St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1920-08-28
Quotes Letter to Show He
Was Protected In Plan !
of the Districts.
DON'T APPROVE
DRAINAGE NOW
Expects to Stump and Sell
Land In Near Future.
Not to RefOrest.
New Orleans, Aug. "a, 1920.

New Orleans, Aug. "a, 1920.
Editor St. Iammany Farmer:
Dear Sir:-It would appear FROM
letters and statements published n
your paper, that the timber interests,
and particularly the Poitevent &
FaVre Lumber Company, are being
held responsible for the recent de-
feat of the proposed drainage project
in St. Tammany parish. 1t was our
idea to ignore these statements ana
communications, but as each issue
Of your paper continues connecting
US with this matter, and in order to
set the facts straight before the gen
leral public. we wish to make the fol-
lowing statement:
In your issue of July 81 you pub
lished, ON your front page, an open
lettec in VIII :ch Mr.. Eugene Arnett,
of Oklahoma, is quoted as having
made the statement that l was az
ing as spokesman" for the timber
interests OF st. Tammany parish.
Any statement thar l represented or
was the spokesman" of the timber
interests OF st. Tammany parish is
without foundation. Mr. Arnett call
ed at our etfice in New Orleans in
order to discuss drainage in St.
ITammany parish, and l distinctly
told Mr.. Arnett, when he asked for
an expression of the views of tae
timber interests of st. TammaHy
lparish, that did not represent the
timber interests of st. TammanY
Iparisn. and that / could only speak
Ifor the Poiteyent & FaVre Lumber
Company. If ! had been "spokes-
man of the timber interests of this
parish, why should Mr.. Arnett have
fcalled on the other timber interests
in order to secure their cooperation
and support of his plan for dra IL
Eage?
Mr.. Arnett further assured me
that they would either leave our
lands entirely out of the drainage
districts, OIL that they would pu.
them in separate drainage districts,
and assist us in securing the appoint
ment of commissioners who Were
satisfactory to us. These state
ments were confirmed in the follow
ing letter and other letters, whicn
we received from Mr.. w. E. Moorriss,
secretary Of a committee of the st.
Tammany Progressive League, which
committee was sponsoring this drain
tage project,
Covington, La, July Is, 1920.
Mr.. John Poitevent, Poitevent &
FaNre Lbr. Co., New Orleans.
Dear MIR. Poitevent:-Mr. Arnett
twill deliver to you personally Fri
day morning copy Of the ordi-
nance passed by the Police Jury on
the 18th inst, together with a map
showing the rs drainage districts
thereby designated.
The districts named Great South
Iern, Pineland and Chinchuba, 80 far
as We have been able to ascertain,
contain practically all the growing
timber belcr ging to the three large
Humber corporations operating il
this parish. If in checking over the
map or descriptions it is ascertain
ed that you have growing timber not
Included in the three districts afore-
said, please so advise, and at the
next regular meeting of the Police
Jury, as per understanding with
them. we will change the lines to
protect the property of yourself Or
any other timber owner whose In
terests are to any extent jeopardizei
by the arrangement of districts as
now designated.
The committee in charge of this
work is absolutely sincere in an
unanimous endeavor to measure it's
relations with the timber interests
Iby the golIen rule; yet, IL through
lack of knowledge of your intere sts,
as you see the situation, our pla
in any respect fail to meet your de-
res, We wish you would say 80 with
full assurance that we will cooper
ate with you In either of the fol-
lowing plaEs:
| First-Organization of the dis
tricts containing growing timber
with Commissioners of your own So
troll of your districts so that they
may .emain undrained as long as
you wish).
/ Second-Resci ission of the action
of the Police Jury as to the districts
in which you are vitality interested.
We hereby place ourselves on rec
ord as recommending the former
plan. However, we propose to Ie-
lspect your desires whatsoever they
may be and to chat end it may be
entirely unnecessary for you to
at any expense whatever to protect
tyour personal interests, which are
SO considerable that We want you TO
be assured that they are also the in
terests of every proper thinking citi-
zen Of the parish.
Sincerely yours,
(Signed) w. E. MORRISS,
Secretary.
You can therefore see that the
Poiteyent & Favre Lbr. Co.'S. lands
are fully protected by those who are
advocating drainage, and therefore
they have nothing to fear from the
: establishment of drainage, other
than the reflex action that would
havn followed from tha CARVING 0ut