Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-12-09

reach the figure of or 8 copecks and
the suffering will become intolerable,
for the .WQEkingmen will be Obliged to
deprive themselves Of the commonest
necessities; and neither commerce nor
industry, already ALMOST ruihed by tax
alton. eaG helpsth 6ntprtudate MED by
raising their w4ges even up to the iow-
est figure permitting the support, Of a
II statS s6iaeimel&faet beeassas s every
body GIN Understand 1t, and because it
can not be contradicted. What must
be The social condition. necessarily pro-
duced by such a crisis if a great. capital
like St. Petersburg, which is che 'rendez-
vous of a crowd of adventures from all
the countries of Europe and Asia? It
suffices tosreSd the Exports Of The trials
in the criminal co6rts to get Instruction
upon this Point. The number of mon
strous crimes. robReries. and murders is
increasingahhmngly. tEk
So much for the capital. Now let US
take look at the provinces. Here are
some fguress AT Kany chine rye -four.
sold last week at I robbie and 40 copecks
(about $1.O5) pood (about Sc pounds)
and even up to rouble 80 copecks (sl.-
35). At Tsaritsin pood of rye costs 1
rouble 20 copecks 600 cents. Black
bread at the former place Cost rouble
40 copecks (about 81 .0D thepood.f In
the country VILLAGES 1t costs T rouble 80
copecks (about 81 $50 the pood-nearly
as dear as in. the capital. And what q
difference in thes wages Of the poor
capital.
I might multiply these figures The
conclusion would be that the most fer
tile districts are the most impoverished.
The Russian Empire has been attacked
in her abundant granaries. The har-
vests have been terribly bad, and in
some parts Of the country the peasants
have had no work for a year. What
can they do now? A family of seven
persons, which is the average numb in
the country parts of Russia, consumes
from 12O to $50 pounds of rye in year.
That makes from las to 1S5 roubles, an
enormous sum for them. And where is
the money for taxes and clothing to
come from? Must the peasant die of
hunger without complaining?
But this calamity is not merely local.
The Messenger Offciel itself has just pub
lished figures proving that this state of
affairs extends at the present moment to
the Governments of Samara, Kherson,
Ekaterinoslav, and to the greater por-
ton of those. of Toural, Saratof, Sim
brisk, Tchernigof, Tombof, Roursk,
Penza, and Poltova. The same famine
is reported from several of the western
Governments, Novgorod, ,Oskof, Smo-
lensk, and St. Petersburg. III
The districts where the harvests have
not been quite so bad are unfortunately
not very productive. They are hardly
able to provide for local wants. There
has been surplus this year only in
Bessarabia, Volhynia, Esthonia, and a
few districts of the center and the west.
Everywhere else the harvests have been
below the average.
The districts which have suffered
most have been compelled to have re-
course to the Government for seed for
the fields. Samara received million
roubles. Saratof and Simbirsk million
each, and Astrakhan $4,000 roubles.
But all that is for the future, while the
terrible present must somehow be pro-
vided for.
Russia has few newspapers or other
publications, yet, nevertheless the most
alarming. reports are circulated in re-
gard to this fearful and universal dis
tress. Men, women and children are
dying of hunger every day in the Gov
ernments of Samara and SaratOf. Sub
scription lists have been opened, but
who is able. to give?, The Government
is doing its best. It has already given
out more than a million roubles, and
advanced four millions in favor of the
provisioning fund-a fund which at the
present moment amounts to only live
o,,,.n TO
meet the need. go
At Moscow bread costs sin copecks a
pound, and ten copecks for white bread.
In the country it is still worse. and vI-
lage pauperism is increasing each year.
The primitive system of agriculture, to-
gether with the weight of taxation and
the results of the overtaxing of the vii
layers by that class of merchant pro-
prietors known under the name of koula-
XII, is running a large proportion OF the
peasants. >ifsh 5s&.' 'as'-