Evening star., 1897-04-17

H ing distri out d
+ T. 4 y among these unfor-
tunate people by the
War Department The issue is being made
on the basis of nine ounces of the salt
meat, thirteen and a half ounces of -four.
fifteen ounces of cornmeal and a CORES
ponding proportion of molasses per man
per day. These provisions constitute what
Is known as the plantation ration. which
has been found to about equal the daily
diet of the average laborer employed in
the submerged area. great majority of
the destitute people, according to official
reports received at the Agricultural De-
partment are plantation negroes. the
whites being for the most part plantation
superintendents and their employees.
Each plantation ration, calculated to
maintain one man for twenty-four hours
costs the government about six cents.
which would be very cheap living IL the
individuals could purchase the same foods
at the same price, retail. Add to this four
cents additional, per ration, to pay for ex-
pense of transportation and distribution.
and you have ten cents per man per day.
According to this estimate the congress
sional appropriation will buy 1000 600 day
rations, which will equal 100000 square
meals, as suggested. each well-fed citi-
zen is supposed to be entitled to three
meals a day. In other words. the govern
ment pays three and one-third cents a meal
for the food which it is distributing along
the overfowed banks of the father of
rivers
According to official advices there are
about $4,000 residents of the flooded areas.
more than the entire population of New
Hampshire, Were all these mouths TO be
fed the entire appropriation would go down
the red lane In about five days. The officials
in charge of the distribution believe, how
ever. that their supplies will last for two
and perhaps three months, If necessary,
since comparatively small per cent of the
residents have been made absolutely desti-
tute and in need of federal aims.
Purchasing Supplies.
The congressional appropriation is being
expended through the War Department
for the reason that that department is the
only one which actually buys and distrib-
utes foods on a large scale. The Agricul-
tural Department is merely advisory, as
far as its relations with the public food sup
ply are concerned. Hundreds Of pounds OF
meats and groceries are being daily ship
ped to all sections of the country, where
our many army posts are located. The
War Department employs, in various
large trading centers, an excellently man
purchase all Of the food eaten by our SOL
uiers. They are just the men to perform
such relief work as Is now being carried
on. They do their selecting. buying, ship
lar system, which works like clockwork,
and they are able to put food in the
mouths of starving people in any part of
the country within the veriest minimum of
time.
The whole Of this flood relief work is i'm
the hands of Commissary General of Sub
sistence Sullivan, who has detailed officers
under his command to Cooperate with the
local re1e1 committees of the submerged
localities. Gen. Sullivan's assistants In the
war Department are busy sending and re-
ceiving kilograms concerning the work
Army commissaries are established IN all
OF the great markets of the country where
salt pork, bacon and the other constituents
OF the plantation ration may be bought at
the best advantage. After being purchased
at the cheapest price, consideration being
taken or the relative costs of transpo.ta-
ton over different distances these proyi-
sions are handed over to officers Of the
Quartermaster generals department who
see that they are Immediately shipped to
the localities most convenient as centers
or distribution. The food is carried I'm
irelghe cars over the commercial railroad
lines, and on arriving at its destination is
handed over again to officers of the COM
missary department, who, upon consulta-
ton with the relief committees, send them
out in boats owned or hired by the eoyeru-
ment The War Department has at its
mngers mn ENDS number Of steamers. some of
Ao tons, tugs and messenger boats en-
pIoyed by the engineer department in the
work of improving the Mississippi These
are convenient for this distribution, email
barges being sent out into the shallow
waters.
Regard All as INDECENT
The policy of the War Department in
this relief work is to regard all the suf-
ferers in need Of its aid as INDECENT people
and to give them only. the absolute neces-
sites of life, and those only as long as
they. are utterly helpless. In this way
the appropriation, which is not so gem
erous as others made for similar catastro-
phes, may be made to go around. Since the
food can be taken directly to the unfor-
tunates along the banks the department
Is averse to the congregation of the des-
titute people in nearby cities, where they
are sure to become a public care. Public
funds would be necessary to transport
them back to their homes, where as soon
as the waters subside, they will be needed
to repair the levees and replant the ruined
crops.
The resolution approved by the President
authorizes the Secretary Of War to issue
Subsistence stores" no other necessities
OF life being mentioned. In the strict in
depreciation Of the word this means simply
the distribution of food The department
however, has construed subsistence to
mean livelihood in the broad sense Hence
tents. clothing and medicines may be dis
trfbuted in cases of urgent need should IL
be desirable to establish such a precedent
In some places corn and oats have been
sent to keep alive starving farm animals
who have thus managed to touch their
Uncle Sans heart strings. During former