The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1916-05-05
SPEECH OF DR.. J. J. \. COOPER
Continued from page one)


On the other hand the Northern PEG
pie seeing the illiteracy and lack Of
progress among the natives just as
naturally considered themselves SUI
perior to the natives. These feelings
very naturally created an unfriendly
telling between the native and emf.
grant. But the introduction of the
new method Of farming, the building
of roads and attention to schools soon
| impressed the native with the desir-
ableness of the northern man. While
the aptness of the native to adopt new
methods and the eagerness with which
they took and education caused the
Yankee to have a much higher regard
for the native and this feeling has
grown among us until now we have
come to regard a man for what he is
no matter where he was born or what
language he speaks. A glance at the
personnel of our officials will prove
this assertion. The State Senator,
Sheriff, Tax Assessor, six Police Ju-
rorS, four members of the school board
and one District Judge are Creoles
and speak the French language, while
the State Representative, the Clerk
of Court, Coroner, three Police Ju-
rors, five members of the School
Board, District Attorney and one Dis
trict Judge, either come from other
states or from some other section of
this state.
In the year 1883 the entire parish
of Calcasieu produced about $4,000
bags of rice. In 1915 the best esti-
mate | am able to get places the crop
at over 100000 bags in jefferson
Davis Parish and while we have had
this wonderful increase in the produc-
ton of rice we have by no means. neg
lected other crops. We have now an
agricultural expert who devoteS his
whole time to the introduction of mod
ern methods of farming and stock
raising in the parish, under his in
StructlOn we are annually increasing
our production of corn, potatoes and
in fact everything that can be grown
in our climate. The razor-back hog
has given place to the improve9
breeds and we are fast coming to the
point where instead of buying lard
and pork we will produce more than
our needs. Instead of the long-horn-
ed cattle that once roamed our pra-
tries untamed and untamable we have
some as fine herds of improved
breeds as can be found any place and
the native herds have been very much
improved by the introduction of new
blood
While thirty-five years is not
long time in which to bring about so
wonderful change as we have here
still the most of this has been brought
about in the last few years. Until
about 1894 no one thought artificial
irrigation of rice practical and in fact
the first attempts were not very en-
couraging but as the system was de-
eloped it gained in favor and in
few years irrigation plants began to
appear along many of our streams
'ut it was soon found that much Of o.
most valuable land was so situated ,
mat 1t would be at the best very diff :
sicult to irrigate from the streams !
md then the idea of irrigation from .
wells came, the early attempts at ,,
hat were so crude and imperfect that ,
t seemed the system was doomed to !
allure but with the adoption of the
lew method of putting down wells y
md equipping them with special ma y
hlnery adapted to that particular y
lind of service. We now have a !
means by which we can irrigate al \
most any land in the parish suitable !;
o the production of rice and lands =
which were until recently considered l.
ot fit for rice culture are now known =
o be the most valuable.
The question of creating new par \
'h IN this part Of Calcasieu was :,
poken of as early aas 1855 but no h
erious thought was given the mat .,
er until about 1896 when the people :
Jennings then town of not to !,
Xceed 1000 petitioned the legislature 4 !,
create parish out of this part of -, ~
alcasieu but as the proposition was p p
pposed by not only the balance of ~
alcasieu but by the people in the ter n
tory itself, except in Jennings, it ~
as not seriously considered but with +,
lie development of the territory and E;
lie increase in population the desire ~,
II division grew. Several fights +.
ere made before the legislature for d i'
lie creation of the new parish. This ">
ntlnued led by Jennings and oppos-
by every other section of the par
h. This continued until in 1910 DR.
hen other sections of Calcasieu hay M
g also developed began to want to av
separated and the legislature SUBJ w
tilted a proposition to the voters of :,
e parish to divide Calcasieu into pr
ur, but notwithstanding the propo- Hs
ion received a very substantial or
te, majority decided against it, fo,
IL the diviSionists were determined
d just prior to the meeting of t'e
gislature of 1912 each ward in le ca
parish elected delegates to - wi
ntion to be held in Lake Ctv,rfes 10
determine whether we should have SO
'lsion or not and if so upon what 10
es. And our representatives in the CO..
tie legislature pledged themselves
carry out as far as possible the ma
'mmndations of the convention. The wa
lventlon met and decided that the en-.
IRISH of Calcasieu should be divided
o four parishes and drew the lines is
the new parishes as they exist to- COZ