Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-04-17

death, which, sparing none attacks
first tSe weddings, the children and
women whom other foes spare.
Economic conditions in Russia
make the plight of the sufferers more
terrible. They are peasants, unedu-
Gated, as is IS per cent of Russia's
Whole population Their one means
of livelihood is farming, and when
Heaven denies the rain for crops, as
was the case last y ear, their only
means of sustenance is gone. Last
year, in more than 100000 square
miles of Russian territory there was
sowing but no reaping. The earth
was dry and unproduetive, robbing
the peasant of even the little store OF
seed sown which otherwise. he might
have used for food There are no
industries except farming, no news
papers, practically no railroads, In
the land where the famine stalks. II
the crop fails the peasant of today
can do nothing but wait, pray and
suffer just as his father did before
him. There has been no advance.
There is no other work that the peas
ant can seek. Miles and miles from
the railroad, and hundreds of miles
from the cities with their chances
for employment, he cannot turn to
other fields for the earning of even a
makeshift livelihood that might mean
escape from starvation fro his fam
lily. Those who have sought the
cities have but one story to tell-no
work Even with the limited num-
Der who have done so there are
hundred applicants or every job.
he best indication of the terrible
privation that exists is the fact that
the Russian government has been
moved to action In 1891 a famine
year, in which, howeer, the suffering
was dotning compared to that of this
year, the ovemment hit upon the
happy eXpedient OF forbidding the
use of the Wor3 hunger. This year
the situation is SO much worse that
the government has spent about $685.
100000 and is negotiating loan of
So7 100000 more for famine relief.
But even such a sum is totally made
quate to meet the situation, as Mr..
Nicholas Shiskoff, who is visiting
this country in behalf of the sunerers
and with no political purpose, s~s
pointed out Nor is it surprising
when the expense of carrying on such
work over 100000 square miles, al
most without railroads, without
newspapers or enlightenment, and
among S0.000,000 sufferers. is re-
hembered.
Eqen if all the Russian govern
ments efforts at relief were carried
out efficiently, those efforts wop.d
still be inadequate. At present the
relief consists of furnishing to each
person in the famine district under
seventeen and over fifty-nine one
pound of bread a day. Infants under
one year of age receive nothing.
Their one and only hope for life is In
sharing the pltifully small allowance
of bread which other members of the
family A1NCANts III ldLllly Vi SIX,
two perhaps, on an average will re-
ceive their pound of bread each day,
which, when divided among the
wAole family means onethird of
pound day. That and cold water
mat is all. Many families, of course,
have no members entitled to govern
ment assistance. There is no es-
cape no alternative, and the small
allowance made must be divided
smaller yet in the struggle to sustain
life.
The Russian peasant does not eat
meat, his daily food being ave pounds
of bread. He has now one-ffteenth
of his regular ration. II he has any
thing at al The meaning Of this
condition may become clearer to
tie reader If he attempts to live on
one-hIteenth cf his daily share say
three meals every two weeks. For
there is practically 7othing in the
famine district on with to support
life. Even the seeds Of the weeds
have been eaten. The little horses on
which the peasant depends for his
blowing and general work. the oc-
casional COW. all have been sold to
purchase bread. On the treeless
steppes conditions are. If possible,
worse. To support life on one-third