The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-03-06
HELP, OR THEY PERISH.
THE 0EsolNTED SOUTHERN LANDS.

aEAf, Uh IHEl fEhlDH
THE DEsoLATEp SOUTHERN LANDS
HaneOsE On til. sltuatloa-TOOd, Clothlns AZ
Shelter Needed At 0hss-Plhas for q sslsA.
'tlas Lsrss syItsn-oI,r Twelve ThOu.
Iaud PsSpl, WltAOut Homes.
NEw YoRK, March 4.-1n an intervie,
published here to-day General Haneocl
speaks Of his experience in the flooded dis
tricts Of the South from which he has jus
returned. When asked what ought to b
done in the face Of the widespread suffer
ing he described, he said:
"The first thing to be done Is to extenC
the necessary aid to these people. We
must face the problem Of feeding, shelter
ing and clothing these people until sucE
time as they can raise food and shelter fol
themselves. The Southern people will dc
what they can, but the Northern ant
Western people must also come to the res.
cue. Even II it were right to throw the
burden Of such an unparalleled and wide.
spread calamity on the Southerners alone
they have had the means Of charity swept
away with the means Of livelihood. W.
must help and help at once. 1t is bettel
to send money to Memphis, Mobile, New
Orleans and cities where provisions and
clothing may be bought, than to wait and
send the food and clothing. It Is possible
that more may have to paid
there than here for the supplies, but | tel
you the people cannot wait for the proyi
sions to reach them from here. There arc
thousands Of negroes who are homeless
and starving, and they must be fed, and,
what is more, We have got 10 feed them.
There is food enough in the South that can
be bought to keep them going until we can
send more from the North. 1t should be
sent by rail; steamers are too slow. Those
people must eat, and they have nothing. !
know that Americans never are deaf 10 an
appeal OF this kind, and l am sure that H
they can once understand what the need Is
they will see that the people are helped al
once. Relief committees should be formed
in every city to receive and forward sup.
plies. Money should be sent at once 10
relieve the most pressing wants. Arrange.
ments should be made with the railroads to
forward the supplies at first on through
freights, to carry nothing else, and 10
be put through in the shortest possible
time. The newspapers should give the
widest publicity to the great and pressing
need OF relief. And above all things, Il
should be done at once. When the current
Of relief once flows toward the South,
know well enough it will go on flowing
until there is no further need. suppose
that medicine should be sent, for there will
be great deal OF sickness when the waters
retire. The malarial miasma, when it at.
tacks people who have been weakened by
exposure and suffering, is very fatal, and
this must be provided against. But lust at
present we have to feed these people, and
we must look after that first"
as it not possible, General, to prevent a
recurrence Of such calamity?' he was
asked.
"Yes, it is. A bill should be introduced
in Congress providing for survey OF the
Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio rivers, as
well as their principal tributaries. such as
the Arkansas and White. The survey be.
ing made, plan OF levees should be de.
vised which would be sufficiently strong
to protect the country. Whether the Gov.
eminent, the States, or the parishes build
them, they should be construed on the
same general plan. Under the present
system the leveeS are built by countie5
townships or parishes. Each builds for
itself, without reference to the wants OF its
neighbors. Personal feelings come in, too.
An influential man SAYS: Il don't want
that levee coming across my place right in
front OF my door, and he goes to work and
uses influence enough TO get it constructed
somewhere else. remember case Of this
kind in my own experience. When was
in command in New Orleans in 1867 and
1865, in compliance with request Of some
OF the people | issued an order direct.
ing m engineer to plan out leyee
short distance up the river. A gen.
tleman complained to me that the proposed
line would cut his plantation in two, and
asked me to have the levee built in differ.
ent way. That levee went up Just where
the engineer detailed to make the survey
said it should go, and that gentlemans
plantation was cut in two, and that is what
is needed in the South to-day-a scientific
system OF levees, planned by competent en-.
gineers, after a survey Of the whole terri.
tory. When such system is planned out
every one building levee should be forced
by law to conform to it OF course what
is left OF tho levees after the presen,
flood should be utilized as far as posi-.
bic, but il it should be found that il is
necessary to abandon the present system
entirely it would be cheaper in the end. II
the Southern States cannot afford to build
the leyees, the Government should help.
The protection OF the vast bodies OF land
now overflowed in the South and West is,
in nv opinion, Of national importance
and should be so regarded by Congress.
But whether the Government builds OF
helps 10 build the levees, it certainly can
afford, and should cause the survey 10 be
made at once. Give those people down
there q scientific system OF levees, and be-
lieve that the desolation now seen there
would not be seen again. / hope that Con.
gress will pass such law as l have de.
scribed during this session; but what we
have 10 do now is to extend help to the
people. II We do not do so the suffering
will be greater than l have words to de.
scribe, or philosophy enough to contem.
plate"
MEASURES OF RELIEF.
WASHINGTON, March 5.-The War De.
partment continues receiving dispatches
from points in the Southwest In regard 10
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