The Nevada Democrat., 1857-07-08
NEVADA DEMOCRAT.
starvation In Michigan

~. have the most deplorable accounts by the
,.,s mail of the sufferings of the people in the
nortbern part Of Michigan from want Of food.
promut and energetic measures for their relief
"a been adopted in Detroit and other places,
nd the wants Of the needy settlers had been
Drovided. 1t may seem strange that any con-
.;derable number of people in State like
Michigan, which exports such vast quantities of
food. should be brought to the verge of starva-
,iOn, and the causes which have produced this
extraordinary destitution of food have been
considerably discussed in the Eastern papers.
The Detroit advertiser gives the following expla-
nation.
There is little doubt that much Of the suf-
fsring in the northern portions o. the lower
peninsula of Michigan, occurs upon tracts set
lied under the "Graduation BilP'. The induce
meut OF low prices sent out thousands to take
,ossyssion of lands at one, aud four shillngs,
who had nothing left after paying for their land,
and who, for the most part. were without the
skill TO cultivate them, and without the neces-
sary outfit and provisions. To these people,
the seasons of 1855 and 1856 were replete with
hardships, and for the most part. their crops,
poorly and unskilfully got in, were miserable
failures
Secretary Of the Interior, Mr.. McClelland, oil
Michigan, gave notice to the settlers that they
must take possession within sixty days. proof
of the fact to be made in the land Office, on
pain of the forfeiture of the lands. This notice
was mailed and in many cases did not reach
the purchaser until near the expiration of the
sixty days after the date. Immediate sale OF
their property and effects and emigration to
the new lands, in mid-winter, was the hard
necessity imposed upon those who would retain
their rights.
In Gratot, Tuscola and Isabella counties, the
suffering was reported to be great. In the
North part of Macomb Co.. stock especially
sheep, were dying for want of food and from
disease created by hard and scanty fare. In-
stances are related in which whole families
have subssted for days upon maple sugar.
One man who came to Matherton to get food
for his family, sat down to eat at a well pro-
vided table, and was SO overcome at the recol-
lection of the suffering at home that he could
not eat. The Supervisors of Gratiot County
resolved to loan the credit Of the county to
procure the necessary amount OF food to last
them until after harvest, and appointed agents
TO procure the loan, pledgiRg their county
orders payable in one year from date, with
seven per cent interest
A gentleman sent from Detroit with means
10 alleviate the distress at the North, writes
that he had conversed with families there who
have only forty pounds of -four in the house,
and this was borrowed,-no meat, no butter, no
meal and enly few potatoes, those for seed
At ono house the mother, with six little chill
dren, said, "my husband has no money. can get
no work; we have but little -four and that is
all. Here the tears filed the poor woman's eyes
Another gentleman speaks of meeting an old
man coming down to Clinton county for food
for his family. lie stated that he had wife
and ak children entirely destitute, that he had
a COOL crop OF wheat in the ground, l2O acres
Of land worth $5 per acre, and that he would
cell forty acres of it for SEQ, and take it all in
provisions. There are many more similar
cases.