San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-04-07
FLOOD sufferers AIDED.
100000 Appropriated By
Congress Today.
PRESIDENT M'KINLEY ASKED
FOR IT AND 1T WAS IMME- =
DIATEY APPROPRIATED.
He Cited Instances Where Congress
Had Donated Literally For
Such Causes Before The
Full Text Of His
Message.

The president today sent the follow
ing message to Congress:
Information which has recently
come to me from the governors of
Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana,
and from prominent citizens of these
states and, Tennessee warrants the
conclusion of wide spread distress, in
volving the destruction of a large
amount of property and the loss of
| human lives resulting from the floods
which have been submerging that sec
ton of the country. These are stated
on reliable authority to be the most
destructive floods that ever devastat-
ed the Mississippi valley, the water
being much higher than the highest
| stage it reached before. ~
From Marion, Ark, north of Mem
| phis to Greenville, Miss, a distance
| more than go miles by river, it is re-
ported. that there are now at least
| fifty towns and villages under water
and the territory extending from 100
miles north of Memphis to 200 miles
south and from five to forty miles
wide is submerged, and hundreds of
| thousands of acres of cultivated soil
with growing crops is included in the
| submerged territory.
In this section alone there are from
fifty to sixty thousand people whose
| property has been destroyed and
whose business is suspended. The
| growing crops are ruined and, thous-
ands of cattle have been drowned and
| the inhabitants of certain areas are
| threatened with certain destruction.
| AS a great majority of the sufferers
are small farmers they thus have been
left entirely destitute and will be IN
prepared for work, even after the
floods have subsidized.
The entire Mississippi valley in
| Arkansas is flooded and communica-
ton with any point is entirely cut off.
| In Mississippi like conditions exist.
| The leveeS in Louisiana, with but a
| single exception, have held but the
water is rising and the situation there
is reported as being extremely criti-
cal.
| Under such circumstances the citi-
zens of those states look for the CO.
| operation and support of the nation
| Ill IblItN lIS the IlCSSlllS SdSCS VI
titutiOn They are in need of food,
clothing and shelter which are beyond
the reach of their efforts.
The authorities have communicated
with the governors who recognize that
their first and most energetic duty is
| to provide as far as possible the means
| of caring for their own citizens, but
| nearly all of them agree in the opinion
.l,,N l,As, horv
| exhausted, sum aggregating at least
$150,000 and possibly 100000 will be
required for the immediate use of the
| suffering.
"Precedents are not wanting that in
such emergencies as this Congress has
| always taken prompt, generous and
intelligent action, involving the eXpen-
ditures of considerable money with
satisfactory results. In IA $59O,O00
were appropriated and in 'S2 $350,000
were also appropriated for the relief
in the same direction, beside large
sums in other years.
The citizens relief committee of
Memphis, which has taken prompt &C
ton. has already cared for from 10000
to 10000 refugees from the flooded
| districts and they are still arriving in
that city in large numbers.
supplies and provisions have been
sent to various points in Arkansas and
Mississippi by this committee but the
most that can be done by these efforts
is to partly relieve the most acute
cases of suffering and no action has
as yet been taken for the great major
| ity of inhabitants, living in the fnter-
ior whose condition has already been
| described.
Under these conditions and having
exerted themselves to the fullest ex-
tent. the local authorities reluctantly
confess their inability to further cope
with this distressing situation unaided
by relief from the government. 1t
| therefore seemed that the representa-
tives of the people should be promptly
informed of the nature and extent Of
the suffering of these stricken people
and have communicated these facts
in the hope and belief that the legis-
lative branch of the government will
promptly reinforce the work of the
local authorities in the states named"
WILLIAM N'KINLEY."
Executive Mansion.
Washington, April 7.-Catchings, of
| lTiSSiSSinni nffarad q resolution in tho