Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-01-25
COUNTY AID.

IL was proposed here last Friday that
the county commissioners call a special
election that the people might vote on
the question of the county issuing
bonds to the amount of $4,000. the pro-
ceeds of the same TO be used in buying
seed corn, oats and potatoes, to be dis
tributed among the needy farmers OF
this county, in accordance with the
statutes on the subject. The petitions
calling for the election were started
and numerous signatures obtained
when it was discovered that, under a
decision of the Kansas supreme court.
ia Mans, 4lS,) the bonds would be void
and unstable. The petitions were then
withdrawn from circulation, and now
some other method of granting aid must
be discovered.
1t is fact that cannot be controvert-
ed, that hundreds of farmers of this
county are without sufficient seed corn,
oats and potatoes, TO plant tor a crop
the coming season. IL is also a fact
that many farmers have not sufficient
feed to keep up their teams while they
are putting in and cultIvating crops.
Unless these people are granted tempo
rary relief, they must, of necessity, sell
out and leave here, and go where they
can get employment and money.
From this statement it must not be
understood that there is any suffering
among the people of this county, for
there is not. The farmers are not beg
ging for bread, meat or fuel. They
simply want the opportunity of buying
seeds and the necessary feed for their
work animals while cultivating their
crops, with the privilege of paying for
their purchases when their crops are
raised. They have no ready money
they have generally sold their surplus
productions to get money TO pay their
taxes, the interest on their mortgages.
and for the purchase of necessaries for
their families.
Nearly all of these farmers have teams
and farm implements; they have lands
that were broken and cultivated last
year, and If but given little Temporal
ry aid or credit, they will come out in
the fall with good crops and something
to convert into ready cash.
How to get this aid is the next ques-
ton. The county commissioners are
willing to do anything in their power,
but they must keep within the bounds
of their official oaths. 1t has been sug-
gested that they might buy the supplies
and pay for the same i'm county script.
and this appears to be the only way they
could pay for them. They could take
the notes of all applicants, payable in,
say, one year. In that way the county
would not lose great deal, for 1t is
estimated that at least seventy-five per
cent. of the applicants would pay back
the amounts they might borrow.
If 1t were necessary to give the COM
missioners guarantee that they would
be upheld bypublic sentiment, petitions
might be circulated asking them to buy
supplies with county scrip.
We are frank to confess that we do
not know what is best to be done. We
would not have county officials 90 be-
yond their plain duties as prescribed by
law, and at the same time we believe
that the present case is an exception,
and that the future welfare of the coun-
ty is hinged on what is done az once TO
help those who cannot help themselves.
1t is the duty of every citizen to give
this important question careful consid-
Grafton. There is no time to lose, and
what is done should be done within the
next ten days.