Omaha daily bee., 1917-03-07
Fetters for Mississippi Floods
Washin ston Gorrespondsnee Boston Transcript

A dream of two centuries has been almost
reafxed by the people living along the banks of
the Mississippi river through the act of congress
known as the food control bill, to which Presi-
dent Wilson set his hand yesterday. After de-
batting for forty years whether the waters OF the
Mississippi should be controlled by Harvesting the
water at the source or directing its flow near
the mouth OF the great stream, congress has de-
cided that the latter plan is the more feasible and
will prove more effective. By this action it is
proposed to complete the great walls of earth on
both sides of the river called levees, extending
from Rock Island, H., to the Gulf of Mexico.
This improvement is only to supplement what
has been done. To DO this work, congress has
appropriated $5O,O6000O on the proviso that the
communities along the father of waters shah raise
and expend one-half this amount 1t is the great
eH inland project ever undertaken by Uncle Sam
and will accommodate directly the greatest
number Of people, but it is not thought that the
total Of $45,000060 that was appropriated will be
needed and it is expected That the sum mentioned
will suffice.
This Is great project because the Mississippi
carries to the sea the drainage of rainfall from
thrty-one states, since 40 per cent of the entire
area of continental United States sheds its rain
fall into she Mississippi valley, which area forms
total of 100000 square miles. These massive
walls alongside the Mississippi, which are to be
completed within FIVE years, will consist of ls0,
100000 cubic yards of Dirt which is to be taken
16OO0,OOO acres Of the finest lands on the
continent.
This systau Of pasailel walls will surpass in
length and greatness Che Chinese wall, one of the
wonders of ths world, and will be one OF the great
est physical bsrriers known to mankind to hold
in check de flow Of water. But the idea is
neither new nor untgied. When Beinvife 1879
years ago forpded New Orleans he recognized
that the Overlooking Of the Mississippi must be
checked. and he built evee in front OF the vii
lage, thus becoming not only the father OF levee
Crescent City. Levee building has had constant
growth ever since, Louisiana expanding in 1866 a
total Of 66,527, 116, Since 1882, when the govern
ment FIRST began to take an interest in levee build
ing, this state has expended $5l, 208,828 during
which time other states, particularly Mississippi
that has been expended by riparian states on levee
building has been 100000 since 1882, the gov
eminent expanding during that time about $780,
100000, the people in fact spending S. for every
dollar spent by the government. Now the mat
ter will reverse and Uncle Sam will spend 81
for every one spent by Louisiana, Mississippi,
Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky and
Illinois citizens through levee associations and
| other local organizations.
The plan to adopt this levee system haa the
| approval and urgent endorsement of such emil
nent men as General Goethals, the builder of the
Panama canal; Colonel Townsend and Major Ock-
erson of the Mississippi River commission The
| Mississippi River commission, which has had
| charge of improvements on the river since 1879,
| is to direct the completion of these great walls,
| and the bill, which now goes to the president,
provides machinery by which various and sundry
| places in the United States having food prob
| lens can be investigated and similar walls or
levees or other barriers erected which will for all
| time place them beyond food dangers.
Senator Newlands of Nevada, author of the
| bill for the control of the headwaters of the
Mississippi by system of reservoirs, tried in vain
at the same time to get the senate to put through
his BILL for which he had fought for ten years. but
| the southern men had agreed to stand together
and pass the levee bill, partly as sop to disap-
| pointed statesmen who were likely to lose some
OF their federal buildings through the economy
| OF congress in another direction.
Abandoning for the time the flood control bill
with which his own name has been so long asso-
cated, Mr. Newlands proposed an amendment
appropriating 100000 for an investigation of the
feasibility OF food control Of the headwaters. But
the senate knew that even so modest request
would be refused by the house and moreover
would throw the bill into conference, so it voted
away $30000,000 for the levees, after rejecting
the Newlands amendment. The episode is inter-
| esting not only because of the immensely of the
| project involved but as illustrating the circum-
stances under which some of the most important
legislation of whole session is disposed Of in the
| rush hours.