The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-02-07
AID FORSOUTH DAKOTA
MINNEAPOLIS WILL SEND $4,000 TO
THE DESTITUTE.

Suffering of the People-A Big Fund to
Be Raised,
The st. Paul Pioneer Press has the
following:
The session of the board of trade yester-
day proved to be an enthusiastic one on
the subject of Dakota relief. There were
distinguished visitors present in the person
of Gov. Mellette, Senator Hunter, REPRE-
sentative Smith and judge Briggs of South
Dakota. These gentlemen. presented the
board lost no time in seeing that q COM
mittee was appointed to endeavor to raise
the amount Of money requested. Gov.
Mellette said his purpose was to collect q
fund of $50, 600 with which to purchase
seed wheat for use in the spring. OF that
amount South Dakota proposed to raise
one-half itself, and for the remaining one
half the citizens. of Minneapolis, st.
Paul, Winona, Sioux City and Omaha
would be importuued. He said that
the assistance of neighboring states
would enable his people to get through the
winter comfortably, but in the spring it
would be necessary to furnish them seed
wheat. If he succeeded in raising the en-
report compiled of the way in which the
money was distributed. In this connection
Gov. Mellette suggestedth North Dakota
ought to be treated in Oil equally generous
manner. Minneapolis would never regret
it. Every dollar contributed meant an
acre and o quarter of wheat sown. He felt
confident that he development of Dakota
had developed both Minneapolis and st.
Paul. The prospects of q good crop forthe
coming year he regarded as favorable.
Here the governor took occasion to
refer to tho exaggerated reports of the eli
mate and other alleged disadvantages of
Dakota, which eastern newspapers have
printed in order to prevent immigration.
which the two new states had suffered for u
long time. The great mistake of his coun-
try, Gov. Mellette confessed, had been the
lack of diversified crops. In reply to ques-
tons he said there was little seed wheat on
hand in the state, a large number OF peo-
pie having been already obliged to use the
Wheat that they had put by to save. Re-
garding the relief that was needed other
than seed wheat in some of the counties,
he replied that it was difficult to answer.
Sometimes where the clamor is the loudest
the needs are the smallest.
Following the governor, Judge Briggs, of
Ipswich, addressed the meeting. 1t seems
that he is in the city on q separate mission,
tuHI OIL SeCuTlDS Iellel loF lbs OMA County,
Edmunds. He referred to the fact that his
people had suffered from poor crops since
1885. Last years failure in particular
wiped them out of nearly all their posses
sions, SO that they were unable to pay the
interest on heavy mortgages to both real and
personal property. At present the smaller
farmers have absolutely nothing to begin
on again. To emphasize the poverty Of
the country Judge Briggs stated that the
gross collection made by him last year
would not amount to as much as his per
cent. Of the year before. Nevertheless, IN
the face of all this he still had firm faith III
the future. Representative Smith also
wished the board to understand that his
constituents were possessed of nerve" to
hold ont.-Senator Hunter emphasized the
difference between the pleas made by Gov.
Mellette and Judge Briggs, the formers
being q commercial proposition entirely.
Considerable discussion followed these
speeches. The opinion seemed to be una
nimous that the requests for relief should
be acted upon favorably, but just how to
go about the matter was another thing.
+. H. Peavey moved that q committee of
three be appointed to cooperate with COM
nlittees from the jobbers' union and the
chamber Of commerce to raise the $1,000.
H. G.. O. Morrison wanted this amended
so tuat tne DOaTu WOulo insure inc raising
Of that amount, but Judge Atwater and E.
J. Phelps objected on the ground that the
board could not be so bound. Mr.. Nor
rison accordingly withdrew his amendment
and Mr.. Peavey's prevailed, and President
Nelson appointed F. H. Heavey, J. Ii. Bas-
sett and Z. J. Phelps the committee. The
names of J. T. Wyinan and Anthony Kelly
were afterward added. Previously Gen.
George P. Wilson spoke in favor Of North
Dakota. He did not like to discriminate
between the two states, inasmuch as the
restitution in the northern one was much
greater. South Dakota is not limited to
wheat raising, as is her sister. He thought
$4,000 for each state could largely be Sc
cured through the wealthy churches Of the
city.