The Bottineau pioneer., 1889-12-14


Bottineau Co. N. D., Dec. 2 1889. !
Editor Republicans:
My attention has been called to the sub
stance of an interview you had lately with
Judge Bennett Of this county on his way
to Bismarck, and he is reported tc have said
the newspaper reports as to destitution in
Eottineau county are misleading and that
there has been no actual suffering thus far.
Now do not question but MIR. Bennett be-
lieves what he says. l know him to be at
all times tried and true friend to Bot.in-
eau county. His purse or his intellect is
always at onr disposal IN everything that
pertains to our advance ment or welfare
but I do say that, viewing this quesi, n
through the light Of the experience l have
had as one Of the overse,rs of tic poor for
the past eighteen months, Mr.. Bennett 8
judgment is at fault.
unhesitatingly say that both last year
and the present there has been consider
able amount of destitution, and that many
families have been and are now short of the
necessaries Of life, ,and leave it to any in
telligent man, when he reads the following
facts to judge how it could be otherv ise: In
1886 immi grafton may be said to lave fair.
ly commenced into the county, With the
commencement of work on our line Of rail
road. The settlers up to this time and for
year after had to lug ttei produce ITO
miles to Devils Lake, the nearest market.
| Well, the settlers of SO in most cases broke
up enough of land that year to yield heat
for bread in 1887, and seed for the spring
of '88; but by far the largest number settled
in 1887. aud madea good showing, getting
up good buildings and good houses aad
breaking from 100 to Ito acres that summer
The harvest of '68 was failure, caused by
frost, and with Il Q exception of few on
high dry land on til foot hills of the Turtle
Mountain s, the wheat threshed was only fit
for ground feed; Il is year made clean
sweep of the county, the report Of F. II.
Hagerty to the contrary, notwithstanding.
as report from oil the threshers in the
county shows that there was not 100000
bushels of wheat threshed in the county.
while the amount Of oats and barley was
almost nothing. The assessors returns show
over $1,000 a,re, in wheat. which do not
yield an average of three bushels to the acre.
Ye Gods! whore are the twelve to twe1 ty
bushels, or the eight, Mr.. Hag srty reported?
and right here let me say that there is some
thing wrong with Mr.. Hagerty's report Of
the county The gentleman who furnished
his department with the crops report from
this county ste tod in public meeting re
Ger tly, in my presence, that the report was
not as he made it, He stated that his last
report was three bushels CT wheat to the
acre, amp that it gained five on its way to
Bismarck.
But to resume tho subject Of destitution.
The reader can see at o glance that tho set
tiers who came in in '86 have just got one
crop-their first; and we all know it Is gen
orally small, and not the test. The settlers
who lme in '87 have never got any crop at
all, as the two last crops were failures.
Your readers all know how many poor peo
pie come In on overnment land, depend ing
on the first crop to carry them through.
The town in which resi- ls is fair sam.
pie Of the eight that compose this oommiss
ioner district, and is above the county aver
age. One man had nine ushels to the acre,
the best in the district. Two men
had eight; three or fur had FIVE. One-half
Of the farmers did not thresh over two, and
over 900 acres we're not cut at all. The
" heat on it could not be taken up with
either the binder or mower.
Now, in the light Of these facts IS there
any qr esticn rs to the people being destitute
in many cases? It is true there are brave
boys to day WI Q have gone west to Mon
tana AMI the Pacific coast, and are sending
home their hard ea:nldgs to keep the life in
the old people and younger member, of the
family. 1t is also true that some of our
settlers, with manly spirit Of independ-
ence, have left their families and their 100
acres ready for crop, ynd are many hun-
dreds Of miles distant struggling for breac !,
and theil brave wives are holding the fort
with the help of the oldest boy or girl, at
tending to the stock and managing to keep
life in themselves, with house full Of
children " no are destitute of clothes to
cover their bodies, and who, in cold day,
dare not 60 out Or they would freeze. But
there are nany who cannot leave th heir
families, who have many causes to keep
them at home, and who, in almost every
case have their stock mortgaged to supply
them with bread in times that are past, !
say that ought to know, if do my duty,
the state of each family in my distrie as
we'll, and possibly better than any other
man; and mlke the broad assertion that
do, and most emph atically say that how 50
many Of them are managing to keep soul
and body together is mystery.
Worthy men as q rule do not parade their
their poverty all the time. I have, sin 90
the hard times came, found it diff cult to get
at the fact whether family were suffering
or not; and in eight cases out Of ten they
have only revealed their condition whom the