St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-06
HUNDREDS NEED HELP.
Botti neau County Settlers Sub
sisting on Bran and Shorts

sisting on Bran and Shorts
FARGO, N. D., Dec. 5.-The following,
which needs no explanation, was re-
ceived to-day:
Office of Commissioners, Fifth Dis
trict, Bottineau County. North Dakota
i unhesitatingly say that both last
year and this there has been a consider
able amount of destitution in this
county and many families have been,
and now are. short of the necessaries OF
life, and l leave it to any Intelligent
man, when he reads the following facts,
to Judge how it could be otherwise. In
1886 immigration may be said to have
fairly begun at the commencement OF
work on our line of railroad. Settlers,
up to this time and for year after. had
to transport their produce ITO miles,
Devils Lake being tie nearest
market. The settlers of 1885 in
most cases broke up enough of
land that year to yield wheat for bread
for 1887 and sod for the spring of 1888.
But by far the largest number settled
in 1887, and made good showing, get
ting up good buildings and breaking
from 100 to g. acres each that summer.
The harvest of 1888 was a failure. caused
by frost. With the exception of few
IarDS on Tic high, uly ldliu Ol tAC tOoV-
hills of the Turtle mountains, what
wheat was threshed was only fit for
ground feed. This year the drought
made a clean sweep of this country.
the report of f. II. Haggart to the con-
trary Notwithstanding, as
REPORTS FROM ALL THRESHERS
show that there was not 100000 bushels
of wheat threshed in this country, while
the amount OF oats and barley harvested
was almost nothing. The assessors re-
turns show over $4,000 acres in wheat
which did not yield an average of III zee
bushels to the acre. Ye Gods. where
are the twelve to twenty bushels Mr..
Haggart reported? And right here let
me say that there is something wrong
with Mr. Haggart's report of the crops
in this county. The gentleman who
furnished the agricultural department
with the crop report from this county,
stated in public meeting recently in
NV presence, that tine report was not as
he made it. He stated that his last re-
port was q yield of three
burhels of wheat per acre,
and that it gained five on the
way to Bismarck. The reader can see
at a glance that settlers who came here
i'm 1886 have just one crOp-the first
and we all know that is generally small
and not of the best. Settlers who came
here in 1887 have never got any crop, as
the two last crops were failures. Your
readers all know how many poor people
come in and settle upon government
land, depending on the first crop to
carry them through. The town in which
[ reside is fair sample of the eight
that compose this commissioners dis
trict. and is above the county average.
49, A,xx,,, boI O;no huchpic tn tho qprn
the best in this district. One-half of
the farmers did not threSh at all, aud
over LOCO acres
WE'RE NOT CUT AT ALL.
The wheat on it could not be taken with
either binder or mower. Now in the
light of these facts is there any question
as to there being destitution in many
cases. 1t is true there are brave boys
to-day who have gone west to Montana
and the Pacific coast, and are sending
some of their hard earnings to keep lite
in their old people and younger menu
bers of their families. 1t is also true
SON., of the settlers, in manly spirit of
independence, have left their families
and their hundred acres ready for crop
and are many hundreds of miles distant
struggling for bread and their brave
wives are holding the fort with the help
of their oldest boy or girl attending to
the stock and managing to keep life in
themselves. There are many houses
full of children who are destitute of
clothes to cover their bodies. and who
on cold days dare not go out or they
WoIlld freeze, but there are many who
cannot- leave their 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. l say that
ought to know if l do my duty the state
of each family in my district as well,
and possibly better than any other man,
and most emphatically say that how SO
many of them are managing to keep
BODY AND SOUL TOGETHER
is a mystery. Worthy men, as rule,
do not parade their poverty all the time.
| have, since hard times came, found it
difficult to get at the fact whether
family were suffering or not, and in
eight cases out of ten they have only Ie-
yealed their condition when their last
loaf has gone. Let me give one i'll
stance. Last winter near neighbOr of
mine was so reduced that his wife and
children, eight in number, lived two
weeks on bran. He only made me ac-
Quainted with their condition when one
OF the cDlldrel became very SICK anu ne
was afraid it would die for lack of nOur-
ishmpnt. Let me give another. Three
brOtliers-in-law, whose united families
number seventeen in all, all these fam
lilies have to depend upon for existence
is the profits one of them can make by
peddling goods in the Red river valley,
which a generous Grand Forks 1Der-
chant has given him on credit until he
can sell them. These three men have
2JO acres of land ready for seed and not
busheI of seed to SOW with. have said
enough to convince any reasonable per-
son that all need help. On the first of
October last the county board spent
over S4O0 in supplying the poor with
food, and a great deal more was re-
quired as the following fact will shows
Some time ago went to Harrison &
KalfalSh's grist mill to purchase shorts
with which to feed nv stock. Mr. Har-