Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-11-22
TEXAS CATTLE
DYING ON PLAINS
Two Million Head Of Live Stock in
Panhandle Region In Danger Of Sue
cumbins to Starvation-Would Feed
Million Men For Two Years.

Chicago. Nov. 22.-Two million head
OF cattle in western Texas are so near
starvation they can't be moved.
A section OF the state covering as
much territory as all of Germany is
baked as hard as a board floor and is
without sign of vegetation.
The cattle loss is already 5000. 000, 900
and that of farmers. cotton raisnrs and
sheep, goat and horse raisers equally
Texas are dead.
A plague of rats has swept the dew
astated territory, eating up every YES
tge Of cactus, even the prickly pear
variety.
Mccarthy Makes Report.
Prof. Charles Mccarthy, special rep
resentative of the food administration,
made public these facts regarding the
seriousness of the drought situation
upon his return yesterday from Texas,
where he had been to set in motion all
state and government machinery to
cope with the disaster.
THE whole situation is a result of
our mistake in the past in doing busi-
ness" he declared. Il found that with
100000 cattle starving, so per cent of
the cotton seed cake and roughage of
the state was under contract to be
shipped out. 1t has all been embargoed
now and by heroic work we may be
able to save -fourths of the dying
cattle"
Seek Feed Loans.
Mr.. Mccarthy announced that a COM
mission headed by Governor Hobbie
will at once petition congress for re
volving fund" of $4,000. 900 to be used
as loans for feed, which, it is hoped,
will be sufficient to take care of the
situation until March, before which
time relief can not come.
This will be used to feed the cattle
until the rains come and also to re-.
seed the stricken area which has been
visited by a record breaking drouth
lasting seven months.
Already as q war measure Mr.. Nc
Carthy has obtained priority order for
$4,000 freight cars to be sent into the
district as well as an embargo on all
cotton seed cake and roughage in the
state.
Cotton seed cake amounting to $50, 900
tons ready for shipment to European
neutrals has been Communicated, 10000
tons lying on the docks at Galveston
ready for shipment to Denmark being
included in the latter.
Four hundred car loads Of the cake
were reported on it's way into the dis
trict last night and the water supply
ic hairo toI hx, hn nf
water holes turnout the range country.
Feed Army Two Years.
1.-THE situation is almost appalling
when one understands that the 100000
starving cattle would be sufficient to
feed an American army of 100000 men
in France for two years." Professor
Mccarthy said. THE scene can not be
pictured. On the ranges the cattle are
staggering around, mere racks of skin
and bones. ...-
about $4,000 have been taken out to
Oklahoma. Kansas and other states, but
the rest are too weak to go. How many
have already died can. ionly be conjec-
tuerd. The country is as bare as a
hard board floor, with every vestige Of
vegetation gone. N
Farmers Have Quit.
1.-THE farmers have quit cold, starved
out, and if it hadn't been for the seven
army environments In the state at which
they have obtained work they would be
leaving. 1t is up to the nation to stave
off this desertion of the panhandle re-
gion. The stricken territory includes
not only western Texas but parts of
New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado.
1.-THE problem is to get sufficient feed
into the ranges before these cattle die,
as they can't be moved. Every agency
is at work to bring this about. 1t may
be that with the feed we have comman-
deered we can save three-fo urths OF
them. A commission headed by Cover
nor Hobbie Is now at work handling
the situation, and it will be critical
problem until at least March.
1T is particularly bad situation
when it Is realized that with srea'
quantities Of feed only days ride
away, as was the case, these cattle
were dropping by the thousands from
hunger.
while the great drought caused the
calamity, 1t was the big mistake o.
contracting to sell the feed supplies
outside OF the state which has reali,
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