The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1915-07-24

remarked LnaC the people OF MS parish
were paying taxes for levees whes
none were being built, and asked if il
wasn't fact that the dam Woulc
never have been placed in the bayou
if a lock had not been promised.
Representative r. B. Butler, Of
Terrebonne, speaking for himself but
claiming to have fair knowledge OF
the sentiment of very large mum.
Der of his constituents, declared that
} he kr of no sentiment in Terre-
hos-sp.a9'that would indorse the re.
Lo .aa5h of the resolution under dis
cussion. Mr.. Butler wanted to know
what right the levee boards had to
spend $4,000 of the taxpayers money
for the preparation of plans for the
Lafourche lock if they didn't intend
to use hem.
Mans Higher Duty Argued.
4 The higher duty of man to man was
considered in an eloquent argument
by Hon. r. N. Sims, of Donaldson
/ vile, who called attention to the pres
! ent polluted condition of Bayou La
/ fourche and expressed wish that the
meeting could adjourn to the banks
i of the stream, so that all might see
what pest-hole had been saddled up
on the people by the closing of the wa
/ terWay. The State Board of Health
has condemned the bayou as a seri-
Gus menace to health, and the State
| Conservation Commission has declar-
ed that the shuttiAg off of the supply
/ of fresh water has Gisastrously affect
/ ed the oyster beds at the mouth of
! the stream Mr.. Sims stated that the
sum of $4,000 now being expended
annually by the levee boards in the
attempt to maintain navigable depth
of water in the bayou would be suffi-
cient to pay the interest on bond is
sue of 100000, which is estimated as
the probable cost of lock. He
closed with an eloquent plea for JUS
tice at the hands of the levee boards,
whose members he eulogized as clti-
zens of high standing and an invlola-
| bic sense of honor
John III. O'Neill, sanitary engineer
of the State Board of Health, told of
| the deplorable conditions now exist
| ing in Bayou Lafourche as regards
sanitation and hygiene, and urged
that an immediate amelioration of
this state of affairs is a matter of abb
solute necessity In times Of drouth
the bayou is the only source of sup
ply of drinking water for hundreds of
people, good we'll water being difficult
to obtain in this section. With a lock
at it's head, the bayou could be flush
ed constantly and any volume of fresh
water added under absolutely safe
conditions.
Dickinson Joins Lock Advocates.
E. T. Dickinson, of Lafourche, who
referred to himself as having been
termed an "obstructionist'' in the mat
ter of the construction of the La
fourche lock, stated that his OPPOSE
ton was directed solely against the
removal of the dam before the build
ing of lock. Having been treasured
on this point and being now con-
WINGED that no such intention is enter
tanned by anybody, Mr.. Dickinson
thought the levee boards should adopt
the resolution approving the plans for
the lock.
Evan j. Mccall, of Ascension, call
ed attention to the fact that not on
ly had the levee boards defaulted in
the principal matter of building a
lock, but they had also failed to full
fill their agreement to keep 6-foot
depth of water in the stream When
President Lefebvre explained that
this stage referred to mean Gulf level
and was being maintained in the ba-
you, Mr.. Mccall retorted that it was
six feet of scum and not water that
would be found in most places.
Accuses Atchafalaya Board.
Mayor Walter Lemann, of Donald
sonville, accused Commissioner Hum
,phries of not being in favor of the
building of lock, and stated that
opposition to the project had always
come from the ranks of the Atchafa-
laya board. It was former member
of that body, now representative in
the general assembly, whose motion
killed" bill drawn by Mr.. Lemann,
authorizing levee boards to issue
bonds in place of notes and to fix the
denominations and maturities of such |
collateral, the object of which mea-
sure was to enable the joint organi-
zation of the Atchafalaya and La
fourehe boards, in financing the con-
struction of lock in Bayou La
fourehe, to issue securities in smaller
amounts than 100000 each and ma
turing in longer intervals than one
year, so as to make them more at
tractive to investors and thus facili-
tate their disposal. The saving eff
fected in the maintenance of levee
lines along Bayou Lafourche since the
building of the dam is irrevocably de-
dicated to the creation Of a fund for
the construction Of lock, Mr.. Lem
ann declared.
Walter Godchaux, of Assumption,
Endorsed the remarks of the preceding
speakers and added his own plea for
the reopening of Bayou Lafourche,
which could be accomplished if the
levee boards would show the proper
spirit and make an effort to do the
right thing by the people whose trust
was reposed in them
Huanphries Explains Attitude.
Commissioner HUMPHREYS closed the
debate with an explanation of his at
titude, declaring he is in favor Of
building the lock and appropriating
the money necessary therefor, but
honestly does not believe the levee
are in a position to assume this
bufSa at the present time. He is
confi0nt the members of the joint or
ganlzation recognize the legal and
moral obligation resting upon them
and are ready and willing to discharge
It, but must consider the best inter-
est of all the people residing within
The two districts, and not accede to
me wishes of a comparative few in
1ne section at thp eYnanSa of 4ha A