State Kansas Committee Rooms, 17 Niles Block,
Boston, Dec. 18, 1856.
H. B Hurd, Esq.,
Chicago, Ill.
Dear Sir, —
Yours of the 10th was received to-day, and the arrangement which you have made
with regard to the money will no doubt be satisfactory. I am sorry to say,
however, that our committee are not satisfied with the infrequent and irregular
communication which exists between us and you. It is now more than four months
since our committee has been expecting and hoping for an account of the money
we have sent you, . . . and yet we can
get no definite information as to the way in which your agents have expended
our money; nor have we had from time to time much knowledge of the general
course of your operations. You say that you have no time for such
communications; but certainly a committee like ours, representing so many
people and so much money, ought to take precedence in a correspondence with
individuals. Such information as we seek is absolutely necessary to our acting
in concert with you; and for want of it we are now compelled to act by
ourselves. In order to satisfy the committee and our contributors as to what
has been done, it is necessary that we should have copies of your accounts, —
so far, at least, as they relate to our money; and therefore we ask for the
copy mentioned in the indorsed vote. And I am further directed to request that
you will give our agent, Mr. E. B. Whitman, such information on this point as
he may desire. . . . All that our committee wish is a full and business-like
statement of what you have done and are doing; for want of this they are
compelled to cease acting as collectors of money for which they can obtain no
sufficient vouchers.
Truly yours,
F. B. Sanborn,
Corresponding
Secretary Mass. State Committee.
SOURCE: Franklin B.
Sanborn, The Life and Letters of John Brown, p. 357-8
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