Mr. KELLEY. I hope the decision of the committee to HOH'COHCUI‘ in this amendment will be sustained. Prior to the establishment of what was called the confederate government the planters of the region in question maintained their own levees and too care of their own lands, as we drain our marshes, maintain our dikes and cmbankments, and fence and work our farms in the North. Under the confederate government they imposed the duty of maintaining the levees or dikes upon the public treasury. The levees were destroyed while the owners of the lands they protected were waging war upon our Government, and now the attempt is made by this amendment of the Senate to saddle upon the people of the country the cost of repairing the amages of war and neglect. I cannot. consent to tax my constituents in order to reward rebels whose lands are broad baronies. Sir, the Union people of the Gulf States do not wish us to do it, and in order that there may be no question of this assertion I ask the Clerk to read from the NewOrleans Tribune of the 20th an article entitled “The Mississippi Levee Swindle.” The Clerk proceeded to read, as follows: "Tm: Mississirri Levi Swindle. Wo sincerely ho 0 CongressWill not make appropriation to repair the levecs alongtheMississippi river. No greater attempt to swindle the loyal peopleof the country has ever been witnessed than that now attempted by a number of leading rebels iut Washington to have Uncle Sam to improve their plantations and prote“e Attchceomrdfirnogm inundation. to natural law and the provisions of the Louisiana statutes, ditches. canals, levees, &c., necessary for the drainage or protection of plantations are to be made by pandat the expense of the planters themselves. this has always beenthe case until the coming into power of the late rebel Legislature, when the taxes aid by the people of the whole State were squandered on levees of plantations in but a small portion of theState. The people of NewOrleans and other parishes pay heavily enough for their own levees; and it rage wasa grossout to take their moneys to build the levees of rebel planters elsewhere. It was by such shameful means that the State became bankrupt. “The planters abandoned their homes.neglected their levees. and went into the rebellion against their Government. They pronounce Congress a rump. They pass new slave codes. They oppress.imprison, and murder Union men, and set themselves up in defiance of the Government of the U.S. They are still waging a war against the Union. Yet the true character of a bogus "chivalry" they petition Congress to build their levees. 0 ongroilsWill do no such thing. The breaking ohftope e levees is own to the neglect of planters who went into the robelion. These very planters were formerly very sdverse to the making of internal improvements by the General Government. They have not recanted their State right heresies. They do se“rveno sid fromthe loyal people. The truth is the oligarchy is bankrupt and about to sell out. This levee scheme is the last effort of the rebel planters to hold their heads' above water.‘ f Let Congress give them an approprintion and the oligarchy WI" again thrive. Lot on ess refuse and theserebelswho now declarethat they Will not sell a foot of land to a Yankee or a asthey deserve to be, negro, will beruined and then their plantations will be sold out. Union men, new men of energy and patriotism.but of small means, will then have some icnhtaon some. allhfaerlmarsg, ein plantations will stthyelen.b aend divivde rdy poor loyal man will have an opportunity to purchase. this of the utmost importance to the loyal millions that Congress should refuse the unjust appropriation demanded by the Gibsons, Cluibornes, and other notorious robe s from this State. Not a loyal paper of this State indorsss their Wicked demands. Not a loyal man in Louisiana wlshes them success. Lot Congress study this suhycot earefully. Let it stand by the poor try of next year. l downtrodden Union people. let it beware how it givesaid and comfortto our enemies and new life to the expiring oligarchy. Congressowes it to its friends in this Stateto refuse its sanctionto this swindling scheme, by which the money of the U.S. Government is to be expendedin enriching its enemies and tightening the bondswhich already hang so heavily on the Union men. Let Congress do nothing and the oligarchy is dead."