Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-06-02
The Sanitary Fairs and the Sanitary
Commission.


The General Secretary of the Sanitary
Commission has addressed the following let
ter to the Boston Journal, in correction of
some recent statements of that paper; giving
also an interesting account of the general re-
suits OF the Fairs lately held for the benefit
ofthe Sanitary Commission
UNITED STATES SANITARY COMMISSION,
NEW YORK, April %, 1864,
To the Editor Of the Boston Journal: "In the
Journal of the eth instant is an article headed,
THE Sanitary and Christian Commissions" in
which you remark, after well-deserved com.
mendation of the Christian Commission and its
peculiar work, that the Sanitary Commission
has now more funds than it can judiciously spend
if the war continues year longer; that its store
houses are filed with goods and its treasury Is
OVERLOOKING" This statement Is very erronerous
and of character to injure the cause of tho Uni
ted States Sanitary Commission. The store
houses of the Commission are not filed with
goods" The series of Fairs has arrested the flow
of sanitary stores to such an extent that the re.
ceipts at the store.houses Of the Commission have
for some months past been at least fifty per cent.
less than for the corresponding period Of 1868.
Previously to the series of Fairs lately held the
Sanitary Commission received about six dollars
worth of stores TO every dollar In money, and
could barely meet the urgent demand for supplies
in the field aud hospitals by economizing Its ex-
penditures and by very large purchases Of such
articlas condensed milk, condensed coffee, slim.
ulents, anti.scorbutics, bed-cothiDg and hospital
clothing.
Tha Sanitary Commission has not received into
its treasury all the funds raised by the Fairs !;
more than half has gone into tho treasures of
branch associations, and been expended in tho
purchase of supplementary stores. If the SAM
tary Commission had received all the money raised
by the various Fairs it still would be straitened
in its means by the great falling off in the supply
of supplementary stores. As the flow of supplies
into the warehouses has fallen off more than fifty
per cent, while the demands upon the Commits
sion have everywhere increased, you can readily
understand that the necessity of purchasing out
of the funds of the Commission, at the present
high prices of everything, not only prevents any
thing like an "overtlowing" treasury, but threat
ems a rapid exhaustion The Sanitary Commits
sion has now existed nearly three years, and OBJ
tanned a large measure OF the confidence OF the
public and of the National forces Its operations
reach every column of the army, and meet q cor.
responding dependence on the part of the soldiers
II the people are persuaded that the Sanitary
Commission has grown rich and therefore in need
of nothing, in less than two months the store
houses Of the Commission will be empty, and its
treasures exhausted in the vain attempt to exc
ont the funds raised by the Fairs in the purchase
of the supplies Of flannel uuderclothing, dried
fruits, blankets, stimulants, etc.
The people all over the country must be stimu-
lated to continue their contributions Of stores
else the victims of the fearful campaigns now
pending will fail TO receive the full measure Of
succor and comfort that they have heretofore re-
ceived from the homes of the land, through the
United States Sanitary Commission. Let the
Christian Commission be sustained in its glorious
work but let il not be by any diversion of either
stores or money for such purpose from the
channels of the United States Sanitary Commits
sion.
Very respectfully, your obediant servant,
J. FOSTER JENKINS,
General Secretary U. S. Sanitary Commission.