True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1857-06-10
THE FAMIN IN MICHIoAN-Shockinl

IHE EAMIN IN MICHt0ANs-DhVVAinSl
as the details of suffering from Starvation
/ in Michigan are says an exchange, We are
sorrow to say that they have not beenl
exaggerated in any particular. we con-
Efess that at their first appearance wei
were disposed to question the entire cor
rectness of the reports from that region,
as we could no. realize the statement
therein set forth, that in this landof plen'1
Ity whole community of hardy and en-
terprising people were suffering ior me
common necessaries Of life. But the
, condition of affairs. assumes a more mel,
ancholy aspect, when we are informed
that the cause Of the famine may be trac-
! ed TO official neglect of duty on the part
Of the late secretary OF the interior atl
. Washington thus adding another to the
dark list Of crimes which stand recorded
!, against the Infamous administration OF
y franklin Pierce. Mr.. .'McClellands con,
!! . duct is the more objectionable from the
: ;s fact that he was apprsed of the effect
% which his course would have on these
- people. With the perIinacity OF tyrant'
a he refused to recind the unreasonable or
~ ~ der, and thus doomed a large community
% % TO suffering and death. A correspondent
~ ~ of the Detroit advertiser furnishes the
70 glowing 81 atement of the Secretary S con-
nection with this matter, which we can
.u not read without having our indignation
W excited at his unwarantable exercise o.
,1 ''brief authority :"
g 81 "Allow me to cali your attention to tn
10 10 cause of the destitution in the northern
;n 10 counties of this Peninsula tits know
- :; that those counties were settled by pur
10 10 chasers of graduation lands, which cam'
~, ~ under the supervision Of the Secretary
me the Interior.
'~e -. CATER the lands had been paid fol
i"d % and in the wilmer Of 1866, the Depar
ieu ,,' ment ordered those purchases INTO p'
Wy Wy, session in sixty days from the. date Of II
an nm' notice and proof Of the fact Of posseslc
I'M I'M TO be made in the lard office, on pain
aeI ,eS the forfeiture of the lands. Notices
1nu INV the order were mailed from the land Q
.Or Or fee, to the purchasers post office; a.
, ,'n nf dress. In many cases the notice did n
bon ~, reach him until near its expiration, al
nt r;g in numerous cases not al all. The resu
.,;'h ;% of this order was the instantaneous sacl
tbe b' fee of property, and the exodus from o
, '"v ~ older counties, and from other States,
~ - the Ten thousand persons, of both sex
writ Jn of all ages and cOnditions-and 'h'
. and entree into an unbroken wilderness,
,san anD mid .winter-with ox-sleds, hand sle'
.'S,' - and on foot-without public roads, pub
N = houses, tenants, or conveniences OF ira
f the crossing streams and camping IN
,,"o0 s"O snow-and when arrived at their destl
I'ms; I'' ton, the order requiring the personal P
Tha session Of each tract, preventing the c
=, ~ ~ p,egation of families, rendered their
33rad = a persion absolute, and building almost
dis. possible.
aran @ The amount Of suffering and dise'
were vere from exposure and desti'ution, for for
is re- re-. want of proper preparation, is hey
g IN computation and over the graves u
. s,nh. m, nearly every quarter section, may pro
va;,ed % ly be written Murdered by order oil
Secretary of the Interior"