The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-10-24
THE YEAR.
The Great York of James Bennett for
Relief Of Sufferers OF Nebraska and
Kansas.

n me Great UOfko J JdnieS bOfuoH btb"e0 ~
n Relief of Sufferers OF Nebraska and
Kansas.
Idaho Cor.EOmaha Herald.
/ was glad to read in the Herald you
complimentary editorial to James Cor
i don Bennett. Nebraskans owe more t.
Mr.. Bennett than they are ware of anC
/ it gives me pleasure even at this late
. day to bestow on Bennett a credit he
: should long ago have had. Most o.
your people will remember the great
| grasshopper plague of 1874 and 1875,
when the crops in many counties of the
state were eaten entirely up and even
the fruit trees were destroyed. In that
section of the state where the plague
existed it will probably never be for
gotten by the sufferers.
After the state government had ex-
hausted its resouces and most of the
appropriations allowed by the govern
ment had been expended General Ord,
at that time commanding the depart
ment of the Platte. came to me one day
and said:
'.When the appropriation gives out
the people will starve. You must go to
New York and other eastern cities and
beg money to buy food for Them"
It was a difficult undertaking; but,
armed with a letter from. General Ord
to James Gordon Bennett, | set out at
once.
If you have even arrived in New York
and ridden down Broadway at noon
day, you must, in looking at that vast,
hurrying crowd of human beings, have
felt the utter insignificance of II man.
AS | pushed my way through the great
throng, each man and woman intent on
his or her own business, | could not
help saying over and over again, ''What
can you do with such a multitude? A
man is no larger than a fly here"
After eating my dinner l went up to
the Herald office and, luckily, found
Mr.. Bennett in. / had known his
father before him, but l had seldom
met the son. L gave him General
Ord's letter and watched his face close
ly as he read the rather long document,
for the general had gone into details
and told him all about the distress in
Nebraska. When he had read the let
ter completely through and re-read a
part of it, he laid it down, and turning
abruptly to me, said:
.'This is terrible. What plans have
your"
l replied l had none, and spoke of
the difficulty of doing anything in so
large a city or of reaching the people
so as to make them understand the
case.
Eve shall reach them; we shall make
them understand; nobody must be al
InrraI 10 cfo W II, fbic country or aNran
suffer for the want of food" he said,
h%urriedly. Then asking me where l
stopped in the city, he called Connery
and explained to him what was the
matter, saying to the managing editor,
Take up the case of these poor people
in Nebraska and have something said
every day until they are relieved" He
asked MT if I was going to my hotel
and if it would be convenient for me to
stay at the hotel all the time, day and
night, for a couple of days. | told him
| would do so, and-seeing he was
busy-left the proprietor of the great
est newspaper in the world, not, how
ever, until he of his own good healted-
ness had again assured me he would do
all in his power to help the poor people
had come to represent.
Hardly had | reached the hotel when
q Herald reporter presented me This
card and said he was sent by Mr.. Ben
nett to learn what he could about the
Nebraska sufferers. He went to my
room and he stayed nearly all the af-
The history and early settle
nent of the state was gone over, the
map examined and the afflicted dis
pointed out. The character, hab-
is and industries of the people, inter-
ssts, resources and advantages of the
detailed, in fact everything about
Nebraska in a general way was elected
oy this dexterous reporter. About 4
he left, telling me another re-
porter would call at 6.
Promptly at 6 o'clock came the sec I
md Herald man, who seemed to be |
thoroughly familiar with what the first |
me had obtained. The new reporter !
me if | had ever travelled in the
afflicted districts. | told him | had f
zen the suffering with my own eyes. {
At this he seemed delighted, s%harpened f
lis pencil and then commenced a {
jumping such as l had never wit
lessed before. Each incident of a
even days trip through the grass a
region was brought out from
he rising to the setting of the sun At
o'clock he left, telling me the third
Herald man would call at 10. At 10
reporter came and stayed with d
until midnight, when he went away t
aging the first days work in the Ne
business was over and l could +
o to bed. il
As soon as | was awake in the morn t
no l called for the Herald. 1t was a
urprise even to an old newspaper /
nan. Everywhere was Nebraska in T
tartling head lines. A starving peo-
lie was dwelt upon in paragraphs and j
.ng editorials; General Ord's letter
vas double loaded and published in b
ull under wonderful head lines. My a
interviews were spread out and worked
p in fine shape. Indeed, the paper t
vas astounding, and after reading it v
yer l felt the case was a much worse C
ne than l had before supposed it to be.
By 10 o'clock people began to call o
nd ask about Nebraska, my hotel and r
ddress having been given. The prof e
prs of aid were earnest and numerous.