St. Paul daily globe., 1890-02-01
IT is not THE DROUTH
That Is Driving the Farmers
Of South Dakota to STAR
walton.
High Taxes, High Interest
and Usury Have Done
Their Work.
Bad Management Has Also
Driven Many Men to Des-z
titutiOn.
In Only Miner, Faulk and Ed
mundS Counties We're
Crops a Failure.
SPECIAL to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
PIERRE. S. D., Jan. 31.-The commit
tee appointed at Watertown in Deceln-
ber to inquire into the financial condi-
tion of the people of South Dakota has
made its report. Don G. Needham signs
it as chairman of the committee. 1t is
as follows: Your chairman has spent
several weeks in gathering statistics;
has in person visited several counties
talking to the needy. and has sent out
over $50 letters and received 393 replies
thereto. Nearly every member of
both houses of our legislature together
with chairmen of board of county
commissioners, treasurers, registers of
deeds and prominent farmers have re-
piled. In his personal visits he found
one farmer who needed assistance
whose wheat crop last season was $40
bushels from fifty acres; another need
inS aid whose sixty acres yielded 1000
bushels; several whose average on a
good acreage was from Ii to II bushels.
Besides the wheat crop. they had raised
fair crop OF corn. potatoes and vegeta-
bles. We find in many counties similar
illustrations Of
SUFFERING FROM DROUTH.
I'VE tiud that over very small area
of territory within this state was the
loss from drOuih total. but in several
localities ther was Shrinkage of the
average yield below that of previous
years. We also find the suffering from
any cause not to exceed One-twentieth
part OF that reported by the Eastern
press. 1t is apparent that the class ut
farmers who keep out of debt. or pay
as they gO." are not only not asking.
lint nnaHinor old fHltnrp q rk,
thousands of farmers in South Dakota
who came here with little or notIl-
ing, who are now In comfortable
circumstances, owning l6O or more
acres of land, with good buildings. wei
improved. and have a good start in stock.
while on the other hand we find those
coming here under similar or evesi
better circumstances, now. badly iiY
volved, their hOmesteads InOrtgaged aH
well as all their chattels. The causs&
which have led to this state or condition
of our peoples finances will be fOufij
in the taulIated statement which fo!-
lows. but it is from reports'r r ceivti
safe to say, that we have purchased too
much farm machinery to economically
till the acreage we have under cultiva-
ton. We have paid
EXoRBTrANT PRICES
for the sarue. and have not properly
cared for it, so that in very short time
it has been necessary to replace is.
With smaller crop than we had an
ticipated, we have ueen unable to meet
our obligations and in consequence have
borrowed money at unusually high
| rates of interest, and the low price for
produce, the decline in the price of beef.
| pork and other products of the farm has
compelled the renewal Of obligations
until the principal and interest have
swept away the total crop IN many in
| stances, and left those who are ask ing aid
i'll some cases, at least. really deserving.
| While we find our crnp has fallen below
an average, and that a greater amount
| of rainfall wOulti be beneficial. we ale
| led TO believe from personal Observa-
ton. as well as from the reports of d
very large portion, indeed, nearly all
our correspondents, that the cause for
| the destitutinn that does exist is not
| chargeable to either the soil or climat5
| of our state. We submit the following
| tabulated statement of the average of
the principal crops by counties, together
with summary of the proportionate
| amount of mortgages. both real and
| personal. and the causes as reported
which have led to the conditions de-
Scribed: