Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1867-05-22
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE FOR THE
DESTITUTE PEOPLE of the SOUTH.

/
The following is brief statement of
what h been done by Major General O.
q. Ho ard IN giving relief to the des IT,
tute people OF the South from the fund
of S5OO,OO0 appropriated for the purpose
by Congress. The bill authorizing Cen
eral Howard to furnish food was not ap-
proved until the 30th of March, yet such
was the extent Of suffering represented
by the officers of the bureau stationed in
the different Southern States that he de-
termDed to begin the good work at the
earliest day possible
Urgent appeals for help having been
received from Mississippi, on the 18th of
March the commissioner telegraphed to
Colonel /. A. Seeey, at St. Louis, Mo,
lnstructlng him to buy twelve thousand
bushels OF corn and five thousand pounds
of pork, and to charter steamer and send
the cargo to the lower part of Mississippi
Estimates were then called for from the
Assistant Commissioner of the Freed
mems Bureau, giving the number of per
sons who would need assistance The es-
Inmates were sent in for the States of Ten
nessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia,
Virginia, South Carolina and North Car
DINA, and placed the number absolutely
des ltute at thirty thousand children and
twenty three thousand nine hundred
adults
On the 4th of April Gen Brown, As
sistant Commissioner in Virginia, was in
structed to purchase corn and meat in
sufficient quantities to prevent starvation.
These supplies are to be continued until
the early crop of vegetables is gathered
On the same date Col G.. G. Sibley,
Assistant Commissioner from Georgia, re-
ceived a communication from the Com
missioner, stating that the appeals from
Georgia were SO urgent that it seemed
necessary to procure supplies at once, and
lnstructlng him to purchase in open mar
ket a sufficient quantity of c2rn to relieve
the Immediate wants of the people. Col
Slbley bought at Savannah enough tc last
until supplies were sent from the north
On the 10th Of april contract Was en-
tered into for fifteen thousand bushels of
white corn and one hundred and twenty
| thousand pounds of bacon sides Anoth-
er contract has been made for twenty
thousand bushels Of corn and one hun
dred and fifty thousand pounds of pork, to
be delivered at Savannah, Ga, Try the 81 t
ut this month.
The demand in Tennessee was not very
great. and the Assistant Commiss ioner,
General w. p. Carlin, was instructed on
April 9th, to purchase enough corn and
bucon to supply those greatly needing
food during that month, and to make his
estimates for succeeding month.
Colonel j. Y. Bamtord, Assistant Com
missioner for North Carolina, on April
18th, was ordered tc purchase in the most
| favorable market Of the state enough corn
and bacon to meet Immediate wants
The reports received from Alabama
indicated that gre ter want prevailed
ehero than IN any Of the other states, and
ON April 10th, thirty thousand bushels
OF corn and one hundred ond fifty thou
sand pounds OF pork were shipped to
Mobile. In the meantime, to satisfy the
present want that hen existed, General
SWayne was ordered to purchase, at the
most favorable points within reach, sup
plies for present needs. General Swayne's
estimate of the food needed in Alaoama
Was eighty-tour thousand bushels of corn
and three hundred thousand pounds of
bacon for the single month of April, but
lie was Informed by the Commissioner
that as the Whole amount to be eXpend d
was bat five hundred thousand dollars,
only forty thousand dollars per month of
it could be expended in Alabama
The State Of South Carolina was in
such great need that before General How
ard Was fully authorized to expend the
fund appropriated he set to charleston
tWelye thousand bushels of corn In ad
dition to this the New York Famine Re
lief Association has supplied large guam
titles Of food, and are still sending ala IT,
he suffering poor of the State. On the
3Uth Of april an additional cargo OF
twelve Thousand bushels Of corn Was ship
ped to Charleston.
In the original estimate Louisiana was
not included, but ttter the recent foous
Gen. Mower informed the commissioner
OF the large amount of suffering causru
thereby, and asked What could be done
for its reliet. Having asked how much
food would be needed, he answered tina,
1T would be impossible to give more
than an approximate estimate-one mi
lion rations will not be an overestmate;
that is, twenty days rations for fifty
thousand persons; restitution fearful;
whole parishes Submerged After as
certainlng the places for which food
| could be furnished to New Orleans from
the Northern market. it was found that