The New York herald., 1871-02-08

BY a grand universal law Of compensation
the ravages OF war impel all dslnterested
spectators to afford immediate and substantial
relief to its surviving victims. The President
and the Congress of the United States, in
arranging preliminary measures :or the relief
Of the sufferers BY the Franco-P -Prussian. war,
are faithful exponcnts OF the unanimous will
OF the American people that this law shall
be promptly aud effectively recognized. On
Monday the House OF Representatives con-
cnrred in the Senate bill authorizing the Secre-
tary OF the Navy TO senda vessel Of war to the
port of New York for tho purpose Of carrying
provisions TO the starving French and Ger
mans. General Banks offered an amendment
directing the Secretary Of the Navy to place
vessel Of war at The port of Boston ard
another at The port of Philadelphia for the
same purpose. Ten thousand dollars have
already been subscribed in the city OF New
York, and contributions In kind are already
beginning to pour in 10 each of these three
great cities Their benevolent citizens will
doubtless exhibit generous rivalry as to
which shall be foremost in a nObler strife than
any between contending foes. A signal in
stance of what can be wrought by such rivalry
was shown by the American relief gladly
extended to Ireland after the dreadful famine
OF lS47.
But rare opportunity is now offered for the
American people to make national act of
charity unprecedented in historical annals.
hu rnsn ,lYrtIn satfrhf
authorize President Grant to issue proclama-
tion appealing to the people at large in behalf
of the suffering French and Germans. To
secure a popular response to this appeal it
would be easy to use the machinery employed
at our elections. The inspectors of the polls
might be instructed to supply, at booths
erected in every district, all purchasers with
tickets to which coupons, representing from
one dollar to twenty or hundred dollars each,
could be attached. If only four ifths Of the
usual number of voters should buy individually
one dollar coupon the sum thus raised would
amount to at least four million dollars. Many
voters would willingly buy coupons of higher
figure. Moreover, the subscribers to this
noble charity would by no means be
limited to the list Of voters. Native
citizens naturalized and unnaturalizad
foreigners, particularly those of German
and French birth, would be alike invited TO
join the throng of purchasers. What splcn-
aid chance would the women Of America thus
enjoy to make their first appearance at the
polls Bingham himself could not object 10
woman suffrage in so graceful guise. He
might even march up to the polls arm in arm
with Mrs. Woodruff on such an occasion. The
less strong minded Of the sex might cast their
votes for the relief of the widows and orphans
OF French and German soldiers, in ballot
boxes placed in churches or in the parlors of
acknowledged leaders of society. In every
college and school, at the meeting place Of
every benevolent association, in all the clubs,
in all the theatres and in all the churches
throughout the land special contributions
might be made, which, together with private
personal gifts from the merchants who have
directly profted by importations from France
and Germany, ard from wealthy travellers
who recall with delight their visits to those
countries, would largely swell the vast aggrc-
gate sum to be realized by our qn0si election
scheme at the polls.
This scheme would prove at once novel,
simple and effective. Within fortnight it
would yield far greater amount of contribu-
tons in kind and in money than could be pos
sibly obtained in any other way. By the pro-
cesses ordinarily adopted the idols of mutual
admiration societies in our different towns and
villages would strut their brief hour on the
public stage, and the only result would be col
umns Of wordy and self-glorifying resolutions
and, at the utmost, meagre collection of
twenty or thirty thousand dollars. Such a
pitifnl sum would be but a drop in the bucket
in view of the exigencies of the case.
No rhetoric can adequately set forth the
urgency Of the case. The single item Of the
loss occasoned by the destruction of cart
wheels alone in one short campaign he's been
cited by thoughtful writer as striking Illus
tration of the costliness and destruciiyeness Of
war. The aggregate Of the losses. direct and
prospective, incurred by the people of Ger
many, as well as by the people of France,
since the Franco-Prussian war is simply incal-
cuIable. Apart from The irremedable loss of
life and the waste Of war material, the depre-
citation of values and the utter annihilation of
certain kinds Of property it must be remem-
bered that food has been taken out Of millions
Of mouths and clothes of millions of backs.
Hunger and nakedness cry aloud to us for
relief, not only o. the desolated plains and in
the bombarded cities of France, but in many
bereaved household in Germany.
Doubtless no inconsderable part of Ameri-
can contributions for the relief of the suffering
French and Germans will be made in kind,
especially in the West, that granary of the
world. Probably it will be advisable to con-
vert most Of the rest OF the contributions,