WILKES FLOOD RELIEF COMMITTEE

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. August 7th, 1916.

Hon. Locke Craig,
Raleigh, N.C.

Dear Governor:-

In accordance with your long distance conversation with Mr. R. N. Hackett Saturday afternoon, which he reported to our Committee, we immediately began an investigation relative to the $3,000.00 which you stated had been sent to Mr. Haynes of Winston-Salem to be used for Flood sufferers in this section. In looking over the newspapers, we discovered that you had been misinformed as to the lack of communication with Wilkes County at the time this amount was sent to Mr. Haynes. According to said papers, it was sent to him on Wednesday, July 26th, and published in the papers of Thursday, July 27th; communication by mail and wire was established to Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro via Taylorsville on Tuesday, July 18th, 1916, and one week later, to-wit: Tuesday, July 25th, 1916, the regular trains resumed running into North Wilkesboro. This fact was published in the newspapers of Wednesday, July 26th, and was known to the Winston people on Tuesday afternoon, July 25th. Telegraphic communication was resumed with Wilkesboro on Tuesday morning, July 25th; hence, if the Winston people represented to the Committee appointed by you that they needed this for distribution in this section and would be unable to reach Wilkes, they misrepresented the situation. In fact, the gentlemen whom they selected to come to Wilkes County and investigate the conditions subsequent to the Flood, reached here on Thursday, July 27th, and Mr. Haynes came here on Wednesday, July 26th, and notified our Committee that these gentlemen would be here next day. Upon his statement we secured the means for transportation and the guides for them without cost to them; in fact, Mr. Moore, of our Committee, paid the railroad fare of Mr. Dobbins, whom it was claimed represented R. J. Reynolds.

The Winston people came here for the purpose of distributing supplies one week later, viz., Tuesday, August 1st, and brought a part of a car-load of food, some clothing and shoes and some blankets, which the Chatham Mfg. Co. gave them at Elkin. The Winston papers stated that citizens of Winston had donated over $800.00 in food and supplies. So far as we can ascertain, none of this has been sent elsewhere; hence the reasonable conclusion is that they sent the food and supplies which had been donated by Winston-Salem people, and kept the money. When they came here, Mr. Leak of Winston-Salem was left by Mr. Haynes in charge of the warehouse in which they stored these supplies, and three Winston-Salem gentlemen went out, two about 12 miles from Town, the other about 18, in only two Townships in Wilkes County; then they employed teams to haul these supplies to these two places, paid them out of the funds collected for aid, and had them bring back men and families whom they had induced to leave the County and go to Winston to work. One of the principal objects which our people had in appointing the Relief Committee was to supply our laboring people with the necessities of life till we could get them employment here, and prevent them leaving the County, as the work of rehabilitation will necessitate every laborer who was in the County prior to the Flood. One of the strongest arguments we had to induce people remote from Town to vote for the Good Roads Bond issue was that it would enable all these destitute laborers and small farmers to get employment for themselves and their teams during the Fall, Winter and Spring. Of course, if they leave this county that argument is destroyed.

Our Committee had made arrangements to distribute food and supplies controlled by it without taking aid from the Relief Committee, by having those who had teams, but no land, and crops entirely destroyed, to come and get the supplies and carry them to these people, and what they were compelled to have for their own use would be supplied to them as payment for the time of themselves and their teams in hauling these out. We planned in every way possible to save every cent for the relief of actual necessities. We also planned that every able-bodied man or boy, to whom we furnished relief, should pay for it by work on the roads, miles of which are absolutely washed away, especially for several miles on and below the mountains.

Two of the Winston men, who went into one badly damaged section of Wilkes, returned Saturday afternoon. They informed us that they had given away all the provisions they had; and, upon being questions as to their method of distribution, stated that they gave these to those who came and claimed that they were destitute. They seem to have had no system whatever, and no means of protecting themselves from imposition. There is a large crowd in Wilkesboro today, it being the first Monday of Court, from every section of the County; and these men state that in the immediate section where these two men distributed supplies, many obtained them from them who were not at all deserving; in other words, they have absolutely disrupted our plans which we had matured to prevent imposition, and indiscriminately given their provisions to every one who came. They told us that they supplied 100 in one day. The territory covered by these two does not constitute one-twentieth of Wilkes County, and by such distribution it would take at least $40,000.00 to relieve the situation, if this should be a criterion. When these men came here they utterly and entirely ignored our local organization. So far as their doing as they pleased with the provisions from Winston-Salem people, we have no kick coming, except in so far as it has created a very unfortunate situation which seriously interferes with our plans, and will continue to do so. If, however, they used the funds sent from the Central Committee in this indiscriminate distribution, we feel that they have done our Committee, the men who selected it and the County, a very grave injustice; besides casting a serious reflection upon the integrity of the Committee and the County generally. Upon Mr. Haynes' return to Winston the last time, he published an interview in the papers that our Committee had about $2,100.00, but this would all be needed in and immediately around North Wilkesboro, which statement is absolutely untrue. Although North Wilkesboro was seriously damaged (more than $500,000.00) local committees were appointed immediately after the Flood to take entire charge of the situation in the Town and it was decided that no outside aid would be asked and none has been asked, used or needed, because the citizens of this Town have not only taken care of the local situation, but some of them among the most seriously damaged have contributed liberally in cash to our Committee for the relief of the destitute in the County.

The Winston representatives have carried away from our County something near 50 people, and we are informed have quite a number of others who are going. They paid for the transportation of these people from their homes to Winston and their expenses in transitu from the funds contributed to aid sufferers in the County. It is generally believed here that the reason those people had for not distributing their funds or supplies through the Wilkes County Committee was that they wanted to use the distribution for the purpose of obtaining laborers for Winston-Salem.

Mr. Gwyn, of our Committee, is broker or agent for large manufacturers of Flour, Corn Meal and similar supplies, also Meat Packers and all feed products, and through him we are enabled to purchase all our people need at a much lower price than any Jobber or Wholesaler in this State can buy the same, these firms and corporations represented by him selling us what we need at a less price than actual cost, and giving the difference as a contribution to our suffering; for instance, we get Flour at $6.50 per Barrel, when it is selling to Jobbers at $7.40; we get Meal at 92¢ per Bu. when it is selling to Jobbers and Wholesalers at $1.08. Since none of the money sent to Mr. Haynes has been furnished to Wilkes, we respectfully urge that you have him to forward to us as much thereof as your Committee thinks Wilkes should have, in view of the terrible destruction wrought by the Flood. The representatives of the Winston Committee state that they have furnished food in two Townships in Wilkes, which will last only two weeks. This covers one-tenth of the territory in Wilkes County. We will need at least four or five thousand dollars more than we have to furnish actual necessities to stricken people until we can provide for them by road work and other means. We hope you will give this matter your immediate attention, and have whatever aid your Committee thinks should be sent here, distributed to the people through the proper channels, and thus it will prevent imposition and will not tend to create a lot of paupers who are unwilling to contribute their share toward the upbuilding of the County as a payment for things furnished them in their time of distress.

With great respect, we are,

Very truly yours,

R N Hackett
R W Gwyn
J D Moore
Committee.