The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-10-15

The dispatch from st. Petersburg to the Lon
don Telegraph eseflhifig lie situation IN Rus
STA arising from tile failure OF the crops, and de-
failing harrowins neineiits OF the Famine now
prevailing, part OF which has already been ca
bled TO the United 81 ates, ADDS that not Tor cen
tuf eS has such wide spgeaddiStcess been record
ed. it is nothing less than d national calamity.
The ielegraph's correspondent says that tiie
trouble Is chiefly due 80 Jiie government. which
at the beginning OF the veal Was Wen aware
that famine WAS imminent ihe authorities
DELAYED taking any action 60 relieve The dis
tress until 1t was too late What nenenf would
have been deris ed from the prohibition OF the
expectation o. rye as nuiliied 10y the action OF
the government III extending pile time for the
decree to go into effect. In addition TO tie scar
city of food whcl has caused untold suffering,
the distress has ueen intensified by the enormous
number OF unusually disastrous hres thtlt nave
occurred throUe h0ut ghe famine stricken as
trict. IN many o. tie GlStricts ehlfe vinaSes
have been destroyed. Tue Inhabitants OF the
burning villages weak from lack OF fool ana
no prospect OF improving tneir conGltiof, mace
attempt 30 check tls progress OF the names,
bnt stood and watched their dwellings burn.
Some of them, more deyout thar others, fell on
their knees and prayed The sinishty TO exaiis
fortune came the cattle plague which caused
ipcredibla havoc Thousands of head of cattle
took the disease and peished, and thus many
families lost their only means CT subsistence
What little food i'll is possible tor the peasants
to obtain is OF the West description. but so
sharp are the pangs of hunger that they gladly
eat food that at other times they would not
touch. In many cases their only food Is the
sweeping and refuse from the flour mills. In
SaratOff the landowners found this fe1uSe SO IN
furious to their Cattle that they wOuld NOT 1eed
it to them. But though 1t was not NJ TOR cauUe
| to eat, the landowners made Tread OF IT, ana
sold it to the peasants bread mace OF nnely
! chopped straw and brand mixed with q very
small quantity of rye is considered Godsend.
In many districts the starving peasants try, put
are notable to procure even these miserable
substitutes for nOurShing food, and are reduced
to the most dire straits to procure anything that
will prOlong life. In these districts, the stary
ing population are keeping themselves alive by
| making what they call hunger bread 1t is
hardly to be believed that human beings could
6irsas md
compound as this so called hunger bread, YET 10
is stated as fact that the ingredients entering
into the composition OF this bread are dried
dung the powder bark of trees and ground peas
| and goosefeet, plant more commonly Known
as pig weed. This mess is greed'iy eaten by the
furnishing people. Heavy rains have fallen and
the ground is so soaked witt, water that the pc
tatoes are rotting. The price of potatoes has al
ready doubled and is still rising. The peasant
boards have sent petitions to the ministry pray
ing that the taxes and arrears OF taxes De wiped
out. The petitioners declare that the govern
| ment will be Obliged to maintain the 1mpover-
| ished people for "A months and that it will be
utterly Impossible for them TO pay the taxes A
| circular has been issued by the Minister OF the
Interior which enumerates ID governments in
| which the people completely famine strick-
| en- and in which partial famine prevails
| The great fair which is annually held at Mini
| Novgorod and which is attended by merchants
| and dealers from all parts of Russia, fail
| ure this year. This was due to the enormous
number of bankrupts and their consequent
| withdrawal from trade. In many villages the
| peasants have nailed up their huts and nave
/ left their comiaunes to scour the country IN
search of work. Hundreds OF them have failed
| in their search and are begging along the road
sides. In numerous cases the seed corn which
was furnished the peasants by che government
| has been eaten instead of being planted ana the
| land is lying fallOw. Notwithstanding the ter
| rible condition OF the peasantfy, the taxes con-
| tinue to be extorted from the starving people.
| Everything is taken from them to satisfy the
| demands of tie tax gatherers where the pea
| SAINTS display any unwillingness to pay over
their taxes. the collectors resort to physical
| means to egtort the money from them. The
| knout is extensively employed by the officials of
the tax collecting department of Russia.