Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-04-23

sources from which these objections come,
we find in nine cases out Of ten that they
have been suggested by gossip at q dinner
table, or during an evening call; by let
ter from q surgeon in the army, who prob
ably never came in contact with the Com
mission ct all; or an officer who might /
have been fed and clothed by it for weeks
without knowing it. And there are 3 |
great many very honest, well-mesning |
men and women who go about, week after |
week, spreading these accusations from |
house TO house, and growing bitterer and
bittereF, and more satisfied Of their truth,
the oftener they repeat them, without ever
giving themselves the trouble to devote
even twenty minutes Of honest, patient
labor to the task Of finding out whether
they have any foundation or not.
Now, the Commission publish the Bul-
letin fortnightly, and distribute about IA,
600 copies Of it for the express purpose OF
answering these questions-of showing
what goes with the money, what wants 1t
supplies, what the army think Of its work.
They are all answered in its columns,
month after month, with tiTesome explicit
ness. The Sanitary Reporter is published
Al Louisville, for precisely the same pur-
nose, and distributed in great quantities;
30 is the Sanitary Echo at Portland, Me-
and so is the Aessenger in New Jersey.
They are sent to, or can be obtained by,
nearly everybody who takes the slightest
interest in the Commission or its work.
They contain it's reports. its accounts, its
movements and doings Of every kind and,
in addition to these, great many thOus-
and pamphlets have been circulated, with
the same obieot-thst Of keeping the pub
| lie fully and accurately informed Of the
nature, and extent, and result Of the work
to which they have contributed so much in
money, goods, and labor. In December
last. a pamphlet, known as Document SO,
, was printed, giving very complete state
ment Of the objects and methods Of the
Sanitary Commission-socount Of its re-
ceipts and expenditure-sndi it was sent
over the country in every direction, to
every body who WAS known to Us TO take,
, or to be likely TO take, any interest IN
} what we were doing.
More than this the Commission c9nnot
do. It cannot obtain the insertion in the
newspapers of such masses Of matter as
, its reporte, except as advertisements and
TO nav for them ss advertisements in such
/ a number Of papers as would insure their
/ being seen in all parts Of the country,
would cost sum Of money which it would
be utterly unwarrsntable to expend,
: for the mere purpose Of securing pub
= licity.
q what then, ia the reason that there is
so much ignorance and misconeeption
q shoat about the needs Of the Commission
and the extent of its lsbors 1t is simply
j that people do not read what We publish
= II is easier and far plesssnter to sit and
. listen TO the chit-chst OF somebody who
. denounces or ISLANDERS il, than to sit down
I and wade through what it has to say for it
| self in its publications. We have our
selves, more than once, listened to accu-
g sstions against it from persons On whose
| table piles Of the Bullets were lying, al
that moment, unopened. Even hasty
Z glance at them would have cleared up the
2 very points on which the owner was pro-
: fessing ignorance and alarm. No dcubi
e reports and accounts are dull reading
: The stories Of inspectors, and relief agents
8 and hospital visitors, and lists Of supplies
2 do not always possess the charm Of TO-
: nance. But, then, there is no way Of
? making them more attractive, except by
\ the sacrifice Of truthfulness; and We hold
/ that it is the duty Of those who want to
know why we need 50 much money, and
3 how we spend it to read them carefully
E before helping to create or circulate doubts
E with regard either to the wisdom or use
: fuluess Of our work. In the country dis
! tricts, from which our supplies generally
come, we have little TO complain Of on this
3 score; but there is in the cities good
deal of miscOncepion about us, which g
very little time spent even once fort
night, in acquiring information would re.
| move.