Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-01-22
Il BIG LIE.
few hands,

Representation That Swift County People
/ Have Had to Burn Their Furniture and
Outbuild ngs to Keep from Freezing.
Under the head of Fuel Needed" the
Chicago Tribune of the 18th published the
following paragraph, without credit:
1.-THE citizens of Appleton, Mimi, held a
meeting few days ago to take action upon the
scarcity of fuel in their immediate neighbor-
hood. A memorial for presentation to General
Manager Merrill, of the Chicago, Milwaukee d
st. Paul, was drawn up by the committee ap-
pointed for that purpose. The memorlalists
represent that the section OF country in which
they reside is an almost treeless tract, without
adequate material for fuel. They have in &
great measure, they state been induced TO
settle there by supposiog that the completion
of the Hastings & Dakota division OF the Mil
waukee & st. Paul would supply the means
of obtaining fuel in sufficient quantity
blu. thus far the company has failed to supply
the want. Parties desiring to engage III the
wood business had been refused transportation
by the company, who engaged to furnish 1t,
but had neglected to do so. The result was
widespread suffering throughout that section,
and, unless fuel is furnished, most deplorable
consequences must follow. In some instances
settlers have been compelled to burn their fur
niture and ut-buildings to keep from freez-
ing, and, should trains be suspended on the
railroad for any length of tiine, immense SUI
fering and even death might result. The men,
orialists, therefore, pray that such action may
be taken by the railroad company as will not
only relieve their immediate necessities, but
provide an abundant and constant supply of
fuel in the future
1T IS SINGULAR
If such condition of things has existed in
our State that nothing is known of it here.
The local officers of the Chicago, Milwaukee
& st. Paul company have not been informed
of it and they will not believe that such in
formation could have reached Manager Mer-
rill without their hearing from him quickly.
Early last fall MIR. Merrill gave explicit and
full directions as to keeping up the supply
of fuel along the Hastings & Dakota line
beyond the big woods-ordering that coal
be used by the company as far as possible
and that wood be furnished wherever wanted
at no higher charge than required to cover
the cost of the wood and cost of hauling
There was few days last month when the
extrem me cold and snow blockades along the
road NAV have caused some alarm about
fuel at points where the supply was limited
And it is possible that wood
dealers who wanted special rates
or a monopoly of their market may have
been disgruntled by the rules of the COM
pany not being relaxed for their benefit.
But it is not possible that any community
along the line of the Hastings d Dakota
road has been reduced to the strait of burn
ing furniture and outbuidings, except it was
an inexcusably careless community; for the
company has been ready at all times to
promptly fill orders for wood and at reason
able rates. The story is lie outright or,
what is about as bad, one of the many gross
exaggerations of incidents of the December
cold snap and snow storm.