National Kansas
Committee Room
Chicago 10th Oct. 1856
James Blood Esq
Lawrence
Kansas Ty
Dear Sir,
You are hereby authorized to draw on the Treasurer of this Committee
George
W. Dole, Esq of this city, for the sum of three thousand (3000) dollars,
in
such sums as you may find convenient, to be expended under authority of
the
State Kansas Committee, of which you are a member
for provisions, to relieve the wants of suffering and necessitoris
free state
people in the Territory.
Please give us notice in advance of each draft you may draw under
this authorization.
Would also be necessary for your committee to keep and render to this
committee,
an account of the expenditur of these funds—with vouchers from the
recipients
of the relief hereby provided.
It is proper to mention that the policy of this Committee of present
is to
send relief
to the present residents of Kansas, rather than to aid emigrants to
go there.
We hope to be able to furnish further relief hereafter, and wish to
be kept
advised of the wants of your people and of all facts interesting to the
friends
of free Kansas.
Very truly yours
J.D. Webster
V.P.N.K.C.
Please address me without any title.
P.S. We are informed that the Osawatomie people are disposed to
complain that
they have been neglected heretofore in the distribution of aid. This
impression
arises probably, in great part, from a wrong impression on the part of
the Ossawatomie
people as to the amount of assistance sent hence to the Territory. They
do not
know that heretofore all our funds, nearly, have been absorbed in
providing
for the several companies of emigrants, the transportation of hardware
etc---So
thus the amount of relief applicable
the wants of settlers in the way of provisions to be distributed to
the Territory
has been very small.
Please take special pains to make the distribution as general,
geographically,
as possible.
Your Committee as it seems to us, should have upon it members
representing all
parts of your Territory. We confide in you care as to this matter.
Yours for freedom
J.D.W.
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/90518/text