, 1862-09-03
Gt1e> Irihtl1tG.


WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER, 8, 1862. |
Commissions and their Uses. |
CoLuMBus, Ey, August "a, 1852. ,
Editors Chicago Tribune:
In your issue OF the 25th inst. is commu- |
nication signed Memphis about tsOur San
itary Commission" The writer is impressed
with the Importance Of unity Of action. He
asks if there cannot be some united effort in
the work OF furnishing relief to army hos
pita!s He speaks Of the sanitary commits
sion as ss q committee Of benevolent persons,
rho do nn they can in their limited way
eolicit subscriptions, and q fe7 OF them go to
the arny and distribute, to whom?'' The
rhetoric Of his answer is 3 little mixed, but
tie gist Of it is that "Tom, Dick or Harry, if |
they happen to belong to our State,'' get the
things, whether they need them or not |
Whom LIE means By ss Tom, Dick or Hurry
will not stop now to inquire. II that dis !
credited trio are patients in army hospitals, |
they arc entitled to 'al1 they can get" for |
none Of the poor fellows SO situated get any
excfes Of these bount;es. The writer pro-
ceeds to eay that " q ysst amount is wasted by
being given without any knowledge of who
neeGs." t>Mcmphis'' has evidently been in
the woods, The work done aud doing by the |
Chicago sanitary commission, be is obviously
ignorant OF. Ard be seems totally unaware
Of the fact that the Unit9d States sanitary
con. mission has had for months depots Of
hosrita! stores in Tennessee, located at points
accessible to tie main body Of the army;
tha. such depot existed at Pittsbuvg Laod-
ing from the time Of thc battle OF Sniloh to
the last Of june; and that there are now
three On the lines OF railroad occupied By the
western army, one at Columbus, Ky, Que at
JaeEson, Tenn, and one a. Coflnth, Miss.
erates is in full tide Of successful operation,
and has been for year Or 50. And the *fcom-
nlitree of beneyOlent persons" consti-
tut1n:5 the Chicago sanitary commission
have been conspicuous, ell clens and ;nValua-
vid,onnness it may be said that no com zsion
in the country has done mole or donei It's work
better OF more promptly. And with the cx-
ceptior, perhaps, Of the Western Sanitary
Commission at 81. Louis, none has equal com
nand Of facilities for transportation. In all
it's distributions in the field it has operated
through, or rather as q part Of tue U. s. San1-
tary Commission. Aud our mode of dong
business does not include the giving Of hospi-
tai Stores without any knowledge of vino
needs.'' These stores are Issued on surgeons
every article issued. Besides which, system
atical inspections are made ior the very pur-
pose Of ascertaining "Who needs,' anti also,
US far as practicable, seAo gets. In this work
State lines are not known. Whoever, there
fore, expends hospital srores in the wastefu1
searches after the necessities Ut " our State "
| 10 the exclusion Of others, is no represeata-
| tive Of the Chicago Sanitary Commission.
| all the sccsfing ct this character it has ever
been my misfortune to witness, has been done
By parties ignoring the Sanitary Commission
| and 1epudiatipg its assistance. And as my
! purpose in this communication is not SO much
| 10 criticise %< Memphis Us to call public nu-
| tice afresh to some Of the points which his
letter suggests, let me give you an example
| ot the manner in which valuable contributions
are wasted. I saw yesterday at Jackson, four
barrels Of fresh apples {once fresh), I drkin ot
butter and keg Of pickles, hospital stores,
| contributed By some beneVo1enE person in
your State, who was obviously unaware of the
Importance Of operating through the
Sanitary Commission. The goods appear tc
have reached this point free Of expense
From here to Jackson they were conveyed b5
Adams Express. Their charges on the sans
we're $3.50. Had the goods been sent through
the Commission, no such charges could havs
| accrued. United States quartermasters ARK
uniformly ready and prompt, 50 lar as my ex
pt rience goes, to furnish transportation 70
hos pital stores that are properly inyoiced ans
certified to by regular agents Of the Unitet
States Sanitary Commission, or Of the Stat
Commissions. a f1ue lut Gf stores artivt
here from, Cincinnati fe" days since, sen
as we're the above, By parties who apparent
. ignore the Sanitary Commission at that place
4 heavy freight bill was to be paid upo
th.us. Now the agents of the United State
Commission in the field ars not provided Eit
funds for defraging such expenses, nor al
1hcy expected to ssj1 these stores or any POI
case? One Of three things: l.
Them lie on the 1eyee aud rot; pl
! the freight out OF our Own pockets, or Sc
them dor what this amounts to, to hospital
+ Iadogted ! the latter in the present instance
+ But il is impossible to do this without su:
jeclipg the act to micconstruetion and mysa
/ to suspicion. Sanitary stores are ever.
: where a1d always given away. 7 Wis
). hereby to publicly decline doing any MD
business OF the Kind. Stores put into tt
Cincinnati, ST. Louis or elsewhere, will
It shipped TO the army free Of cost to the agen
:, who receiyrthe1p. Parties who insist on Worl
!: ing independently of these must come vii
:: their goods, OF prepay freight, or forward
T. some one the necessary funds. Hospit
funds are designed and needed for other ust
u than in pairing freight bills on sanitary store
/. Aud with all appliances and additions to ho
pital resources, the patients have saf6 6:ien
" hard time OF it. And we must thereto
. reckon as waste all that is spent in buy
ls what has already been given to them. Esl
ciai1y as there is not shadow of necessity I
this. Here ia widt-reaching org Anlz atia
well manned and equipped, recognized a
2. assisted in all practicable ways by the goEel
- ,nent, and existing Tor just this purpose
t., carry forward to the SICK in the field, free
n. all expense to them or the surgeons,
' 1nupfcent contributions Of comfort and
m | liet which universal and abounding sym
al af thy is eager to bestow-
ca All that this organization noW needs is I
De. teri4l-' siuews Of war"-stores for distril
o1 ton, These hare run low just at present,
Iuu the demand exceeds the supply by a grea
difference than t any previou. period si
The LIST autumn. The more pressing demand Z
:en. j. for fresh vegetables, fruits, dried OF can
and drawers and shirts. The last two artit
nearly al amongst artisles Of anGn elo5hag
L. ply on hand. Drawers we arc nearly destit
Of And as for vegetables and fruits no
ergy Of confscation can keep the .hospi
eE en. eupplied with them from this region.
reason Is simple. they are not here in any
quatc quantity.
=. a word as 10 the manner Of putting up
lent ctab1es tor transportation will not be ou
place. They are more conveniently han
y. in barrels, and THESE should be freely ven1
. ted by holes n tie sides and ends. We
| recently lQhb luHtf pEl NElt. VI Au CAtS'
lot Of these by inattention to this. The 1
. Of vegetables most eerviceable are b
rs oniors, potatoes and cabbage. I would
mce tomatoes if a ngle barrel had yet reache
amp unepoiled. Those that have been canned
, ots "a arrived In good order. If they are sent
and mu.t needs br sent In barrels, they sh
!sad and be decidedly green when put up: Ca1
!; 1Tsn nat also seldom STRIVE in good order And F
,mpS the other hT!lcieS are tUfnsS1eQ IN a0uuQ
ne are Of comparatively little value
saso Itorgot to mention in its proper conne'
and certain source OF waste where good
tact. sent to hospitals without the interven.1s
- 'Ao assistance OF the sanitary commission
g an mention it here, for it Is too important
omitted. Goods thus forwarded stand O
,rv. lew chances in hundred Of ever reat
Aug. thtir destination. In most such cases II
ssd isapprised Of their shipment, and no re
. siblc person Is present 10 receive them q
Of the points where they are reshippe
they are perishable articles they are very
- to perish On the way. If they are TEN
MI to The palates or cupidity OF men, the
Ice n prone to become the spoil Of the tempt
v have occasionally discovered such
;rsss. en- route to some hospital, and hare of 6
- taken charge of them and SEEN them
Mar, through And have occasionally disco
.xr,v .-aetfrae rf ff,nas that never arrived