Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-08-19
GOV. sHAw's PROCLAMATION.
Text OF His Appeal For Aid For the
Porto Ricans.

Porto Rtcans.
Des Moines, Aug. Ex-Governor Shaw
announces that he will in a day or two
announce the members of an Iowa
Porto Rican aid commission. He is
in correspondence with leading citizens
who will be asked to take charge of The
movement. Meantime he has issued
proclamation stating that contributions
may be sent to State Treasurer Her
riott.
Governor Shaw's appeal in full is as
follows:
To the People OF Iowa-I am this day
i'm receipt of communication from
Hon. Elihu Root, secretary of war, in
closing dispatches received from the
governor general of Porto Rico setting
forth the devastation wrought by the
recent hurricane in that island, and
from which 1 quote as follows: "The
magnitude of the work to be accomp-
lished leads this department to supple
ment the appeal already made to the
mayors Of the principal cities of the
country by more general appeal and
beg of you to ask the n~ocs4 OF your
state to contribute generously to the
relief of the people of Porto Rico
on the subject received by me, and I
hasten to respond. can not better de-
scribe the destitution and suffering Of
the people Of Porto Rico than to quote
| from the cablegrams to the war depart
ment by Governor General Davis:
Not more than one-fourth of the
towns are yet heard from, but enough
is known to warrant the statement that
lone-fifth of the dwellings, on the island
are totally destroyed, and their owners
are without any shelter whatever or any
food beyond what has been saved from
the debris. - = The coffee crop and
most of the trees are ruined, and this
reliance for support is gone. Fully one
third OF the people subsist entirely on
fruit, and to small degree on tubers
All the former are destroyed and much
of the latter are rotting in the ground.
49,. Deaths from falling walls and
drowning will number more than 1000
and may be several times that number.
The state of distress is very great. and
when green fruits saved from the debris
are consumed the suffering will be in
tense
Certainly never before have there
been SO many of the people of the Unit
ed States In need or any portion of the
people of the nUited States in SO great
need as now. Iowa is blessed with
abundant harvests, and no state is bet
ter prepared to contribute in proportion
to it's population, and, as in the past, no
people will prove more willing.
l do therefore most heartily recon-
mend that all of the people of the state
of Iowa contribute for the relief of the
people of Porto Rico, and that all sums
| of money be forwarded to Hon. John
Herriott, treasurer of state. who will
promptly transmit the same in accord
ance with the direction of the war de-
partment. To facilitate the collection
of funds hereby appoint the honorable
mayor of each city and town of the
state of Iowa and the county auditor of
each county, and recommend that they
appoint such subcommittee as may
be necessary to make diligent canvass
both for money and for supplies. Con-
tributions other than money can be held
until further arrangements are made.
Done at Des Moines this 17th day of
August, 1899.
BY the governor.
George L. Dobson, Secretary of State.