The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-07-18

The Freedmsn's- Bareaa.-,osssxs-'
Pondencc Betwcen Gen. howard,
and Gov. Orr.
!. The following correspond crlcc af.v;
out OF the disapproval of General
SCOTS ration estimates for CoIhm-
bia, S. e., by Gen. Sickles, who as
serted that Gov. Orr represented the
large reliefs intended as unca1|ed for
, and tending to create idl.ness and
vagrancN:
10 Hon. .jtmc> L.. O.r, Eo~c7uu,. nf
.Sn,ah Cnwiinu:
As there seems to be conflicting
testimony OF :r otherwise trust
worthy character us to Suffering for
want of food in South Carolina. and.
as Gen: Sickles has tlisapproved Of
tue ratiOn returns, upon Your stnte-
ment that the want is very much ex
aggerated, and as these returns have
been referred to me for official action,
! respectfully request from you some
statement that will justify me for
withholding supplies, for really it is
not the purpose to give where there
Is not absolute want, and, in 10 case
whatever, to encourage idlane,s. hut
the direct reverse.
o. o. HOWARD,
Major General.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, S. C..
COLUMBIA, July9, 1866.
GENERAL: have the honor to no.
knowledge the receipt of Hour letter
OF the 3d instant, informing me that
there was trustworthy testimony MS
to the suffering for want OF food by
the poor in South Carroll ua, OF both
races, and that Gen. Sickles had dis
approved OF the ration return moon
my statement that the want is yerv
much exaggerated, has Just been re-
celved; and l hasten to reply, with a
view OF correcting any misapprehen-
SION on the subject, growing ont of
my conversation with Gen. Sickles.
There is great need of distributing
rat!ons, through the Fr,.etlmen's S Blu
rean, III every District in the State.
In some, the necessityis greater than
In others, and what intended to inn
press upon Gen. Sckles was. that
applications We're made by many per
s"ns. white and colorc,l. who we're
not ut subjects Of relief. and that. if
ali the stories which were told of tLe
officers Of the Bureau. in different
sections, We're to be credited. the die
trlbntlnn would embrace too wide n
range.
regret that Gen. Sickles should
have understood from me that the
necessity for issuing rations to very
many people, white and colorcd, had
passed, AS early as March last an
estimate was made in the Chesterfield
District, and it was found that there
were Only seven bushels of corn to
each person IN the District. With
out feeding any portion of this to the
STOCK, the supply was inadequate to
bread the people. Other districts are
nearly as destitute. In Pickens. /
am informed that some 800 families
are without sufficient supplies of
breadstutfA. The scarcity is also
great III Barnwell. Beaufort, Cole
ton, Clarendon, Williamsburg, Lex
lagton, Spartanburg. Lancaster, ker-
shaw. Richlnnd and Fairfield. and
the local authorities cannot possibly
l'lrlnSh the needy. The tax levied
Tor the support Of the poor is IA dis
fict tax, andit happens tai in tilusc
sections where the scarcity j., ..cst
ten the general population are lea>:
able t" pay !, local tax, and hence
there are thousands in the State.
white and colorcd, who must snffci.
1or the commonest means of subsist-
e'icr, unless rations are issued from
Nonr Hureau; and regret extremely
that any opinion OF mine should have
been so understood as to justify or
require the suspension of the issue Of
the rations which it was proposed to
distribute i'll this State. NV object
ana attention WAS simply to guard
against tn. issue to persons without
claim, and thereby increase idlcness
and vagabondism Doubtless l did
not sufficiently explain my views, and
Gen. Slckles was Justified in reaching
the conclusion he did. 4 month AGO
1t VAS generally believed that about
the time of the wheat harvest an ave-
rage crop would be made, but since
the crop has been thrshed out it is
found not to exceed half an average
crop. and far less relief will bc fur
nlshed the needy from that source
than L had anticipated | therefore
earnestly request that You will have
the ratlons issued as estimated for bv
your agents III the State, and which
was disapproved by Gen. Sickles.
P.o,:or inStrnctjors +o ,l;str;j>,t;