Tensas gazette., 1916-11-24
uncanny, insight into tie minds Of his

uncanny, insight into le minds OF his
fellow-men, courage, both personal
and political, of the highest; aggress-
iveness almost to the point of RASH
ness; perlinacity and continuity OF
purpose nnequalled,- all these quar-
tiles OF leader hip he possessed-and
all these were contributing factors to
his success as a leader, but we repea'
that in our judgment that belief ana
confidence in his absolute political in
tegrity, already referred to, was the
dominant factor in his successful ca
reer as legislator and statesman.
Before his entry into the wide field
of State politics, the qualities above
recited had easily placed him at the
forefront in local affairs. AS President
of the Police Jury Of Tensas for
quarter of a century he gave,to the
people an admirable administration of
parish affairs, in which every dollar
of public funds was wisely, economi-
callv and honestly expended.
Judge Cordilrs chief service to his
State, parish and district, however,
that crowning work for which he is
and deserves TO be rernembered-is
the pre eminent service he rendered
tn the upbuilding of the levee system.
Those services began as President OF
the Police Jury of Tensas when, in the
years Immediately succeeding the dis
astrous overflow of 1882, he, through
parish taxation, raised thousands of
dollars to assist in replacing the 80
miles of levees destroyed by that
flood; continued for more than 20
years, during which he served as
member OF the Fifth Louisiana Levee
Board, of which body he was the rec
ognized leader. with almost dictatorial
power, and eliminated in his work "a
Chairman Of the Committee on Lands
and Levees in the Senate "a position
he held for % years).
During that period all Of the exist.
ing levee districts i'm the State, except
the Fifth District, we're created, and
during that period he was the ac-
knowledged champion and leader OF
the ievee interests of the State, beat
ing down or placating opposition, en-
couraging the faint hearted, smooth
ing away or trampling down obstacles
and pursuing his object alwavs with
al his phy sic,l and mental force and
with that bull dog persistencv and te-
nacitv cf purpose 80 characterize of
lie mn re lived almost long emongh
to see h. "omoletion nf tho great ed
flee whose cor err stone Ne laid. AID
hose great esrther" walls which ~
their impregrah'e strength hall soon
har forever from our fertile fie d. the
ia @ny torrent OF the mighty river
ahalI he his monument, justly perpet-
ua,ing his memory to this aud to the
coming generations whom he served
80 well.
To his friends it il difficult to real
ize thst he has passed away, so full
If vitality was ho; so active that keen
intellect, filled with marvellous store
of facts bearing on every useful and
p, ac,icaI subject affecting the we'll
being of mankind; so marvellous that
memory capable of reproducing with
Photographic accuracy that fund Of
useful knowledge acquired from books
and men. One of those friends writes
these lines "a feeble trfbnte to the
greatest intellect with which he has
cnme in personal contact, to the most
capable aud faithful public servant
whom he has known; not as per-
sonal tribute inspired by friendship
Of long duration, nor as a evlogy, bnt
as plain, simple and trne recital of
the great public services rendered his
people by one to whom: "Public office
was a public trust" which services
entitle his memory tn the lasting af-
fec,ion and admiration of our people.
H r