, 1882-04-01

The Mississippi has OVERLOOKED its banks
and covered territory equal in extent to
first class state. In some places, the B
F. CaN SAYS, the water Is deep enough for
the largest ships to float, but a much
LARGER mart of the territory Is covered
with ten feet or less At plaRs here ana
there the more elevated point. api eD
,sove the water level, and form a resort
for people driven from thar homes and
for cattle. From the description gwen,
there are perhaps fnpm 4o,OUto 'o,oo
souare miles rendered for tame unin-
habitable The people who founded
homes there are destitute. whatever
they possessed isswePt away The stores
laid by for use until the new crop ina
,ures are drifting with the current OF
The water. How many thousands are to-
day without food or shelter, perched upon
hoase-tops or encamped upon mounds OF
land. can only be roughly estimated In
one county 5000 people are destitute.
Yet the food extends over portions OF
Il. states, and has entire possession OF
several counties in each state. The Hood
Is now believed 20 be on the ebb, but
there is long aud dreary period between
the ,nbsidence of water and the restora-
non Of business. At this season there Is
no certainty that the food may not re-
turn at any moment The spring rains
have vet TO come, and the snow at the
headwaters Of the rivers 10 melt This Is
March. and there will be no safety from
floods until juno. In some years the
worst foods come late in spring or early
in the summer months. II is clear that
this overfowed region is not, in the pre-
sent normal condition of the Mississippi
river. inhabitable land No land is real
" inhabitable which is reasonably certain
to he under water four months in the year.
What has happened this year is as likely
to happen any year. The storm was not
a freak Of nature that occurs only
once in a generation 1t was such storm
As might lie looked Tor three years in five
The hundred thousand people, more or
less. who are turned out Of house and
home by the food must be cared for.
The people will not stand idle and let the
unfortunate sufferers die of starvation.
Congress has promptly authorized ex-
neuditures for immediate relief, and
measures will doubtless follow to help the
sufferers along until the condition Of the
country enables them to 90 to work.
When this is done, they will take care Of
thousands until next years food comes.
Then similar scenes will be enacted with
a little difference in the degree OF intensi-
ty. \ Mississippi food Is certainty,
hat II may De more or less ueNastaliilSS
The river-bed is evidently not large
enough to carry ITS waters. When the
increase comes they spread on either side,
and the volume Is sufficient to convert
the valley for time into vast inland
sea. 4 bill is pending in Congress now
appropriaiing Sl3,o0o,a0o for the con
structi II of levees To cpnfine tn St waters
within a certain limit The project may
he viewed in the nature OF proposition
to acquire a new territory which circum-
stances and conditions seem t" attach to
our own This territory is at present IN
the possession of ,He of the forces Of ma
ture, bu; is subject Ia redemption, and is
worth many times as much as the estimate
cost Of the work In the present condi-
ton of The river. large portion Of valley
is virtually uninhabitable.