The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1861-11-18
SOLDIERS AID SOCIETY.



Societies aud collecting and preparing ar
tcles for our sick and wounded soldiers in
the hospitals Through their efforts so
cieties were gradually organized all over
the State and very general interest
aroused in behalf of the object of their eff
forts. Under their patronage, ladies had
visited the hospitals in Missouri and at
Cairo, and investigated the condition and
wants Of our soldiers. and reported the
same by correspondence to all their sister
associations throughout the State Of Iowa.
And, as the first fruits OF these associa-
tons, very considerable supplies of all ar
ticlcs needed BY the sick and wounded
have been forwarded to the hospitals in
Missouri, And quite opportunelya more
than usually large supply was sent to
Birds Point and arrived there, we doubt
not, simultaneously with the boat-loads Of
wounded from the fatal field of Belmont.
The Aid Associations are in very fair
working order, and, in the hands of the
benevolent women who had initiated them
and rendered them effective, gave promise
and assurance of being equal to the work
they had taken in hand. The women
were all earnestly interested and were do
ing up matters in their own way, without
sounding trumpet before them or mag
nifying their efforts by eliciting the ser
vices Of the Honorahles of our State in
order to blazon them abroad
All at once, many months after the
Iowa First bad fought, blcd and died,
and seserel weeks after the Ladies
Aid Association had furnished yalu-
able informatlo TO the public and
stores Of necessary articles TO the hospitals,
al idea seems to have struck our State
authorities This thing must be stepped !,
there i = great deal of glory running to
waste In this matter, and we must make
haste TO bottle il up for distribution
amongst our HONORABLES. Besides.
there is chance for salaries and fees In
carrying out this benevolent measure
which may be parcelicd out to the wealthy
men OF the State, and then there are print
ing jobs for which the State can pay and
thereby secure the services of the editors
u lows to puff our Honorables and glorfy
our tardy beneyolence to our sick and
wounded soldiers.
4 Sanitary Commission has been con.
stltuted two Bishops, two or three
Reyerends, three or four Honorables and
three or four Bankers constitute the
corporators aud ostensible members of thi,
Commission and they are to take contro
and direction Of the entire subject matter
Of the Honorables we have two of tn,
Judges Of Che Supreme Court, while til,
third member Of that body, who is worth
for such service more than all the Hon
orables on the list. is ignored
This Commission have issued circula
to the women of Iowa, in which they ip
more the existence of any Soldiers Al
Society, and seo'd because nothing ha
been done in the State by the ladies to RI
lleye the sick and wounded soldiers. An
We presume that the gentlemen constitut
ing that Commission have taken SO littl
interest in the subject that they were sui
stantially in entire ignorance Of what ha
been done
We trust that the Homo rabies and the
Graces, and the Reverends and the Ranl
efs who constitute the Sanitary Commi
sion, will "post up, roll up their sleey,
and "pltch in, and show the women ho
matters ought to be done. We should /
right glad to see them take persona
interest in the matter and make perso,
oil effort, or else get out Of the way and n,
stand as an obstruction in the way of II
women of Iowa. who would do this thin
up much better without them.
Our observation in relation to sue
matters as Benevolent Associations, In
versity Boards, &c, is, that the Homo
ables are appointed to positions and the
names are herallcd ID tie papers, /
merely respectable people, whose nam
are not leralded in the papers do the wor
And We remember just no. case rig
here at home which furnishes fair war
Ing in the present case.
A society had been formed to clothe i
ragged children Of our town, md SCI
them to school. The women managed |,
matter, clothed q great many, and h