The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1897-01-30
From State Relief Committee

Owing to some hasty and ill-advieed
criticisms of their work, Messrs. Mill
saps, Lee and Wooten, members of the
State relief committee, under date of
Jan. Goth, claim that the statement of
Messrs. Shackelford and Stewart that no
State aid had been sent to Grant, was a
gross injustice to Gov. Foster and them
selves. They request that the following
be made public, from which it appears
that seven car loads of corn for free dis
tribution had actually been in the parish
week when the complaint YVES made:
Referring to the interview had in your
city New Orleans) by the Picayune re-
proter and Messrs. w. L. Shackelford and
4. W. Stewart, published in the Picayune
of the 10Th instant: The parish commit
tee Of Grant, composed of O. G. Watson,
chairman, J. e Nugent and Al. Dunn,
made a report to the State committee
under date of the 4th inst, saying that
there were 482 destitute families, compos-
ing 255l persons, in their parish. This
report reached us on the 9Th instant. In
this report the chairman of the commit
tee, 0. c. Watson, made requisition for
shipment Of corn for free distribution on
the 18th inst. We shipped seven car
loads of corn to him, to Rives Spur and
Antonio. on The Iron Mountain railway,
and to Montgomery. on Red river, as d.
recte1 by Mr.. Watson. We presume this
corn has been received at the points of
destination. The gentlemen composing
the committee applied to us fol iudorse-
ment to go to New Orleans and elsewhere
to solicit aid for their parish from the
general public. This we declined to u O,
for the reason that we felt We had no au-
thority to do anything in connection with
relief work except to expend the S65,OO0
set aside for the purpose and distribute
to the parishes. It seems strange that
Messrs Stewart and Shackelford should
say that they have received no aid from
this committee. when rs matter of fact
their parish has received in proportion as
much rs any of the other parishes in the
drought district.
The obnoxious blank referred to by
the gentlemen is a list of questions asked
the drought sufferer, to aid US in arriving
at his true condition and prevent impos-
ing and abuse of the States bounty, and
does not CRATE harshly upon the pride of
any legitimate sufferer
All the trouble has been occasioned by
the methods pursued by our parish COM
mittee and those DESTROYS of managing
the relief business, who seem to think
they can get along best without any as
distance from the newspapers. II they
had published their proceedings or kept
the newspapers informed of their actions
and intentions, there would not be so
much ignorance among the people as to
what is going Cd, or the proper steps to
take to promptly secure needed aid. At
this very time we understand the two
car loads of free corn intended for Mont
gomery and ward six, ont of the seven
car loads above mentioned, are still at Al
awaiting shipment by boat. If
Mr.. Watson had made public the fact |
that he had made requisition for this !
corn to be shipped on the 18th of Jsnu-
airy, we feel sure that the people Of Mont
gomery would long ago have arranged to |
have il delivered by boat.