the Ransdell-
Humphreys bill provides they must do
before the Federal government can ex-
pend any money for either the repair
or construction of levees. The result
of this no doubt would be just such
complications and delays as those
which caused the second Beulah Gre
vase in January of this year.
The Ransdell- Humphreys bill would
|perpetuate the power and control of the
local levee boards, together with their
political influence and local taxing pow
Ter.
The NeWlands river regulation bill
will place all the responsibility where
lit rightfully belongs on the Federal
government-with power to cooperate
with the levee boards, but at the same
time leaving to the Federal govern
ment full power of initiative and indie
pendent action wherever advisable or
necessary.
The Ransdell-Humphreys bill practi-
cally places the levee districts in
Northern Louisiana at the mercy of
the levee districts in Arkansas, If the
Arkansas districts should at any time
fail or be unable to comply with the
provisions Of the bill, which prohibits
anything being done in the construc-
ton or repair of levees in any leyee
district unless the s1ocal interests pro.
tected thereby" shall contribute sum
equal to one-third of the sum allotted
for such work by the commission.
The Newlands river regulation bill
leaves the national government a free
hand. 1t may cooperate with local
levee district if it sees fit, but it can
go right ahead and build a continuous
line of levees on both sides of the river
from Cairo to the Passes, If 1t so de.
termines, and no local levee board can
hold up the work, or thereby endan-
ger the safety of communities below.
The simplicity of the Newlands bill
| is the strongest argument in its favor,
In the first six lines Of the bill 1t ap.
propriates $50,OOO,0OO a year for ten
years, to constitute river regulation
fund. 1t appropriates not less than
s10,OO0,0O0 year for ten years to the
Mississippi river, from ST. Louis to the
Gulf; $5,OO0,000 year to the Ohio
river, $5,O0O,00O year to the upper
Mississippi and $5,0O0,OO0 to the Mis-.
souri,, total of s25O,OO0,OOO, thus Civ
| ing SO per cent of the entire appropri.
alton to a territory including only Al
| per cent of the United States.
The balance of the appropriation goes
to the remaining So per cent Of the
United States.
The West has worked for more than
fifteen years for the national policy
embodied in this Newlands river regu
lation bill. They have thirty votes in
the Senate and eighty in the House;
the Ohio River Valley is as much en-
titled to food protection as the Missis
sippi Valley. The Newlands bill pro
lvides for it. They would bring the Sen
ate vote up to forty and the vote II
the House to one hundred and seven
lty-two.
| The Mississippi river is a unit anG
must be SO treated The Newlands bill
|provides for the upper Mississippi al
we'll as the lower Mississippi. Add The
votes of the upper Mississippi States
and you have fifty in the Senate an(
two hundred and forty-seven in th,
i House-a majority of both bodies
without a single vote from Arkansas
Louisiana or Mississippi.
| The Newlands bill creates no new
machinery and abolishes none. It set