Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-04-09
STARVATION AND REooNsTRuc'


pie of the South and Southwest were
and are starving, and we are doing very
little to help them. South Carolina
Georgia, Alabama are especially suffer-
ing, but westward the prospects seem
more hopeful for the future. u
about Selma and the rich lands OF Aia
bama, enough has been seen to enable
the planters to make provision Tor more
labor on their fields, at high prices, and
they are thus rapidly drawing the col
ored people from the older States From
Atlanta, Georgia, a large proportion OF
everything that moves is going west
west-daily. In North and South Caro-
lima the restitution is terrible, and the
hopelessness of the people makes things
| ten times worse than they need be. In
the Lancaster Distrist, South Carolina,
where, after the capture of Columbia
| by Sherman, the last retreats were
made, now there are not fifty families
who have food enough to last out the
present month. Last year the famine
was bad, but this year 1t is worse, as
| the credit and means Of securing sup
| plies have much diminished. It should
| be borne in mind that the war left the
bare land and but little more; fences
were destroyed or neglected, houses
burned and capital all swept away.
That land itself was terribly worn down
worn out, in fact. The cotton in the
upper districts Of South Carolina never
grew to half the height, or yielded half
the amount per acre Of the best cane
brake soil in Alabama and Mississippi.
But without capital to work with, and
the best hands to work moving off west
ward, it is no wonder supplies Of all
sorts are short. The INDECENT, the aged
and infrm, all have to be supported out
of the soil, and more than fifty thousand
Of the laborers have left South Carolina.
| At this moment there are $50 colored
| folks from this one State a~nIions to en-
igrate to Liberia. That these, who are
all selected for youth, energy and hope
fuluess in a new colony, will do good to
Liberia, we doubt not, and will rise
themselves while raising up the whole
African continent; this is all clear. But
the most sagacious, wise and moderate
men see that something must be done
to induce the freedmen willingly to re-
main; vet kop this is to be brought
about while the simplest ]necessaries of
life are wanting, is the difficulty. Gov
ernor Orr recently took much pains to
address himself, in Charleston, to the
freedmen, and gave them much wise
counsel. But the trouble is three-fold-
there are many Of the old families who
have even turned hard upon Governor
Orr for what he has done, and thus
practically undone much Of his good; in
the next place, the soil is inferior, and,
therefore, it cannot pay so welli in wages
or shares; and there is a dearth Of pro-
visions, with high prices for all the ne
c~essaries of life, for the lack Of capital to
transport them to districts where the
people cannot even Immediately repay
the advance.
In the meantime it is becoming more
and more clear that there is rising up in
nearly all the States a party Of moder.
ate men, who are willing to come back
on the terms Of the Reconstruction bill,
and to rebuild the present %desolatious.
This party will doubtless prevail. That
which will most efectually aid all this
will be a bold and generous humanity,
rising above all party questions, all
feeling of past rebellion, and sending
generous supplies Of corn to meet the
wants Of the perishing. In another
month, without this aid, the ruin and
starvation will be terrible.
When Joseph, after meeting the elder
brethren who had sold him, told his
steward to fill the mems sacks with
corn, and put every mans money in his
sacks mouth, he set an example for all
coming time, and for us especially, as
to how family qusrrels are to be finally
healed. There was no renewal Of the
old strife after that. But, on the con-
trary, when it was found that there was
corn in Egypt, all of those brethren
came over with their families, and very
ch~eerfully and voluntarily placed them
selves under the protection Of the gov
eminent they had thought intolerable
before. The ability to procure food for
all in the most difficult times is the best
proof of wise and able institutions, aud
extends their sway over the intellect
and heart more effectually than the most
powerful armies. We have had, this
last year, the largest crops ever gather
ed on this continent probably, and a
very little effort, comparatively speak
ing, might relieve vast actual suffering,
and hasten the restoration Of the States.
By reference to another column, it
will be seen that some Of our philan-
thropic citizens have called a public
meeting to be held in Virginia city this
evening, to adopt measures to raise
some portion Of the relief so necessary
for our Southern brethren in this their
hour Of sore distress. As the hearts Of
our people have ever responded in liberal
b~euevolence to the cry Of distress, we
sincerely trust that this occasion will
not be different from any Of its pre-
d~ecessors.
By RAILROAD TO NEW YoRK.-A cor
respondent of the San Francisco Erening
Bulletin has the following: al annex
some correct information that I have
~ ra1,,hla onarkar nnop