Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1863-11-13
Relief for soldiers, Families.

The following is the response of the
County Commissioners to the petitions of
the citizens, in behalf of soldiers fami-
lies:
To Messrs. Samuel Orr, William Ba-
ker, James E. Blythe and Others:
GENTLEMEN: Having duly considered
the resolutions presented by your COM
mittee, asking the Board of County Com
missioners to make an appropriation to
pay 500, in quarterly installments, to
each family of men who shall volunteer
under the last call for troops, and who
have family dependent upon them for
support, we deem it but just to commu-
nicate to you our decision in this matter
There seems to prevail, among the
public, the opinion that you demanded of
US an appropriation of 800 for each
volunteer. This is erroneous, for, as sta
ted in your resolutions, and from the ex-
plantations made by members of your
committee, it was contemplated by you,
LIST, to give the 800 to the family of any
one that volunteers which is left in re-
duced circumstances, to enable them to
provide against want or suffering; I'd,
to exclude all those having no family
dependent upon them for support
We sincerely approve the object you
have in view, and only differ with you in
the mode of its application. While you
propose to give quarterly installments in
equal sums to each family, we concluded
to give them, monthly, ample relief, in
proportion to the number of persons in
the family.
We fully agree with you in excluding
all those having no family dependent
upon them for support, or who are not in
need of assistance, for the bounty offered
by the Government is ample and sufi-
cient.
But your demand benefits only the
families of those volunteering ander the
last call; our appropriation reaches the
families of all soldiers in the army of
the United States, and of those who
have died in the service and who need
assistance. Thus we went further than
you proposed. We perceived with pleas
esasaql
We consider it sacred duty, imposed
on US all, to see that want be kept from
the doors of those whose supporters went
forth to fight for and to defend us. and.
IN the opinion of this Board, your re-
quest was anticipated by an appropria-
tion made by them, which is more gen.
eral in its character and more equitable
in its application.
You will readily perceive that, without
discriminating IN favor of those volun-
teering under the last call, the object you
had in view is fully granted, without de-
nying the same advantages to the fami-
lies of those already in the field. ~
You ask not for bounty for the new
volunteers, but for assistance for their
families, and we grant it, not only to
them, but also to the families of those
who have long since gone to the field,
and who have the right to ask, at our
hands, the same consideration and pro-
lection. We therefore deem it not nee
essary to make separate appropriation,
as we consider the object contemplated
by the committee accomplished and en-
bodied in the order and appropriation
made by this Board, copy of which is
herewith transmitted r
Very respectfully,
Your obedient servants,
WILLIAM PRUITT,
JOHN HoGUE,
BERNARD NURRE.
Co. Commis'rs.
Attest: VICTOR BIscH, A. VIC.