St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-09-14

for no man had anything to give to his
suffering neighbor. All were poor, some
utterly destitute. Feeling, as did, a
profound contempt for this absurd and
illogical scheme for lettering the con-
ditiOn of farmers, and of others who
lived by the sweat of their faces, and
seeing that the tendency of grangerism,
like that of trades unions, was to en-
gender an Ishmaelitish feeling in its
devotees, took a somewhat malicious
pleasure in calling upon that great and
powerful organization to come to the
rescue of the suffering and, in some
cases, almost naked and starving farm
ers. But no help came from that quar-
ter, as | well knew none could come.
Seeing that a serious dearth was in
evitable, the governor issued a prOcla-
nation calling the legislature together.
In that missive he INDUCED in some
''big bow-wow," such as this: "Kansas
is able to take care of her own needy"
"a vain boast, which the more sensible
men of the state quickly contradicted
through the press of our own and other
states. The legislature got together,
and after some wrangling passed re-
lief bill, which did more harm than
good, beside wasting few thousand
dollars. Then some sensible men of
we'll established character got together
and organized state central relief COM
mittee, who frankly proclaimed to the
world that Kansas was not able to take
care of her own needy, and appealed to
the benevolent of other states for aid.
The response to that appeal from all
quarters was enc of the grandest things
| ever saw Men of wide and well es-
tablished reputation vOuched for the
trustworthiness of that committee.
Thus were the suffering people of that
state and Nebraska carried over the
terrible winter of 1915.
Now let us see how those heartless
corporations, the railroad companies,
whose baleful mission it is to Cypress
and grind the faces of the poor, behaved
in that trying time. The first donation
of which | have any knowledge, was by
a railroad company have forgotten
its name-Of one thousand dollars
worth of flour and meal to the destitute
in Nebraska. Cat that time our gov.
ernOr's boast that Kansas could take
care of her own needy was supposed to
be true.)
As soon as the Kansas state centra
committee was organized, ali the rail
roads in the country, from the Atlantic
and the Pacific to the suffering district
gave notice that they would carry al
supplies absolutely free of charge, where
it was properly certified that they were
for the destitute. And this geneIou:
action was not restricted to that centra
committee, but was extended to Others
who had been made almOners by theil
kind friends in the east. | myself re-
ceived numerous boxes of clothing
some from this state, some from Ohio
and one from Albany, N. Y, free o
charge, besides some cOnsignments o
food. This generous action on the par
of the railroads was kept up from
November till May. Some swindlins
scoundrels took advantage of the gen
crosby of the roads, and marked bOxe
of private merchandise HFor the desti
tute." This, however, only made til,
+ officers of the road little more vigi
liant, but not less generous. Many hun
dreds of carloads were thus carried in
| thought it might not he amiss t,
rehearse this old scrap of history, tina
it may mingle in and modify, lis far a
it will go, the hard feelings and utter
ances against these gigantic, powerful
wicked and oppressive corporations
now that they are on trial before tn
bar of public opinion. The talk w
heal now brings back to remembrance
the eloquence of the Kansas grangers
and it is more than probable that tn
sequel will be very similar. Bad as th
railroad companies are, they at leas
obeyed the Divine precept in Kansas
''If thine enemy hunger, feed him.
Possibly they may have to do it again