The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1914-02-14
A DISCORDANT NOTE.

lac LaLOufcn9 Leauei, pupliSh|d e."
Lockport, La, sounds a dlscordaht
note with a misguided and unfoftu-
nate intent to mar the harmony OF
the just and righteous demand pc
ing made upon the Atchafalaya and
Lafourche basin levee boards to Keep
faith with the federal and state gov
ernments and the people by redeem
ing the promise and carrying out
the contract to replace the Bayou
T,afourche dam with locks. The
Leader says:
while we grant that the leVee
| boards bound themselves to put IN
| the locks at the time they were
granted permission to build the tenn
| norarv dam at the head of the ba-
you, yet in the face Of the time that
has elapsed We cannot see where
any very great good could be &C
complished for any part of the r
Rapurche valley by the enormous RI
74any of money that would be ref req
@ complete a set Of locks at D9iceld-
|, sonville. with the exception off the
reimbursement of the greater pa L. Oh
r this money that would find it's r.
into the channels of trade in Dol
jacksonville itself. So far as naYlga-
ton is concerned, We have direct
connection with the Mississippi ny
the locks at Harvey and the Com
pany canals, besides the longer route
through the Plaquemine locks, as
well as the early promise of the con-
struction of the intercoastal canal,
which gives an outlet both east and
west for the trade of Bayou La
fourche. In the matter OF drainage
or of flushing the bayou. the locks
would not improve the present faclil-
,ies. as we have siphons at Donald
sonville to put fresh water IN the
BAYOU, and the drainage would pc
very little affected, unless for the
worse"
I'll, is not often that newspapers III
. this state and country are louno
i. willing to defend a violation OF pup
} uc faith on the ground Of local ex-
; nediency. and it is to be hoped the
two or three of our contemporaries
that have laid themselves open to
criticism in connection With their a.
tempted palliation of the indefenslble
attitude assumed by the Atchatalaya
board on the lock question will tnlnk
better of their course and change II
accordingly.
The Lafourche Leaders admission
| that "the levee boards bound them
. selves to put in the locks at the
time they were granted permission
to build the temporary dam at the
} head of the bayou should nave
} been the last as we'll as the first sen
S tence of it's argument, for leVee
board. like every other honest body
and honest individual, should scru
4 pulously shun any pretext Whatso-
: ever for evading the performance OF
: any act to which it bound itself.
Q direct connection with the Mis-
e sfssippi'' from Lockport is decidedly
] Indirect by way OF narrow, shallow
: and circuitous privately-owned canals
on one hand, and a roundabout route
through treacherous open lakes on
: the other.
: The siphons at Donaldsonvilfe have
+ not operated for some time and new
= er did accomplish the purpose fol
q which they were intended. The edl
= tor of the Leader is invited to come
y to the upper end of Bayou Lafourche
L and see, smell and taste the "fresf
: water in the stream. Unless he
belongs to the class of people Wht
are unable to fudge Of fresh water
a the result of his investigation cal
Q be easily foretold He will find tia
d the only siphons that operate here
d away are those in such fizz bottle
( as form part of the equipment 0
J. all well-regulated thirst stations.
s While the locks are being bull
0 Donaldsonville will of course deriv'
d a certain measure of profit from th'
l. money put into circulation through
Q the labor employed on the project
but after they are constructed tn
entire Lafourche valley will real
j. permanent and incalculable benefi
: from the great improvement.
v The upper end Of I'll, valley is en-
s titled to an equal share of the adVan
l. tages to flow from the construction
/ of the intercoastal canal, and the on
T. ly way this can be attained i
: through the building Of the locks.
: In no possible manner can thu
: reopening of the bayou by means 0
l. The locks deleterious1y affect tn
g drainage of the valley, and in thl
reference, as in all the others con
tanned in it's ill-timed and ill-con
l. ceived article, the Leader is badl.
:. off its base.