Wabash express., 1860-12-19

addre.. Of the vIso County Reaef
Comm llca

address from the Rev. John A. Steele oil
Kansas, on the sabject Of the failure Of
crops in that Territory, aud the conse-
quent want and destisution prevailing
there.
At that meeting, the undersigned were |
appointed committee for the purpose OF
presenting the subject to the consideration |
Of the people of Terre Haute. aud the couu-
ty ofvigo, and soliciting their aid in meas.
ures Of relief.
In common with most Of our citizens, we
had heard OF a failure. nf crops in Kansas,
and consequent hard tunes,and much des-
titution there. but not until We heard Mr..
Steele's statement did we realize the extent
of the failure, or the amount OF destitutiop,
aud the absolute necessity Of present and
prospective relief; there are not less than
forty thousand perspos, men. women and
chil!reu, who must have assistance either
in or out Of the Territory. or they will per-
i-h.
This is no fancy sketch on rash asser-
lion, but sober truth, and sad reality; they
appeal to us fer help; shall they appeal in
vain.. '11f Do
1t is true, times are unsettled; money
hard to get and deprecated at that, but
the Lord has blessed us with boutiful har-
vests-our granaries are well filled; no hu-
man being within the county of Vigo, no
not one within the bounds Of our State: is
in any danger of suffering for want OF food
we have enough, and to spare.
A drouth unparalleled in this country has
visited Kansas; it commenced in the latter
part Of the fall Of 1853, and continued with
hut little interruption during the whole OF
the prescott year.
With the exception Of small strip OF
country about twelve miles wide. lying
along the Missouri river, the crops have
been almost an entire failure; aud in that
favored strip where occasional rain show
era passed, the most favored spots have not
produced over half crop; the greater part
not over fourth. and much Of it not more
than an eighth.
Desiring to be as brief as possible, We
will give statistics of the county of Shaw
nee, of which Topeka, the residence of Mr.
Steele. is the principal town, as fair av.
srsge Of the products OF the rest Of the Ter
ritory.
Shawnee is one of the best counties oI
land, situated in the heart of the Territory
and watered by the Kansas river snd its
tributaries In that county there were
planted and sown seventeen thousand FIVE
hundred acres; from which has been raised
435 bushels of wheat, 5. .1S7 bushels Of corr
IL bushels of potatoes, 10 bushels of beans
500 gallons of molasses, and 10 tons ol
hungarian grass.
Unfsvorable as this exhibit is. it fails to
portray the desliIuiion as it really exists
The area of land cultivated in corn was
twelve thousand acres, and the yield five
thousand two hundred bushels, or some.
thing less than half bushel to the acre,
but even this mssger yield is deteriorated
a: least one half by the causes incident to
the drouth, aud much Of it rendered en-.
tirely worthless, by the ravages of the
corn worm; there has not been raised iu
good sound corn over one thousand bush
els in tn county. Two thousand aine hun
dred and four acres of wheat. produced
four hundred and thirty FIVE bushels; two
hundred and twenty four acres hungar-
ian grass. ten tousI seventy six acres of
beans, ten bushels; two hundred and sew
enty nine acres of potatoes, eleven BUSH
els; sixty one acres of turnips. nothing, and
swo hundred and eli ghty four acres Of buck.
wheat. nothing.
This is a fair sample of the products of
the Territory, outside of the narrow strip
along the river, heretofore referred to.
There are about one hundred thousand
people in Kansas; sixty thousand of these
can probably take care ofthemselves, many
of them having some surplus means OF
their own, aud others have friends who
~ill assist them. This leaves forty thous
aud persons 10 be provided for, and the
provision must come from abroad, for it is
not to be had there, even though these poor
people had means to purchase, which they
have not.
Some may ask how there happens to be
so many people there dependent upon their
crops for the bread they eat, and the
clothes they wear. This is the answer !:
Poor men are the pioneers who first settle
and improve new countries; but few rich
men are ever found among the first settlers
Take an average class of enigrants;
one who owns team with which to trans.
port his family 10 that remote frontier, aud
money enough to buy eighty acres of land;
he builds cabin, and commences i'm
prevement; if the season is favorable be
raises enough to su,tain his family and
feed his small stock. until another crop
comes round; but they must have some
clothing and groceries. aud very likely
there is Doctors bill to pay; he finds il
hard to get through the winter without sci.
ling off what little surplus he has raised
only keeping enough to last for bread until
whea, harvest. or until roasting ears come.
or until the corn will do to CRATE for bread,
depending mainly upon his gun for the
balance.
This was the condition of many thou.
sands in the Territory last year. and many
o her thou~a ands were not near 81 we'll off |
r they had only pre- empt"d their land
an depended upon their crops not only
for bread. but also for means to pay for |
their lands, which were soon coming into
market. How they watched the see
which they had sown and planted how
they at first wondered petulantlr If it were
ever going TO rain: how sad they were in
heart, when they found the whei they
mad sown in Autumn. and which at FIRST
looked so promising, all dried up and frog
out during the winter; how they plowed
a l