The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1907-05-02

ii"he lhelr crops grow the past season
their only hope of sustenance was
gone.
Last year in more than 100000
square miles of Russian territory there
was sowing but no reaping. The peas.
ants hopefully put their little store of
seed grain into the ground. When the
arid land failed to return a crop, not
only were they robbed of the fruits of
their toll, but their seed grain itself,
which might have served as food was
gone. There was nowhere to turn for
work or succor. Hundreds of miles
away there were cities, but the few
daring ones who reached them sent
back the hopeless words mo work.
Wholesale "Graftins."
In 1891, when the famine killed hun
dreds, the Russian government hit
upon the expedient of forbidding the
word hunger" but the famine of the
present is so much greater that the
government is fully alive to It, Be.
sides having appropriated 5000, 900
already, 1t is now negotiating loan
of $37 100000 more for famine relief.
But even this sum is totally inadequate
to the work in hand. especially as half
of the money will line the pockets of
official grafters to whom the deaths OF
thousands of poor peasants Is merely
an unfortunate incident in their own
| short cut to wealth.
At present the relief work in Russia
consists of doing out a pound of bread
a day to sufferers. The aged and
minors get nothing.
Some families of five or six have
families have none. II two of fam
lily of six draw bread and divide Il
equally it means that each member
eats one-third of pound a day. Thu
regular diet of Russian peasant Il
five pounds of bread daily. Thus thu
most fortunate are now existing upoI
one-fifteenth of their regular fare, or
to an American who has three square
meals a day, two meals in tire,
weeks.
The very seeds of the weeds havt
been eaten and the ground has beef
stripped of every green thing. The Iii
tie horses have all been sold or eaten
and the occasional cows, too. Nothing
remains but the hope of relief iron
the outside. There is no wood 70
fires and many families have joine
together in one house for warmth
tearing the other dwellings down TO
fuel.
1t is estimated that in the PROVING
of Samara alone there will be 10000
deaths in a total population of 5000
600, and others of the 81 provinces a
fected will have like averages.
Seek Aid of the World.
Determined efforts are now bein
made to enlist the sympathy of tn
world with the suffering, ignoran
peasants, and emissaries have bee
sent to this and other countries. N
Shiskoff, who is in America to enlis
aid, says that IS will save the life c
an adult and that SIS will keep chill
from dying.
The immigrants to Boston from Ru'
STA are mostly people from the pale
and they are taxed several times
wear to help their prosecuted friend
and relatives at home. 1t is estimate
that delegates from Russia took nc
less than $4,000 out of Boston las
wear TO help the victims of persec'
ton; and probably $4,000 more wa
sent across the sea TO individual
either to relieve suffering or to hel
them to emigrate.
To the Russian Jews in this city th
famine tragedy now enacting Is tn
climax of misery long drawn out The
will do what they can, but as one
the men at the civic service house O
Salem street said the other day
.Uhere our people can get MOI
money to send to Russia Is puzzle
thew have drained their purses tim
and time again; and now it remain
for all the charitable in general owe
here to do their share"
3 The famine means tremendous Sc
l hack to Russia. AT present the pro
l lem is how to obtain food. Later WI
| come the question of the future
q nrovinces whose people have 10
$ farms. animals and savings and hay
4 no money. Friends of Russia hoy
1 ever, see promise of better TIM
: ahead, although this necessarily !
+ wolves a vast amount of work III
' hone of the peasant in the famine are
: lies in his education in modern iarI
4 ing methods to take the place OF Il
thousand-year-old customs which
r sim follows and in the installation
r great systems of irrigation so tn
crops may be grown even when Il
0 rain fails.