Writer Says Shadow of War Cast Over St. Charles County
by Government Acts
Written by H. E. Klinefelter of the Missouri Farmers Association
The following article appeared in The St. Charles Cosmos-Monitor on August 9, 1941, four months after the U. S. government reneged on signed contracts with local landowners in what eventually was called the TNT Area. The resulting legal actions taken by the landowners resulted in a Supreme Court victory for them in 1945. This article details many of the hardships faced by the landowners whose legal contracts with the U. S. government were invalidated.
War is everything that Sherman said it is . . . and then some! Not only does it kill and maim people on the firing line and destroy wealth on a prodigious scale, it also affects the civilian population, and this whether the conflict is raging in one's own country or not.
Who would have thought a few months ago that a war in Europe some 3000 miles away could cast its shadow on the quiet countryside of St. Charles County, Missouri, to disrupt communities a century old, force families off their land without recompense, and make refugees out of good American citizens who always prided themselves upon their self-reliance and independence? The war has done just that – or, is this state of affairs purely caused by the “obstinacy of the War Department,” as is charged by Congressman Clarence Cannon, who has been doing his best to help these people in Washington?
Out of a clear sky, like a ”bolt from the blue,” the good people of St. Charles County one day learned that the Federal Government intended to establish a huge TNT plant in St. Charles County, the product to be used for war purposes. Some 250 farmers and townspeople were to be removed from 20,000 acres of land, and R. Newton McDowell of Kansas City was named by Secretary of War Stimson to acquire the land for the Government.
One can imagine what a stir this news created among the people most directly involved. But they were good American citizens, patriotic and willing to do their bit, willing to make a personal sacrifice in the interest of national defense. That this is true beyond question can be seen when it is remembered that not one of these good people had to be ejected from their property. Every one of them left their homes voluntarily, notwithstanding few of them wanted to leave, confident that their government would stand back of them until they could re-establish themselves elsewhere.
R. Newton McDowell, so far as the writer could ascertain from interviewing numerous people in St. Charles County, did his duty. He bought the land for Uncle Sam, and he seemingly erred on the side of conservatism—so far as the government is concerned—if he erred at all.
Options were taken by McDowell and his men last winter. These were approved by Col. R. D. Valliant of the War Department. The government began paying off, the people held auction sales, and began to move off the land. Everything was going well, when somebody—it is difficult to learn just who—reported to the government that R. New McDowell had paid too much for a lot of this land and that his commission of 5% was too high.
About half of the landowners had been paid when the government stopped making payments, but the land was taken over and the people evacuated. The U. S. District Attorney is going to file suits in the Federal Court, probably in September or October, in an endeavor to ascertain if there has been fraud.
Uncle Sam cannot be blamed for being careful, at a time like this especially. No doubt officials in Wahington remember the fraudulent cases attending world war No. 1 and are bent on preventing any “Teapot Dome” scandals this time. But meanwhile the good citizens of St. Charles County are suffering.
In the first place they sold off their livestock and machinery at sacrificial prices, because there were many sellers and not many buyers at the time. They took the proceeds and used them to make down payments on other homes and farms depending upon Uncle Sam to keep his word and pay them for their land. This happened between December and March. In many instances the delay occasioned by this Federal action has caused them to lose their new homes, and many of them have been reduced to dire poverty.
Their former homes have been leveled, the buildings either sold or destroyed. A huge fence is being constructed around the entire area, and around all the old family cemeteries. If one of the former residents wants to visit his family burying ground, he must be accompanied by a guard. Churches and schools have been torn down, while the attendance of those on the edge of the area has been drastically curtailed.
One of the most pitiable cases of distress caused by the National Defense Project is that of the Kaiser sisters. They inherited a well-improved farm some 150 acres in size, having remained at home and cared for their parents until they passed on. This farm constituted their only source of income and judging from reports, they were fairly well fixed and contented on the “old homestead.” Their farm was taken by the government, but they were not paid. Since then they have been living in a little house in St. Charles and take in washing for a livelihood.
Mrs. Henry Hollander is a widow who was victimized by the defense measure. She had to abandon her 60 acre farm that was also well improved, and now lives with her son in St. Charles.
Ervin Bacon, 82 years old and a life-long cripple, lived with his wife in a little house in Howell, a part of which town was included in the area. He received a pension and tended his little garden for a living. The government agreed to pay him $2000 for his house which he loved dearly but he was willing to move in the interest of National Defense. Reduced to abject penury, he was never paid and died a few wees ago in a basement room in St. Charles. God only knows how his poor widow is now getting along.
Ervin Roth was away threshing when the writer called at his new home, but Mrs. Roth, who was holding her pretty 4-year-old daughter on her lap, told how they had to leave the old 90-acre homestead near Weldon Spring. They borrowed money to buy another farm some distance away from the area and, because the government had not paid them, are compelled to pay interest and lack the capital to fix things up. They miss the electric lights, refrigerator and washing machine they formerly enjoyed.
“It's an outrage—putting people off without a penny to go on,” Mrs. Roth contended. But she was thinking of others less fortunate than she and her fairly. She told of various farm families who could not hold on to their hew homes; banks won't lend money on the options. “It was worse on the renters,” she said, “because they could expect nothing and had no place to go since farms for rent are scarce. I know of one renter,” she related, “who had a sale and didn't get one tenth of what his stuff was worth.”
O. L. Snyder is a retired physician. He bought 170 acres near Howell several years ago with the intention of taking life a bit easy. Along with his good wife he lived in a modern house, and had built up a nice herd of Angus cattle and fed some hogs. He had planned to live there the remainder of his time here on earth, but he is a patriotic citizen and was one of the first to evacuate last December.
Dr. Snyder is something of a philosopher, and spoke of the intangibles that money can't pay for—disrupted communities, the separation of friends and families, church congregations broken up, and pople having to move out into new communities among strangers! Most of these good people such as Dr. Snyder spoke of others much less fortunate than they, and the doctor said, “In a very short time this will cause people to lose faith in their government. If these options aren't good,” he said, “then I wonder if the dollar I've got in my pocket will be good much longer either?”
At Wentzville Mr. and Mrs. G. C. Silvey bought a little place. They were “evacuated” from their little home in Howell, Mrs. Silvey said. When the War Department stopped payments for the land she and her husband appealed to President Roosevelt, but to no avail. This thing “made us paupers,” Mrs. Silvey said. They made a down payment on the Wentzville property, using proceeds of their sale, and now have lost it. They are practically on relief. E. Pitman of Wentzville told almost the same story. “It is an outrage,” he said, “--they have made refugees out of us!”
Down at Weldon Spring the Muschany Brothers run a grocery store, and Claude Muschany was in charge when the writer called. At first, he was highly suspicious, because, as he explained later, numerous Federal agents have been harassing the people trying to get them to come down on their price. He produced a receipt, showing that he is a member of the M. F. A. in good standing, and seemed glad that The Missouri Farmer had taken note of the plight of the St. Charles County farmers from the TNT Area.
Claude and his two brothers, who formerly were in business at Howell, each owned a farm. They fed cattle and hogs, and were satisfied with their situation. Like the others, they were willing to do their bit toward National security. As matters now stand the people are “very bitter because the government didn't keep its obligation which was made in good faith.” He said: “If they (the government) had paid all like they did about 150, this would have been an outstanding example of National defense sacrifice.” He pointed out that not a single person had to be forcibly put off his property—all wanted to do their duty toward National defense!
A hundred or more cases like these, varying only in degree, could be cited, but probably the outstanding one was that of George Hackman, who was mentioned by practically everyone who was interviewed. He was absent when the writer called, but County Agent R. A. Langenbacher and Circuit Clerk E. K. Sutton described his case quite vividly. Hackman's farm was probably the finest one in the Area. It comprised some 250 acres, with everything spick and span, buildings well painted, fields terraced and limed, and plenty of livestock and machinery. According to Mr. Langenbacher, the buildings could not be replaced under $10,000. Hackman had a sale and left his farm when the government agreed to pay him a stipulated sum, which, like the others, included recompense for land and crops.
But payment was stopped, and George Hackman is now living on a dusty by-road in an old house with another family. His wife has reportedly worried herself sick, and Mr. Hackman has already lost a year's income. Just when he will be paid no one knows.
Of course everybody expects the government to pay up eventually. But in the meantime these unpaid victims of “obstinacy,” or war, or whatever the cause have lost a year's income from their farms. They have had to employ lawyers to defend themselves in court. They have been put to a lot of expense, some reduced to poverty, and others have had to go on relief.
According to a statement by R. Newton McDowell, the average price of all the land in the TNT Area was $159 an acre, which included property in three small towns—Howell, Hamburg, and Toonerville--, including $100,000 worth of schools. Average price of farmland was $115 per acre, but in this cost were disturbance values, cost of moving, loss of crops, silage, etc., and any farmer involved can tell you all the costs of disturbance were not covered, nor were any of the intangible values, such as disruption of a community, taken into account.
Certainly these prices were not exorbitant. Construction of the new Daniel Boone Bridge and Highway No. 61, moreover, had put this land within from 30 to 45 minutes by car of downtown St. Louis, and property values were going upward as city people began buying land and building country homes in the area. When Highway 61 was built, the State paid an average of $112 an acre for this land without improvements on it.
As to R. Newton McDowell's 5% commission being too high—it may or may not have been, but the War Department offered him that much, and, at any rate, isn't that a matter between the War Department and Mr. McDowell? Why discommode these good people, who out of patriotism and necessity gave up their homes?
Why doesn't the government fulfill its obligation to the people first, then take up any cases where investigation indicates there might have been fraud? How much longer will they have to wait for a settlement?
People elsewhere cannot ignore this St. Charles County situation. True, it is seemingly remote from those of us who live elsewhere outside of the area, but all of us are interested in furthering National defense, and it can best be promoted by greater unity, and a more intense faith in our form of government. None of us know, either, how soon we as individuals may be caught in just such a jam as this one, and at a time like this farmers especially should hold to the view that “the welfare of one is the concern of all.”
