The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1900-04-04
THE INDIA FAMINE.
What the Redwood Organlzation Is
Seeking Relief For.

this city, aided by the school teach
ers, elevator men and others all
over the country, in raising funds
for the relief of the India sufferers
is going on, and it is probable that
Redwood county's donation to the
relief fund will reach the 81 900
mark before the committee decides
that everybody has been allowed to
donate towards the relief.
In the meantime the famine in
India continues its devastating
work and there are now 5000, ZOO
people actually dependent on gov
ernment relief works, with nearly
four times the number on the verge
of starvation, and nearly 81: 900, 900
living On insufficient food. The
death rate is so excessive that
large areas will suffer for lack Of
population for years. A letter from
Calcutta, written at the end of Jan
uary' gives a shocking account Of
the condition Of the people in the
famine stricken districts, and dis
NAL outlook for the future.
In Rajputana the villagers, be-
fore going on the relief works had
been reduced to eating the leaves of
the pepul tree and oil cake ordinar-
lily fed to cattle. This diet so Injuries
their digestive organs that when
they come on the relief, the return
to common food disagrees with them
and they die by hundreds. From
that cause and from utter exhaus-
ton, deaths are so numerous on the
| relief works. that fires are kept
burning night and day without in
PERMISSION. to burn the bodies of
the victims. In Raiputana. as in
the Bombay Presidency and Baroda,
the scarcity of water is added to the
lack of food. In ordinary times the
rainfall is not too great in these
high lands. but now the country is
approaching the aspect of desert.
The cattle are dying off like flies,
and cannot be sold at one rupee now
as compared with the ordinary
price of 80 or IS rupees. Numbers
of people die on their way to the re-
lief works, and children are con-
stantly being picked>upby the sides
of their dead mothers. With the
scarcity of food prices have risen;
and where in ordinary times life
could be sustained on three rupees
or So cents a month, it now requires
from one to two rupees more. The
resources at the disposal of the
Indian government are totally mad
equate to meet the increasing want
of the population, and the contribu-
tons from private sources are so
infinitesimal as compared with the
needs, that unless the British Par
| lament takes some action a com
| plete collapse Of the efforts to stem
the ravages of the famine is threat
ened
What seems remarkable in the
midst of the misery Of the people
is that SO few of the wealthy Indians
seem to be doing anything worth
speaking of to aid their poorer fell
low countrymen. There are native
mobiles and princes possessed of
great wealth, some even of colossal
fortunes, yet we hear of no great
organized movement on'Ctheir part
to rise to the level of the occasion.
They seem to be content to leave
everything to official initiative and
official control, which is always slow
and seldom sympathetic, while,
unfortunately, relief. funds admin
istered by religious bodies are too
frequently used for sectarian ends,
and so deter the people with their
strong race and caste prejudices
from availing themselves of the
generous intentions of the donors.
With the horrors that are passing
in India the general public in Eng
land seem to be very little concerned.
It has no thought, apparently, for
anything at present but the war in
South Africa, and it would seem as
though nothing but some startling
incident arising out of the desperate
condition of the people would rouse
them to sense of the danger threat
ening British rule in India. The
India press, with its eye ever fixed
on the Draconian rress law lately
passed bv the british India Uov