Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-25
NEBRASKA SWEDES WILL AID
0mahsus Organize Society to Relieve
Stricken Fathsrland
CROP FAILURE THERE CAUSES FAMINE
People Are Eating Their Horses Flesh
and COuntrymen Here Propose to
RemOve the Necessity by Cir
~culatinE General Appeal.

To relieve conditions Of distress now pre-
vailing in central and northern Sweden by
reason OF the failure of this years crops,
fifty leading swedes OF Omaha met last
night at N. p. Swanson's establishment,
Seventeeth and Cunning streets, pledged S12O
of their own, selected a central committe
Of twenty-five members to appeal to the
IL, 900 Swedish Americans in Omaha and the
so. 900 or more out over the state to swell
this nucleus, and organized the Nebraska
Swedish American Relief society.
The officers OF the organization are: Judge
L. NJ. Stenberg, vice consul for Sweden and
Norway, president; Rev. p. NJ. Lindberg.
swedish uthera church. vice president;
G. A. Lindquest, 1910 Farnam street, treas
urer, and o. NJ. Nelson, editor of the swe-
dish Journal, secretary.
On the Committee
Serving with these on the committee are:
Rev. c. e. Ewing, Salem Swedish Lutheran
church; Rev. Emanuel Berg, Swedish Mis-
sion church; Rev. Frank Swanson, Swedish
Methodist church; Rev. John Carlson, Zion
Swedish Lutheran church; Rev. L. Orlander,
Swedish Baptist church; Rev. E. A. Fogel-
strom, manager of Emanuel hospital; Theo-
dore johnson, N. P. Swanson, T.. G. North
wall, c. o. Lobeck. John P. Helm, Gustave
Andreen, DR.. F. A. Swanson, County Sur
veyor P. A. Edquist, F. E. Sanvall Of South
Omaha, A. l.. Bergquist, p. e. Flodman, Al
fred Bloom, John A. Swanson, Albin John
son. s. X. Burgstrom.
This general committee is to meet
Wednesday evening at N. P. Swanson's
place to sign the appeal that will be later
printed and generally circulated throughout
| Az .Nokn AIaa1uhEla tha aHnoora and n n
Lobeck. N. p. Swanson and Rev. Swanson
will meet this afternoon and draft such ap-
peal. The money already pledged and all
that may be sent the committee in response
to it's appeal will be forwarded to Stock
holm for distribution by a central relief as
ISOLATION there appointed by the Swedish
government. Only money is to be asked as
the aid is needed at once.
Reason for the Call.
The call for the meeting Of last night
was issued by Revs. Lindberg, Berg and Ell
wing and N. p. Swanson, who were moved
by the articles now appearing in the Swe-
dish papers. The movement, is general and
Chicago swedes have already sent $3.50
though the first steps in this country were
taken only about three weeks ago.
Rev. Lindberg who was born and reared
1 IN the SECTION NOW dulCleu anu WIN bJdlee
that he has corroborated the published re-
ports by correspondence with personal
friends made this statement last night OF
the conditions which have inspired the
call:
For the first time since the total croI
failure OF 1867. the 1000, 900 people resident
in the central and northern portions Of
Sweden are in actual distress. On two.
thirds the total area Of the country the
crops are a failure, and in the northern
half Of that stricken section there is nc
crop at all. Tn summer was wet and
cold, 80 that the barley, oats, corn and
rye developed late and the frosts caught
them then heavy SHOWS came and all was
ruin. The southern half of the affected
district has saved a crop that is perhaps
one-nfth the normal yield.
Indications of the Condition.
18th result is that people are now mix
ing bark with their -four and are killinI
even their oxen and draft horses for food
This has paralyzed the lumber industry
for railroads In that section there are few
and lumber is disposed Of only after lonI
hauls.
Stockholm papers sent special investi
gators to the place Of the reported faminI
and from them and from government
sources obtained confirmation OF the wors
reports. The correspondent met 100 rep
resentative farmers in a special conference
and quizzed them. He asked which wa!
worst needed, food for the animals or FOOT
for the people, and they answered foo,
for the people. He asked If any had
rye crop and they answered none. H,
asked II they had opportunity Of earning
money and they nswer none they coult
rely upon. He asked how long the supple
| they then had would sufice and they an
swered that the food for the stock woult
last until Christmas, but the food for tn,
people was already practically exhausted
One farmer stated that he was no longe
able to send his children to school be
cause he could not divide the meage
family support so as to give them enougl