Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-02-22
FAMINE 5 AWFUL WORK
Slow Starvation Of People of
Russia Aided by Spread
Of Disease
POLITICS 4'n0ERs RELIEF
RELIEF
POLITICS HINDERs R
Governor Of Ono District Destroys
Food Because Liberals Gave IT.
Famine MaIadies Ars Rife, scurvy
predominatins-c orrespor don't Tells
81 Conditions.


pondent has returned here after
twenty five days trip thru Kazan, Sa-
mara. and Ufa, three sample provinces
OF the twenty effected by f;lmine. The
correspondent Investigated the situa-
ton IN all directions. travelling 500
miles by sleigh in districts remote from
the railroads, where the distress Is
most acute.
The population everywhere was
found to be absolutely dependent on
outside relief. Altho lack ng the dra-
matte coloring of traditional famines--
violent eptdemics and wholesale deaths
from hunger-the present state of af-
fairs Is characterized by slow starva-
ton and extreme misery, which arc
fully as pitiable.
In the province of Ulsl there is
scarcely half the quantity of grain
necessary for the ordinary subsistence
OF the people, and the peasants are In
such a weakened physical condition as
result Of succession Of bad har-
vests that supplementary assistance
will he necessary for thousands tc
make 1t possible for them to survive
until the spring and have strength
enough to plant the new crop.
The so called famine bread e
wholesome mixture of accrns and pig.
weed, which was eaten extensively in
the autumn, has now generally been
displaced by the government ration
but 1t still appears every month wher
the rations. in spite Of the closest
pinching, are exhausted.
Sporadic cases OF scurvv were found
in all three provinces Cases Of ergo
tism are localized. In K,xan province
there is a terrible maladt Of the eyes
due to the general mallutrition, but
the reports OF widespread outbreaks OF
hunger typhus are untrue.
On the steppes the misery has beer
sharpened by lack of fuel, and grea,
apprehension has been caused by the
slaughter and sale OF live stock Halt
OF the cattle are gone, and some VIII
lagos have today not mare than two
or three horses or cows
In the province of Sam ara alone L.
100000 head OF cattle have been sold
and the farmers have no means of re-
The relief work in Kahn province is
hampered by quarrels between the
governor and the liberals. The govern
or interfered in the distribution of
non official relief for fear of political
agitation by overzealous agents, and
in one village he poured soup into the
street, and in others confiscated bread
from nurses who We're fighting typhus
fro mthe hands of the peasants. Doc
tors and nurses who Were fighting ty-
plus were arrested and some of them
placed in Jail.
In the northern part o. Kazan prov
ince was found one of the worst Sec
tons of the famine rei,ions. Nearly
every chimney was cold. The Their
mometer at that time registered %
degrees below zero Fahrenheit
Persons suffering from ergotism,
caused by eating rottea grain. were
found in seventy-four ont Of seventy
eight houses visited. The symptoms
of this malady are a burning sensa-
ton in the liver, followed by chills,
spasms, and a permanent contraction
Of the limbs, and finally blindness and
idiocy.
4 Four fifths of the cattle in this dis
trict hsxe been killed by the same
poison. az fully per c INT of the crop
is ergotics The peasants are fully
aware Of the deadly nature Of this
grain, but they have mo alternative
and must eat what they can get. There
were thousands of cases of ergotism
before the government was stirred to
action. The malady now is diminish
ing.
In Tchistopol, Laishev, and Spask
scurvey prevailed instead Of ergotisn,
but the diet kitchens, which supply a
menu costing each person cents a
day, are making a fairly successful
fight against the disease.
Children are the easiest prey to the
famine, and in many cases the school
buildings have been converted into
asylums, where the youngsters are
sheltered and fed by the Red Cross.
A lamentable feature Of the situation
is the misuse of government relief.
Many salaried officials and prosperous
residents are receiving government ra-
tons, and in several Instances the To-
cal projects have used the rations to
influence the elections.
Aside from the dist ibution of gov
eminent rations, the famine fighting is
carried on by the free kitchens main
tanned by the Red Gross and the
zemstvos. These kitchens are I'M
equally distributed, ami In many local.
tiles they are lacking or are only now
being organized. In lJfa they feed a
total Of 100000 persons, many Of whom
are children.
Jacob Riis and the Pretty Girl.
(The Caledonian.)