St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1915-07-24

troduced in the House an indie
pendent bill, authrizing per
sons who had reclaimed shall
low lakes or marsh lands al
their own expense, the title Of
which was found to be in thu
State, to acquire such lands al
a fixed price. This bill was
also before the Committee Oh
Public Works, Lands and
Levees. and after full discus.
sion of both measures, it was
decided by the Committee te
embody them in a substitute
bill, which Mr.. Rives advocat-
ed and had passed which will
be borne out by his statement
hereto attached, and made
part of this answer, to be pre-
sented by the Committee using
the bill prepared by Mr.. Cross
as the amendment to Section /
and the other bill as an amend
ment to Section 5. They were
thus consolidated in open com
mittee by the Committee It.
self after full discussion, We're
typewriter, presented to the
Committee, adopted and the
bill was then reported to the
Committee unanimously.
With reference to this mat
ter [ desire to say, that MI. E..
E. Milling, Attorney, came to
Baton Rouge and stated that
he had prepared a Bill for the
purpose of relieving Nj. Ed
ward Wisner in the title Of said
land, which he either owned or
was a Warrantor, the title Of
which was still in the State.
and he asked me to 60 to the
Governor to discuess this bill
with the Governor. I did So.
Mr.. Milling explained to the
Governor that Mr.. Wisner had
a contract with the LeVee
Board by which ne acquired
all the lands belonging to the
State within the levee district
that in making this recIama-
ton, that the arm of a lake
near Lockport had been taken
IN, and that in some other re-
cIamation district. small Dor.
tions of land had been taken
IN which lands had become
valuable by virtue Of the fact
that $50 to $40 an acre had
been spent on them in their
reclamation, and that he de-
sired to have the Act passed
for the relief ofthese parties.
After having this discussion
with the Governor, / called up
the Rives bill to the Governor
and told him that there was in
troduced in the Legislature the.
same Act that he had failed to
sign two years before and that
those parties were down here
that they had certain
vested rights which they had
acquired prior to the passage
Act 215 of 1908. and thew
insisting on some Act being
passed through the Legisla-
ture. Some days after this dis
cussion, the Committee eonsol-
ldated these Acts and reported
them as amendments to the
Act No. 215 of 1903. which be-
Act No. 283 of 1914.
@. IL. Did you have knoWI-
edge of the fact that Thomas
J. Duggan, r. Ne. White and
others were seeking large
acreages of State land, were
interested in the passage Of
the substitute for the Rives
bill?
=. IL. nave no recollection
Of having heard Mr.. Dugan or
White say anything what
ever with reference to the sub
st1tute to the Rives bill, nor do
know that either one of them
II others seeking large acre
ages We're before the Commit
zee or present at the time the
committee agreed upon the
substltute, or had anything &c
'ay In connection Herewith at
Ill.
@. II. # you had knowledge
i such facts, did you lay them
before the Public Works.
lands and Levees Committee.
he members of the LegisIa-
ure, the Attorney Generals
or the Governor?
A. IL. As shown by nv an
'Wer TO interrogatory No. II,
was not cognizant Of any ac-
1vlties on the part of Duggan
II White, and therefore had
10 information to lay before
ne Governor or the Committee
With reference to such persons.
tut | want to state this: That
laid before the Governor and
he Committee all the facts
oncerning the passage of this
Act which came to my knowl-
.dge and gave them fully the
easons why the advocates Of
he bill insisted mon nassinr