The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1882-03-31

VOL. XIII.-NEw SERIES.
FAMINE FOLLOWS THE FLOOD.
MEMPnts, TENN, March IL. Some idea
. Of the, enorn,ity Of the disasters by the food
in the Mississippi Valley may be formed BY
comparison. That is the only way know
TO give anything like an idea Of it to Eastern
readers. Tennessee's losses, which are con-
sidered triaing, are hardly ever spoken Of at
all in the ceaseless conversation about the
floods that goes. on everywhere. In pre-
sence of the distress in other States Ten.
nessee makes no complaint, yet there have
been no less than 1857 persons in Ten :
nessee supplied with rations, they having
beedn rowned outoftheir homes, utterlyIu-
ined, and reduced to the yerys.dve of starva-
,s".., s'S :. m.4a women aud childven a,t we're
o.ouShs toa coudtttou Of absolute huuger;;
with no food within their reach, and nothing
20 buy It with If there we're any thing tobuy.
The. real shores of Tennesses nre mast11 = hls6G
&eaa BE trips of fic6 bottom land, ordinn.
J. riiy dry ground. These strips are from one
70 eight miles wide and extend sometimes
from ten to twenty miles up and down the
river. On these lived agricultural labor>
cres who, under the system of farming in
vogue almost throughout the South, raised
their cotton on shares with tho owners OF
iessees of the land-that is, the planters
supplied them with tools, live stock aud food,
and chargedit to them, Their crop IS raised
aud the laborer's account for goods supplied
is deducted from his half of the proceeds.
II is argued by many that the planters should
supply, them in this emergency but they are
afraid to do SO, as there is the smallest posi-
ble chance In most cases oftheir getting any
return. The uegro-and more than ninety.
i've per cent, Of the Tennessee sufferers are
negroes-will not stay to work out hope.
less debt; but if he eau succeed in getting
away behind in his account, as he is always
trying to do, he invariably leaves the plan
ystjn theelurdh. I !. q .. - -. q.
The government Instructions were that
rations should be given to sufferers anywhere
they might be found, regardless of districts.
This ifk Of distribution was finished yes.
terdaI8 aud the accounts have just been
madds6p as above. The only surplus re.
naming in the committees hands is that
designed for the Hale's Point unfortunates.
This, unless some means are soon found to
convey It to them, will probably be given to
others equally needy. The rations issued
are sficent to keep all the sufferers who have
been reported here, with the exception of
those, 200 alive for ten days to come or un-
I'll say March 25. The most sauguine peo-
ple here. however, do not expect the water
to clear off az soon as that, aud further issue
of rations will probably be necessary.
POSSIBILITIES FOR PLANTING
If another tco days can be ,ided over and
the water subsidies in time to plant by the
middle Of April there is chance that all
viii 60 we'll after that Some fix the plant.
ing time later, saying that if the seed can he
sown by the middle of May there will be
good crop, unless frost comes too early
Others say 1t must be sown by the middle of
April The prosperity of the overfowed
country for the next year, however, hangs.
as nearly as / can judge by tue talk of
merchants and planters on three contiu.
gencies.
First. it depends upon whether the plan.
ters can get labor, or wehther the negroes
emigrate (; second, on late fall to give the
crops time to mature after late planting
third, on whether there is juno rise.
The Mississippi River. as is we'll known,
commonly runs high in juno. If it docs so
this year, with the levees all broken, crops
which may be planted by that time must
certainly be destroyed.
HORRORS OF THE SITUATION.
From the flooded districts of Arkansas
como most dreadful stories Of suffering and
impending death from famine. Beasts are
reported as growing furious with hunger.
In places hogs IRE said to have killed and
eaten each otaer wolves, too, are abroad %
the country, and 10 one or two instances, it
Pored, they have grown bold enough to
men. This may be au exaggeration.
10 exaggeration, however, to say that
pds living now without food and un
escape from their desolated homes
ting anxiously the help which people
anxious to send them as soon as it
possible. Boats, though they can
the country to many places, cannot
where.
In it isn't war it's -pestilenca; when
estilence it's food after the food
pine. reckon the people Fast
ired hearing that we in this God.
poultry need aid. said a merchant
Ficr Of the Tennessee Club last
3 the garden spot of the world,
pr sealously."
oueh )" said the first. "But it is a