St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1913-07-12
WEST SIDE PEOPLE
WANT LEVEES ALSO
Mass Meeting Held At Port Barre To Secure Levee
Protection On West Side OF The
Atchafalaya River.

A mass meeting was held in the
town Of Port Barre, this parish,
on last Sunday, to formulate
plans, in order to secure levee
protection on the west side of
the Atchafalaya river, Over
five hundred citizens and tax
payers from st. Landry, St. Mar
tin, Iberia and St. Mary parishes
assembled in the Port Barre
Amusement Company's building,
in the Courtableau town, at IL
O'Clock and permanently organ
lied the Western Atchafalaya
Protective Association by elect
ing DR.. j. r. Oliver, of st. Mar
tinville, as chairman; FL. [. Ian
dry, Port Barre, secretary and
E. Lassalle, also of Port Barre,
treasurer.
The meeting was addressed by
T. J. Liable and Emile Vuillemot
of St. MartinVille, Dudley L.
Guilbeau and Sheriff Marion L.
Swords of 0pelousas, and 9TH
ers. They were all unanimous
in denouncing the attitude of
the levee board: some of the
speakers getting into heated and
spirited arguments with Presi-
dent Victor Lefebre, of the
board. MIR. Lefebre gave as the
reason for not having construct
ed the levee on the west side of
the river that his board could do
absolutely nothing in this direc-
tion until the Red River. Atchaf-
aIaya and Bayou Boeuf Levee
Board completed it's stretch of
levees to Bayou Courtableau.
Horace Wilkinson, member Of
the levee board, advised the
meeting to put the question of
building levees of the west side
of the Atchafalaya river before
the state board of engineers, but
immediate relief could not be OBJ
tanned from this board, as most
of its members were at present
enjoying the cool breezes of far
away Canada.
The meeting, however, was
chiefly centered upon President
Lefebre, antagonizing him from
the start. It should be borne
in mind that Mr.. Lefebre is a
high bred gentleman and it is a
certainty that if he couIl help
out the people Of this section.
of his own accord he would
gladly do so. Sheriff Swords
said that the proper man % see
about levee protection ftc the
west side Of the Atchatalaya
river was Governor Hall. The
state executive should be urged
to act promptly on this natter
and should send his engineers to
inspect the situation.
A resolution was offered and
adopted, calling upon Governor
Hall to compel the engineers to
proceed with the work. Il COM
mittee on resolutions was there
fore appointed by the Chair.
This committee is compo<e ed of
C. @. Yoakum, Dudley Gu. beau,
Sheriff Wade Martin. Henry I.
Landry and 7. j. Liable. who
presented the following fesolu-
tion.
Whereas, the system Of levees
on the west bank of the Atchafa-
lava River bordering the Parish
of St. Landry is inadequate to-
the protection of a large and
fertile area, and, whereas. the
Parish of St. Martin, affected by
the food waters of the Atchafa
lava River, is without any levee
protection whatever on the west
side, as a consequence of which
not only these two said parishes, I
but also the Parishes of Iberville
and St. Mary, have been especial
", within the last two years, /
seriously affected and damaged, |
and, whereas, we deem it to be
the duty of the Red River Atcha-
falaya and Bayou Bouef Levee
board to makeplans to ereetlevees
as to maintain as far as possible
a system giving adequate pro-
lection to both sides of the river
at the same time, and. whereas,
the citizens and taxpayers whose
Elks Vaudeville Not to Take Place