The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-11-10

WHY THE dovEKNAKNT ORDERED CLOTH AND ELAN.
KETs FROM ABROAD OFFICIALLY EXPLAINED ITO.
WARRINGTON n. g., Oct. ~, 1851.
TO MS Excellency MORGAN, Governor Of the Stat Of
sR--Ihs favorable notice lately extended BY your Ex
ce'lenoy to tho operations OF the Sanitary Commission
embo dens me to address you upon subject OF equal i'm
p,itance u work and to the pub 10 information
Just at this moment suffering, with the COVE n
mon, ,ss unaef NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. respecting the true
government ask why II does not into the home
ket and buy the blankets and clothes il needs Instead Of
sending age orders ab Dad, while in the interval II begs
Tor the charity OF the eope their private stores
to tho rubiic use. Why should the Quartz Gene
ra soc gifts sales OF blankets from private hands
when the ma ke,s Of New York Boston and Phadephis
stand really to supply thcmY And why sholld the san
Ary Commission organize systematic call upon the
pubic ocnovoence for hospital stores comforts for
the SICK and wounded, when the government Is under
Obligations and IN funds ib6ray supplied by the people
purchase Al these thhgi Il might b. oorno, it is
SAID, ~ temporary necessity but Il ntoer abIe ~
permanent rule 10 not this attemft 10 draw steadily
from tho benehcence Of tho pub what the depar
ought to supply likely TO keep the government on
Grutchs and in tho ond greatly the prospects
70 the Solder by weakening the resp. visibility
the only QUARTER whore an adequate ability exists 70
There much pertinsnce these questions and much
reason u these objections But experience has taught
tn objections are not we'll founded
There are for instance no two articles required by the
government about which questions have been asked
| than about blankets and army cloth 70 begin vim
bAnkss-lhe government supposed to be slack about
purchasing because OF some want Of adaptation
In them ~ an army standard. The simple truth IT, the
government has purchased all the blankets IL could find
10 the country which had the qualities for which alone
blankets desirable and Il has sw VS. stool IN xiousy
TO buy any others that wero ob at prices not
absolutely extortionae II 10 not true that the govern
men has refused good or fair blankets from any quarter
At prices that co lid DO justified II has ref sod TO buy
blankets made of Jue and waste, which possess neither
warmth strength nor durability. II has refused to buy at
about double the usual cost small lots hid away time
OF real public suffering, waiting of prices when by
calling on the public charity II could exc out we or
tnsuish at tho fair rate OF There boon in tho
country ne her wool enough factory power nouRh 10
meet the demand for blankets. The government has
ordered $50 900 blankets from abroad which are now
rapidly arriving u IL well known that the demand for
blankets has raised the home price from about ATTY cents
10 sixty five, seventy five and eighty per pound
Of ali wool blankets Could tho government be istiasd
IN paying seventy and eighty cents pound home for
that which it could import at about forty ccntss
But these impOrtat0ns to last The stimulus OF
price Is b ngng wool here from abroad. Many mi Il are
changing their machinery to manufacture blankets, and
wholly eqnate to the demand Meanwhile one house Is
said TO have blasted Of making 800 900 by the rise in
likely to have many she'd over their losses from
having boarded supplies Of blankets little longer than
the government would bear
Ncxt, in regard to army cl0th:-The government has
bought all the cloth In the country in any way suited 10
make uniforms Desirable As a uniform color was, the
department has felt that the comfort the soldier was
so much more important that IL has been willing 10 buy
anything that would cover his nakedness If It only pro-
missed to hold together Ingspite of every accommoda.
ton to the exge cy Of tho case there are At this mo
mont so 900 enlisted mon without uniforms Tho d.
mand for cloth Of COURSE greatly rassd tho ordinary
price, and this has been increased by several other un
fortunate circumstances Thus the indigo crop India
having failed Inst season. the price Of blue dye has
woad which ordinarily sells at ave cents high as SOW
enty five cents has been recently paid by manufacturer
who obliged to obtain II TO complete contract Then
the unfortunate competition among tho Governors Of tho
states oil anxious TO recruit with rapidly In the
market for h.s further increased prices For
country dealing very largely In cloth all army tailors
and cont actors agents tor States compelled 70
eventually 10 the parties and overbd each other
Contracts made at reasonable price with the govern
men have been thrown up, simply because the
ors were able make 80 much better terms with Govern
ors and contracts in State have fallen through il is
believed simply because tho contractor has found higher
prices in another State II known too that uniforms
already made have been hid away, in expectation Of
distressing nee Of them driving the government to pur
chase al double prices.
yard and at that price, the mills Of the country been
wholly unable TO meet the demand. The government
properly jealous Of our home industry, has delayed
derng cloth from abroad long And now that has
ordered 200 900 yards and sent agent abroad with
a credit of $500 900 to purchase it, hear mischevous
put in circulaionons day that $500 900 sterling
are 70 be expended abroad IN purchasing cloth,
and the next that all orders for purchases
equally ss soy.r to
ment had finally to choose between buying abroad itself
at fair prices, to certain amount, or allowing few
houses to buy abroad and charge the government
mission Of from twenty forty per The imaginary
interest Of home industry resolves itself finally Into
pOrtaons. There is no hostility to home industry in the
moderate importation which the government has autho
rized All that the mills Of this country possibly
make OF army cloth, ~ long as the present army
tnues in the held, vii, be wanted at remuneratve
prices venture 10 say that II the mills OF the country
will produce cloth enough to ci0he the soldier before
the mporations from abroad arrive, the government
would consent 10 away every yard Of cloth that
its orders just gone abroad and keen il for
the next urgent defciency B, our mills NAV do THAR
best they the demand fast enough 10
save the soldier from great ssr g FOR adequate
ThR 10 nlR HautnA latn rla al
whstandng ths greatest exertions thousands OF
men are yet without warm coats Of any kind, while
overcoats, and there h positively nothing IA tine
country 10 make them Of Are they 70
be suffered to stsve with cold for the cultivation Of
home industry After they all well clothed they
must be re clothed. There ought TO be In the govern.
men storehouses uniform apiece extra for every soldier
III the hed. Will not the industry Of the country find IL
self sufficiently taxed by the necessity, 70 Hnd IL
necessary 10 freeze few thousands Of soldiers
IN honor Of American mills3
Another OF difficulty, respect of the want OF
uniforms for soldiers directly In the face o: the
enemy IS the alleged necessity Of the recruiting service
II is said 10 be impossible carry this needg bust
successfully without Offering the recruit the mme.
date inducemout Of a uniform Thomgency of Governors
and Of recruiting officers accordingly keeps clothing
al recruiting posts II ydnsi', titan those no, acausin
ed with the would easily believe be necessary
Meanwhile The urgent of men actually IN camp
in face of the enemy has 10 be neglected evil Of
tie sorcst description aud not Immediately corrighle
Flannel shirts j, believed be procured abundant,
by purchase There are enough stocngs 10 be had with
a troublesome in tho middle; but the seamless
stocking, made by Potter s machine--whch il the only
machine stocking really suitable for the soldar-capnot
be enough TO he demand Wooden soc.a
knit hv hand will therefore he great boon To The sol
der ~ course the government cannot give Atty cents
pair for thenl--whch h moi much above thor actual
costthey mus be given by the charity OF women:
and Of the sanitary Commission shall no ony hap
py 10 dispense them Always shipg care In The FIRST
place, for the sick aud Tor cOny slescents.
In regard 20 hospital stores, under cclhes shirts
eheeis bed ticks and whatever else has beer called for
by our commission ResuFe your Exceliency that
whatever amount cf money tho government might nos
and whatever activity tho medical department nav
put FORTH The existence Of 500 600 soldiers Ia camp and
Geld IN country and under government utterly IN.
used 10 the OF such yaat Numbers will crease wals
which all the spontaneous hbcrality Of oil the women
in the country added 90 oil tha the bes, administration
do, viii not be able Ia prevent from becoming cruel
IN their pressure tho soldier. lie wil be oftmes
cold wet and suffering do the utWoe can the CO.
vernnert and ont OF the government All large armies
have been go, and must continue Il BIZ The
utmost lhersisy, the most systematic exerons, can
only alleviate not cure, ,hs horrors Of war and the
suferugs Of the soldier IN me nsld, IN winter and
the heats ~ summer. assert, sherefors fearless
Of contradiction from any eonpetens authority that the
Etlncs hst the Industry o do viii he
required under any culnances o efficiency the part
Of Ire government and believe THAI this need will exist
list ssng the exists. am that the good
Of the country would need only 10 with their