The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1918-03-05


aside by the State and taken out Of the
general fund and given to the engineers
fund, and spent by the State Board Of
Engineers when ami where, i'll their
Judgment. it is the most needed. We
also have an annual appropriation by
the Congress Of the United States for
!evees included in the Rivers and Har
hors Bill. The grade Of the levees Oh
the Mississippi River is established by
the Mississippi River Commission, a
Board of Commissioners organized by
authority Of Congress with their domiclle
at St. Louis: these gentlemen with one
exception are army officers Of the En-
gineeripg Department, and all money ap-
propriated by the Government for the
levees, is spent by. their direction, ana
the work in char ge |af the engineer for
the department where the money is TO be
spent. Il
Il believe ( have a message Of cheer
to ,leliver~to you tonight. Never before
in, the history of this state have, our
icyees beent.as large and strong as they
are now. The Mississippi River reached
its highest flood level in 1912, since then
we have 50 enlarged our levees that those
that were the weakest in 1912 are now
the largest, and strongest, and those that
were largest and strongest, i'll 1912 are
now our smallest and weakest. The new
grade established for our levees is five
feet above the flee level of 1912, and
relatively large in cross section. The
United States Congress has passed bill
appropriating forty-five millions Of dol
lars for levees and bank revetment
work on the Mississippi River from Cal
70 to the Gulf, requiring the levee dis
tricts to put up fifteen millions more,
making in all, sixty millions of dollars to
be spent for that work in the next five
years. When this is accomplished, this
state will be practically immune from
over flow. We will be just as safe from
|Aker- flows, as it is possible for any coun-
try be that is protected by levees
against periAdical flood water. But the
maintenance of these leyees is a great
burden to the people Of our state, and
they should be relieved from the expense
and responsibility The, Mississippi
River is the Nations drainage ditch;
thirty-one states of the Union and part
of the Dominion of Canada, drain thei1
flood waters into the Mississippi River
and charge a few of us down here, with
the duty of caring for it. It is too great
a burden for us, and Notwithstanding
the fact that the leading parties Of this
nation. all declared that the control OF
the Mississippi River was a National
problem and pledged themselves il
placed in charge of the Government tc
build the levees and do all that is nee
essary to protect this country against
devastating floods; and in face Of the
fact that the present administration
stands pledged to that policy, still we
struggle under the great burden of tax
alton. and no Representative in Congress;
has ever as much as asked the general
government to make good its promises
Let us get together and work together
in demanding that our. Representatives
and Senators in the Congress of the Uni
ted States, make an earnest and honest
effort, to induce the administration tt
make good solemn promise and obi
cation to our people, that we may be re
lieved Of an unfair tax, that has worked
great hardship on this section, and that
we may enjoy the confidence Of the
world that will come from Governmental
control. and upon which all the bessine:
we hope to enjoy in the future so mucl
depends.