Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-01-08
The DestlauiiOn In Northwest
ern l0sya---RepOrtO OF State
Grange Committee.

from all the more idVOfed pOTtIoHS vi
the State, to relieve the sufferers in
the Northwestern counties of Iowa.
The contributions have been mainly
sent through Adjt. Gen. Baker, who
has given his time and energies to
the work of gathering and forward
ing them. Five or six weeks since,
he visited that section in person,
consulted with the local committees,
and made careful investigation of
the condition and needs of the home
steaders, the causes of their destitu-
ton, ETC., and testified to the neces-
sity Of generous charity towards
them, and the justice of their claims.
Upon these points there can be no
question. Dry prairie grass is the
principal fuel, in fact, the only fuel,
obtainable by many. The extraordi-
nary mildness of the winter so far
has been favorable to the comfort Of
hundreds Of families who must 9TH
erwise have suffered intensely if they
had not perished with cold. They
are not only destitute of fuel, but of
food and clothing to great extent,
as well as of seed for the sowing and
planting in the Spring. Severe
weather may be anticipated as n rule
for the remainder Of this month, and
February and March. Although
coal, wheat, corn, potatoes, flour,
meal, groceries, shoes, blankets and
clothing to the value Of many thous-
ands Of dollars have been supplied to
these people, they will need thous-
ands more to carry them through the
winter and enable them to make
crops the coming year. Except the
magnificent donations gathered at
Pella, our county has done nothing,
doubtless because no organized effort
has been made to awake sympathies
of our people and gather their offer
ings. Now that special appeal is
to be made to the Grangers all over
the State, we hope that Marion
county will do its share. If the Pa
irons Of the county see fitto take the
lead and do the work necessary to be
done, others will doubtless give as
cheerfully as if the effort were made
in SONS other way or by other par
ties. The following report explains
itself:
The Committee appointed by the
State Grange at its last session, con-
sisting Of j. ID. Whitman, Il. Il.
Harbour and ID. w. Prindle, to i'll
vestigatG the matter Of the reported
desl litutiOn in the northwestern cOun-
ties Of this State, have, by two Of
their number, visited the counties OF
Osceola, Lyon, O'Brien, and Sioux,
and have made their report to the.
central Office at Des Moines. They
find the destitution in the district
above named 10 be Of ii general and
serious nature, and Notwithstanding
all that has been done through the
efforts Of Gen. y. B. Ba-
ker and others, they estimate that ut
least five hundred families in thnt
portion Of the State are totally desti-
tute of the means of obtaining food
and clothing, while many more will
need some assistance before they can
sustain themselves. The committee
will, i'm q circular to the oranges
the State, call for contri-
buttons Of food, clothing, fuel and
seed, and for appropriations Of mo-
ney from oranges aad others for the
relief Of this people.
The committee, for want OF time,
have not yet visited the counties
east of those above named but from
made to them believed
that to a considerable extent the
same is true Of at least portion Of
them.
This condition of things is not at
to any lack Of industry on
the part of the settlers, but is the re-
suit of causes entirely beyond their
control, and which no human fore
sight could have averted--grasshop-
pers, unfavOrable weather, &c.
The soil is not excelIed by any in
the State, and the committee were
impressed with the unusual degree
Of intelligence and morality Of the
Coming here with limited
means tn obtain lands under the
homestead act, they had most Of
them invested their last dollar in
and the planting of
the crop OF last season, and had no
overtaken them, they
would have been in the enjoyment
of plenty.
The committees are fully satisfied
Df the necessity Of assistance being
extended TO this people, and that AS
speedily as possible, and they have
toso systematic the work
as to protect both the generous pub
lie and the needy homesteaders from
imposition, and to that end request
all contributors to report to j. ID.
Des Moines, what they
may desire TO send forward, that an
account of it may be kept in this Office
and he will direct where to send