St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1916-08-19
Speech Delivered
By Governor j.;
7. Sanders
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40 your spokesman in the popular
branch Of our National Legislature
is IN honor not to be lightly asked
or lightly bestowed. .......
Throughout our country today
the people of each congressional dis
trlet are doing Just what W. are a.''
Ing tonight-meeting one with the
other at their chosen gathering
more thoroughly and clearly reflect
the wishes. the hopes. and the de-
sires Of the people.
81 have some very clear ideas al
to- what will make towards the hap
piness and the prosperity Of the peo-
Pile Of this District. and seeking your
suffrage as l am, 1t Is but proper that
discuss these matters freely and
frankly with you.
THE Sixth Congressional District
/, q District that represe A.. IN a
marked degree, the characteristics Of
our State. Here we have the low
land and the high; the alluvial soil
and the Mississippi bottoms. and the
highlands of the hills. Our crops
consist Of cane and corn, cotton and
rice, and the fruit and vegetables Of
our truckiak centers. We have with
in our borders many great and pros
porous manufacturing enterprises.
The oi refinery Of this city. and the
lumber and paper mills OF my town
are but some Of the industries lo~
Gated in our. midst. SO
::-Our soil Is rich and fertile; our
climate mild and healthy: our rain
fall is this most equitable in the
Union: our, men honest and brave
our womsn. true and beautiful.
ITO represent such . District is
indeed an honor. <......5
Beyond the general duties OF q
Representative in endeavorine to leg
islate for the best interests. Of Ill the
people Of TIL, country, ths.'s ara GER
tain questions, in my Judgment, in
which our people are particularly in
terested.
1.-The great problem of the control
of the flood waters OF the Nation Is
one that appeals directly to US, in
that. the waters of a continent seek
the sea going through the great river
that flows through Louisiana. Some
forty-odd American states drain their
waters down upon Us, and the con-
troll of these food waters is, and
ought to be. Federal question.
Every piece Of property In Louisiana
whether situated In the bottoms or
upon the hills. pays levee tax. For
many years we Of Louisiana have
sought with ALI the available power
and money at our disposal to save
our lands from the ever recurring
flood waters Of q nation. and 1t ap-
peals to me that the control Of the
mighty Mississippi and its tributaries
is beyond the scope. or the power,
of any community. or state. and
sh6nld be assumed In its entirety by
the nation as whole.
AS is well known, the Federal
Government has spent millions in ir-
rigating the arid lands Of the West,
In order to make them fertile and
fit for home and habitation. In thus
doing the Government made no mis-
take. because it sought to convert
the waste places of the land and
make homes for sturdy American
farmers. The thought, In this con-
necti0n, has come to me, as no doubt
it has to you. that II 1t is right and
proper for the Government to use the
nations money to put water on the
arid lands Of the West, to make them
fertile, then it is d0ubly the duty Of
the nation to use the nations money
to keep the nations water on of our
already rich and fertile lands.
'@National control Of the food wa
tiers Of the Mississippi River and its
tributaries would mean lessening
Of the burden of taxation for all OF
u.s. and would mean the banishing
from our midst Of the ever-prevail-
ing dread of devastating foods.
"The people Of the Eastern, or
Florida Parishes, are vitality interest
ed in governmental control Of the
rivers that traverse that section OF
our District. BY the deepening and
widening of the mouths. and the
clearing OF the navigable channels Of
these rivers, they would not only
become commercial arteries, but
would readily drain OF the surplus
rainfall that now does SO much dam
age to the farmers Of those parishes.
1.-The question of proper drainage
leads us to another issue. In which
all the people are interested, and
that is, Good Roads. Good roads are
essential to q peoples prosperity.
The Federal Government should not
only encourage the building of good
roads by the states, but, in my opin-
ion, the National Government itself
should build and maintain great Fed
eral highways leading North and
South, East and West. These Fed
eral highways should be built and
maintained by the National Govern
ment, not only for the peoples bene-
1T in time Of peace. but as q means
of preparedness in time OF war.
These National highways would cost
the people Of the United States moth
ing. It is estimated we now pay q
mud tax equivalent to Six Hundred
Million Dollars per annu1n. and this
amount would build practically all
of the Federal highways needed In
America. / think that the ideal good
roads scheme I r America Is for the
Federal Government to build and
maintain great Federal highways,
reaching North and South, East and
West; for the state to build and
maintain a system Of state highways.
connecting every county seat with
every other county seat and for the
parish. or county, to build and main
fain oil the local or neighbOrhOOd