The Portland daily press., 1867-06-07
The Southern Famine.

If there is in any mind q lingering doubt
that our countrymen at the South are suffer
ing the horrors of starvation. it is time that
doubt were dispelled. We hear of Northern
men who have recently travelled through the
South, and report that they saw no signs of
famine. That may well be. The poor whites
have their dwellings hidden away in recesses
which the traveller seldom explores. from
these retired places" writes an agent of the
Freedmen's Bureau in South Carolina, 'the
sufferers have come to me in their rags and
wretchedness, sometimes twenty miles, to get
the halfbushel of corn which is all can give
them from the limited quantity received" A
correspondent, whose letter We print to-day,
writes that the amount of suffering is exagger-
rated In Virginia. But it is not in Virginia
States the subversion Of the former system of
labor, the loss of stock, fences and farming
implements, the lack Of capital and the fail
ure of the crops last year, have occasioned,
could not fail to occasion, more less distress
but the destitution is greatest in South Caro-
lima, Georgia and Alabama.
In South Carolina, Mr.. James G.. Gibbs,
formerly Mayor of Columbia, says, at is esti-
mated that not less than 10000 persons are in
condition requiring assistance so as to avoid
actual starvation" In Fayette county, Geor-
gia, Mr.. w. II. Blalock says in March. there
were found 1650 whites and 500 blacks, many
of whom must suffer extreme hunger, if not
starvation" This is one of seventy-eight
counties needing relief In Alabama, Dr..
Benjamin f. Rea, an agent to collect provis-
ions for the destitute in Chambers, Tallapoosa
and Randolph counties, says that in those
counties "not less than fifteen hundred fami-
lies have nothing" These are three out OF
eixty destitute counties.
| "It is difficult task" says General Howard
in a recent letter, "to represent properly to
our friends at the North, the actual condition
of the destitute portion of the Southern
States, where war, famine and flood have sue.
ceeded each other in their march of impover.
ishment and desolatiop." It is indeed diff.
cult task. We have sketched thus far only the
| outlines of the dark picture. We now ask at
! tention to few of the details.
Mr.. H. Edmonds, of Ridgeway, Fairfield
district South Carolina, says in letter Of
March 3, "We have neither money nor corn
Can and will you let me have fifty bushels un-
til l can make crop? have fifteen freed
men hired, and we can get no corn" Lieut.
Col. Nagle, agent of the Freedmens Bureau
writes from Summerville, Charleston district
April 2, DAY alter day my office is besieged
by applicants for bread. The small farmers with
large families dependent upon them for sup
port, constitute large portion of those in dis
tress." Rev. William Martin wrote from Col
umbia, Richland district, April 3, II have now
ON my pension list more than 800 families
white and colored, representing about twelve
hundred persons, all Of whom must be fed by
charity, OF suffer greatly. Indeed, I do not see
how actual starvation is to be avoided. Most
of my pensioners are widows and orphans
| Col j ohm Il. Palmer writes from Saluda Fac.
tory, Lexing ton district, April 8, "Two cases
| of actual starvation have come under ms
personal obsel vation. was informed of tn,
serious illness of an aged widow and tive
daughters, and upon visiting them found thu
mother and one of the daughters in the ago
| nies of death, and was credibly informed tina
| for some tune their sole subsistence had been
| the refuse thrown into the streets" Mr.. G.. A
Nunnally, agent for the poor, wrote from Mon
roe, Walton county, Georgia, April IL, 9Th
Inferior Court appointed me agent TO supply
1 as tar as possible, the needy and famishing.-
! Early in January proceeded to my task an
! foond, to my surprise and sorrow, that MOI
| than six hnpdred persons, white and colored, i
this county, were actually suffering for bread
| The last bashel ofcorn has been measured out
J and daily applicants pleading for bread to sus
tain life, are turned away empty" Mr.. A. {
| 1Ihomason wrote from Woodstock, Tuscaloos
con nty, Alabama April Il, "Heip us speedily
| for marcy and humanity's sake, an. God vii
| bless yoil for so doing. If our leading "olit
clans did precipitate us into an unholy and un
natural war, it was not our fault IT you knew
how many of us struggled against that meas
| ure, you could not cherish an unkind feelin,
| against us. write as the representative O
| 1875 starving poor"
Enough. Until the latter part of July. .whe,
| the green corn becomes eatable, the famin,
| will increase. The Relief Commission at New
York has sent forward more than 150O 900 bush
els of corn, and now asks for means to continue
the good work. Opportunities" says General
Howard, in the letter already quoted, "are now
afforded to the good to do great work gener-
ously and nobly, which when done will, ]
doubt not, cement us as a nation more closely
in the bonds of peace and unity than either
legislative: judicial or executive action, though
of the wisest character, could effect" The OPP
portnnity is swiftly passing. Shall we not, be.
fore it Is too late, have some concerted action
here in Portland? Can we afford to let our
countrymen starve, without an effort to relieve
them? .. ...- .-.. .....r.... .l....
U.Rffer fran, Vsrus,.;u