The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1900-06-14
THE DROUGHT.

THE DROUGHT.
This is going to be bad year fol
Minnesota. Scarcely any rain or snow
has fallen for six months, and that
which did fall was in the shape of show
ers over small areas, and did little sub
stantial good.
Over three-fourths of the state the
hay crop is ruined; the rye crop ditto
and few days more of dry weather
will end the wheat and oat crops. The
farmers are preparing to sell their cat
tie because they will have no fodder to
feed them.
The Minneapolis Journal of June 6
says:
Labor markets in Minneapolis are feeling
the effects Of the drought existing through
out the Northwest. A month ago, the Offices
in this city were flooded with orders for
farm hands. Today there are not dozen
untitled orders in town.
'The fact is" said one manager, farmers
haven't enough work to keep even them
selves busy. We have received letters from
q
men to be sent at this time countermanding
their orders. The crop outlook now IL bad
and farmers will not engage men for work
until it improves.
Men who have been relying on farm
work and are disappointed have been drift
Ing into other lines. The result is that the
stringency felt month ago has been re-
l1eve4 and wages are not as stiff as they
were. Not few men, not desiring to de-
pend on harvest work under the present
conditions, are securing team work that will
carry them until winter, making no allow
is an unusual thing
The Mississippi river is very low. We
quote from the same paper:
eve must have logs down our way or ex-
per1ence the dullest season in the history
OF sawmilling and steamboating," said Capt.
s. r. Van SAINT at the Nicollet house to-
day. The captain dropped into town last
night and will drop out again late this af-
ternoon Asked about politics, the captain
remarked that he was feeling we'll. and
hoped the newspaper men were all enjoying
the same blessing.
''How's the river, captain?" was asked.
Nov you're talking" said the captain,
with great animation. you've got me on
subject that l know great deal about
Well, sir. the river Is remarkably low, and
we need rain very badly. We must have it.
or we'll soon be entirely out of logs and
that will mean Industrial depression in
Winona. Dubuque, Davenport, Clinton,
Muscatine. and all points affected by river
business.
There will, perhaps, be little actual
suffering among the people, for almost
everyone has some little accumulations
which he can fall back on. If the men
Of 1776 had failed and had remained
under the grasping English rule. like
Ireland and India, the London papers
would this winter be printing pictures
of half-starved and half-naked Mime.
sofa farmers. waiting in groups for the
government distribution of corn meal.
India is as fertile as the United States,
and even in the midst Of the famines
there has always been food enough to
feed the people, but the wretched crea-
lures had no money with which to buy
it. Their money has all gone to pay
taxes and usury.
In Minnesota less than 2,OOO, 900 peo-
pie pay annually $15,000,000 of taxes!
Add drought to this and we will soon
have a pretty Hindoo mess.
Whit FELTON,, Of Nininger, now a resi-
dent Of Louisiana, and one of the oldest !
settlers of Dakota county, told us some
years ago that Mrs. Bailey, a half-breed
Indian, then living at Hastings, told |
him that back in the Twenties her
mother, a full-blooded Indian, had pass |
cd through three consecutive years, in |
when scarcely drop Of rain |
ELL. The Minnesota river at Fort
Smelling became so low that she crossed |
It dry-shod, stepping from stone to
stone.
God forbid that another such calamity
alls upon the state. It would depopu-
ate it.
But this Is certainly an extraordinary
condition Of affairs we are now endur-
ng. The ground is like an ash heap.
Ind SEED sown three months ago is as
ar from all signs OF terminating as
1t haG remained in the granary. It
LIQUIDS over and the barometer indicates
ain, but no rain comes.
Can it be that Providence is signify
ng In this way his disgust with pluto
racy and the fool people who have sus-
aimed it!
No man can tell what is hidden in the
vornb Of time. I'D.