The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1867-04-10
Distress in the State.

D4SI4 90 AL SAA~ AOSS-
1t is impossible to neglect o.
misinterpret the evidence which
reaches US from all portions Of tho
State of the misery Of our unfOr
tunate people. The statements
ofnearIy all the 'ocaI newspapers
are confirmed by the accounts o5
intelligent and public spirited men
in the upper Districts especially
There is no doubt that to-day
there are hundreds who have not
daily bread, and thousands who
cannot look forward for more than
a few days to the certainty of
needful food. The statement m2da
by respectable clergyman Of the
condition Of things in the neigh
borhood Of Sumter District, which
he investigated carefully and con
scientiousIy, is enough to startle
every rejecting man. Three hun
dred and sixty persons, within an
area of five miles, without food.
and the majority Of them living
on .husks, is fearful. And We are
informed by some Of the most
trustworthy citizens Of the State
that in their Districts the great
majority Of the farmers have not
provision for laborer5 OF work ami
mails which Will last q month.
That they are working in the hope
of finding some means Of credit as
their work progresses, and that
no where have the larger planters
surplus supplies from which they
can, as has been the custom. aid
their poorer neighhors. We shrink
from publishing the details which
have been brought to our notice.
Think of q case like this voHched
for by the humane person who az
forded the rcliet-a woman, whose
husband was killed before Peters,
burg, rising from her sick bed to
bury one child, who literally had
died Of starvation, and dragging
herself thirteen miles, through 4
stormy night to beg for food
enough to save the life Of Il child
she had left. The causes Of this
terrible suffering are fer the most
part beyond our control, but there
Is one cause we can reach, and that
is the excess Of cotton culture
over the provision crop. There
has been a greedy thirst for the
profits Of cotton, which has III
duced too many people to neglect
the food crop, and We DO hope
that it is not yet too late for the
planting community Of the State
to realize not only that it is their
interest, but their duty to plant
largely Of provisions. We know
all the difficulty, we know that
with high wages it is impossible
to plant corn proftabIy, and that
large planters must-to meet high
wages, extortionate interest and
the risk of uncertain Iabor-pI@nt
what will pay. But, short Of the
point at which it becomes a sacri-
rifce, We think it the duty Of eve
" man who can to contribute to
secure the State against the rccur-
renee Of another failure in The ! 70
vision crop.
Not only does this suffering de-
stroy our people by actual physi
cial misery, bGtit demoraiises THEN
characters. \ constant struggle
for life wears out hope it make:
men reckless, and endang"rs ever
more than political grievances th(
interests Of society. 1t is useless
to deny or attempt to conceal the
fact that large masses Of our pco
pie are in . condition Of feeling
neither right nor safe. Beside
the suffering from want, the re
t;.rns to the Sping Courts. now in
session, Indicate a condition Of in
dcbtedncss, with all its conscQuen
embarrassment, from which NJ
energy can cxtricato us. We be
licvo that a remark, attributed t
one Of the most eminent lawyer:
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