The Cairo bulletin., 1913-04-10
Nert Twenty Days Attention VIII.
be Directed to Mississippi
Valley.
EMPTIEs VAST TERRITORY
National Duty is Reclamation, Of
100000 Acres of Alluvial
"A Lands.

The Bulletin is the recipient OF
the following letter ret arring to the
present flood, the second OF 1913:
Memphis. Tenn, April z, 1919
Daily Bulletin. Cairo, Ill.
A great Hood of water from the
Ohio river and other tributaries OF
the Mississippi is now pouring into
the main trunk OF the Mississippi
riyer--the part that extends from
Cairo to the Gulf of Mexico.
During the next twenty days pub
lie attention will be directed TO this
part of the river and the passing OF
+ this great food will be watched with
interest throughout the nation.
Everything seems to indicate that
the water will rise to greater
height between Cairo and New Or
leans than has ever been known bee
fore.
If the levees that hold back the
break again this year, as they did
last, great fertile valley, compris-
ing twenty million acres and extend
Ing from Illinois to the Gulf will be
inundated to large extent and
great loss and hardship will result.
In oFder that the readers of your
paper may understand and appre-
riate the whole situation, the Mis-
sissippi River Levee Association is
sending, you under separate cover a
sFimaRr Slowing the area tfiat Is sub
ectS To overflow when the levees
break
| also enclose for publication a
general statement regarding the
who'e subject so that it may be
clearly understood, for do not be-
iieve that the public generally, out
side of the ailuvial valley itself,
realize the extent of the damage
done by these constantly recurring
floods.
| know that great many people
are, under the impression that the
National government has built the
levees and maintains them, while
ahe facts are that two-thirds Of the
100000. 200 expended, has been
contributed by the people whose
lands are oyerfowed, All of us in
this region affected by food waters
from nearly the entire country feel
that the problem is truly a national
one and should be treated as such,
and this association invites editorial
comment on the subject.
Very respectfully.
JNO. A. FOX,
Secretary Manager.
One who has not made study OF
the topography of the country and
the immense amount OF territory
drained by the rivers tributary to
the Missouri, Mississippi and Ohio,
can only have faintt conception OF
the magnitude of the percentage o.
ahe United States watersheds empty.
ing into these basins of which the
greatest portion must pass Cairo OF
Its way to the Gulf of Mexico.
The Drainage Basin of the Mis-
sissippi river embraces 81 states con,
stitution Al per cent of the entire
country
The delta extending from Cairo
TO the Gulf that is overfiowed con.
:sists of 20,000,000 acres.
That the reclamation of these al
lnvial lands is a National duty has
been declared by the three grea
political parties in their 1912 plat
forms
The Democratic party was success
Tul at the November election. l
contro's the presidency, House oi
Representatives and Senate.
The plank in the Democratic plat
form
I'VE hold that the control OF
the Mississippi river is ma
tional problem; the building Of
the levees to prevent overflow
of the land and its consequent
devastation resulting in the in
terruption OF interstate COM
merce, the disorganization OF
the mail service and the enor-
nous loss of life and property,
Impose an obligation which
alone can be discharged by the
general government"