The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-12-19

| stand protection WneH IL. CoIieo -
| tariff on sugar but are silent on the
more important question OF protec-
ton against floods The politicians
talk tariff in this district with such
vehemence it sometimes seems that
their purpose is to muddy the wa
ters" that the vital question of this
State might not be seen. Two years
ago the Atchafalaya Levee Board
took the initiative in the effort to IN
Guce the National Government to
carry out its obligation of taking ov-
~ the Mississippi River. We had q
large meeting at Baton Rouge Of
ILevee Boards and Levee men from
| different sections Ct the Valley. We
! pct in touch with some of our Pubic
| Servants in Congress who were SUP
posed to arrange all details at that
end. Large Delegations were sent to
Washington, but nothing could be oc-
con1plished. We found our Repre-
sentatives largely arrayed In two
| hostile camps-one with a Hero and
the other with an Idol; each advocat-
| inc bill that they thought would i'm
| m ortalize their Leader and perpet-
uate themselves in power aand au-
thority. 1t is useless to explain that
| the movement was a failure. Success
will only come when the people of
this state demand from their Repre-
,entatives in Congress that protec-
ton that they are entitled to by ev-
cry rule of fairness and right, and by
4 the promise of the people of this
. great Nation.
There is an army Of appointees
and employees in connection with
these levees. They are enjoying sal
aries as high as $4,000 per annum.
A large part of the revenues of lev
ees derived from Taxation is spent in
the administration of the offices. No
department Of the State Government
is so prolific of opportunity for po-
!itical debt paying as the Levee de-
partment and none with as many
temptations for graft. Should the
United States Government take con-
troll of the river, all this would end,
and the Tax in short time would be
unnecessary. We must not expect
politicians voluntarily to surrender
such a prize as this Levee Govern
ment of Louisiana.
The undeveloped wealth OF this
State exceeds anything in the Union.
A trip from here to the Texas border
would not fail to impress any one
with this fact. After passing through
the boundless fields of waving cane
and corn you come to the snowy
fields of cotton, bringing now from
rs to 80 cents per pound, and then
as you travel West you enter with no
limit fixed by the Government for
it's selling price, and now bringing in
the rough $500 per sack. You
next come to the great pine and cy-
press forest that has been the basis
of so many fortunes in Louisiana. In
this same territory is produced, more
than 80 per cent of the salt of the
Nation, more than 80 per cent of the
Sulphur of the country, and miles OF
derricks standing over wells bringing
oil from the bowels Of the earth to
enrich the world. In this stretch of
country, some of these products are
in sufficient quantities to supply the
world. We only lack the capital to
develop their great riches and give
our property value. This can only
be done by establishing confidence
throughout the world; where we must
look for both money and immlgra-
grafton. This can never be accom-
plished so long as there is doubt
about the control of the Mississippi
River, and doubt will always exist un-
til that river is in the hands of the
National Government with the Ma
tons money behind it.
It is beyond explanation that the
people of Louisiana do not wake up
to their interests and rights and send
to Congress, men who will make
their first duty and obligation in
life, legislation that will place our
levees in possession of the National
Government and lift the great burd-
ell of Tax from the shoulders of our |
people and establish that credit for |!
Louisiana throughout the world, by |