I believe that Dr Bright and Genl Butterfield were to meet at your bank this morning with the intention of making arrangments for purchasing corn for the Commission.

Since our meeting yesterday it has occurred to me that if there is to be no central directory of this relief movement, arrangments should at once be concerted to prevent a very unequitable distribution. The destitute region lies altogether East of the Mississippi—⅘ths of it East of the Alabama I suppose. There are already active organizations at Louisville & St Louis—possibly at other points where corn is far cheaper than here. They are all now sending or about to send if they are controlled by well informed & sagacious men, large quantities of corn exclusively to Alabama. It is bad policy for us, I think to try to go over the same ground until we know that the field nearer to us is equally well supplied. The best plan for the present I think would be to divide the field in some degree among the different associations. Let Phila be asked to send to North Carolina, Boston to Charleston (choosing its own agents of distribution) and let us send to Savannah until we ascertain that a different arrangement is desireable and practicable.

[192]

A full cargo even if only a schooner’s cargo sent at once to Savannah will tell on the public more than several seperate shipments.

Arrangements for its distribution & consignees might be delayed with no harm. Perhaps one of our number might like to go to Savannah & confer with the Governor about the details of distribution. Is not Mr L. B. Brown about to go there?