of our State we appeal to you to have this matter inquired into and the proper remedy applied. Judge Ezzard is a gentleman of high character and his statements are entitled to respect. With your reply please return Judge Ezzard's letter.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

LUCIUS J. GARTRELL.

JULIAN HARTRIDGE.

W. W. CLARK.

DAV. W. LEWIS.

HARDY STRICKLAND.

B. H. HILL.

HERSCHEL V. JOHNSON.

PORTER INGRAM.

[Inclosure.]

ATLANTA, February 5, 1864.

Honorable L. J. GARTRELL:

DEAR SIR: I have been thinking for some time of writing to you on a subject which I deem one of importance. It is this: Major Cummings, the commissary-general, is making contracts with men all over the country to distill the tithe corn belonging to the Government for the purpose, as it is alleged, of making whisky for the Army. He agrees to furnish corn to distillers who are to make it up into whisky and pay or deliver to him one gallon for each bushel of corn, and the distiller is to have all he makes over the one gallon (or five quarts in some cases) for himself. This is holding out great inducements to distillers, and is a very money-making business. They can, therefore, afford to distill all the corn they can get. I think it wrong that the Government should take the corn which is needed to feed women and children to make whisky of when the wives and children of soldiers in many cases cannot get bread to eat. There is a great scarcity of corn in the country-in fact, it is impossible to get it here for less than $8 or $10 per bushel, and meal has been as high as $15, and it seems that it is almost impossible to prevent the poor from starving. I think it is therefore important that this thing of distilling the Government corn in this section of the State should be stopped. If it is necessary to make whisky for the Army let it be made in that section of the State where corn is plenty, and if the Army does not need the Government corn here let it be applied to the feeding of the soldiers' wives and children. The State of Georgia would be willing to take the corn and pay a fair price for it and apply it in this way, or the counties would be glad to do it and save the expense of transporting corn from Southwestern Georgia to feed the poor and destitute. I hope you will do something on this subject, if possible, before Congress adjourns. I know the time is short, and I regret that I did not write you sooner, but I hope it is not too late to do something, and I know that there is nothing that wold be of greater advantage to the poor of this section of the State. Nothing new here.

Yours, respectfully,

WILLIAM EZZARD.

[First indorsement.]

COMMISSARY-GENERAL:

Have you these contracts or the Surgeon-General? If you, report.

J. A. S.,

Secretary.