The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-12-20
SUFFERING IN DAKOTA.
Condition at mo Farmcrs--intcrylcw with
IA Traveller.


CncAGo Lib, Dec. MA man can.
not kill hen in Sphinx county, South
Dakota, for his sick wife without violat.
ing the law" is the way William Broak.
ans, a lawyer OF l'edde!d, S. D., who lie
stopping at tho Leland, expressed him.
self concerning the deplotable condi.
ton Of the farmers In tho county he
mentioned.
~ mean by that" he continued, "tlat
30 per cent OF the real estate In Sphinx
county Is mortgoged for all 1t is worth,
and nearly all the chattcls ara also mort.
gagged and in this case II Il farmer kills
one OF his chickens, calf in his barn.
yard, or anything else hs may have on
his farm lie violates tho law. The situa.
ton 10 serious. Many families have left
tho country and others are leaving now.
Some OF those who remain would like to
10, but they have sta!d 30 long that now
they cant.
81 have seen an entire family drive
out OF tho country, taking everything 1t
possessed on earth in small wagon, the
chattel.mortgage shark having claimed
everything else.
"ilnudreds OF families In Sphinx coun.
| ty have not provisions enough to last
them q week; mo money to buy any.
thing; nothing remains In the houses to
cell, aud they cannot secure credit. Last
year the state OF affairs among the fur.
mers was bad, but this year 1t Ia WORSE
Worse, because the people Of South
Dakota who wrote TO their friends for
aid aud secured 1t are denounced rs de.
iamars OF South Dakota.
"rhere is little fuel Oh hand in the
towns, and not much In the entire coun.
try. There is scarcely any straw or hay
to burn, rs the drought left no crops.
Thousands OF acres were not cut this
year. But such reports Ms this were not
sent out 10 the newspapers. Prosperity
and immenae crops are what the men
who were elected to Office tried to make
the outside world believe.
"Should severe winter set in, and It
is not at all unlikely, tho result would
be awful. The roads would be block.
AIDED for months, and, with the scarcity
OF supplies, the towns would contain
nothing but starving, freezing people.
And how would the few fare who have
secured their supplies? Starvation
makes an angry mob of q crowd, and
nothing like rule would prevail. And
il the blockade continued long, there
might not be any one in the spring IL
tell tho story Of the sutftrings.
1.-THE farmers fear that this is the con
dition that confronts them, bu. no such
report gets outside OF the State, because
real estate boomers send out denials oil
, the true state oil affairs. I will 20 &c
far rs to say that the official statistics
are ialsitie1, and Judge Howe, who was
recently elected from Redield, is my
authority for saying this. People in
other States believe there is prosperity
in South Dakota, and ios that reason are
unwilling to help those who are really
in need.
"Whie Mt the Farmers Alliance con.
ven.ion Mt Mitchell, S. D., Mr.. Ashley, o.
Iowa, told the farmers that the people
OF his State were willing to help those il
need, but as coon rs they heard somt
family that was probably starving re-
ports would appear in the local Iows
papers denying tho state OF affairs, ant
, claiming the starving people OF South
Dakota were imposing upon the gener
osity of those who desired to help them
III you want to secure assistance sait
= Mr.. Ashley, you must close the mouth
| OF the real estate boomer and the Immi
grafton Bureau,
"Ths is not the condition in every
part Of the State. In the eastern aut
southeastern parts there is more pros
perity, but there is no: county east o
the Missouri river where many people il
need of help cannot be- found. The ex
toytions OF railroads and money-loanert
lie back Of the suffering. What little
wheat was raised WAS sold to pay inter
est and debts"