Chicago, December 9 (?), 1871

Editor of the Illinois Staats-Zeitung:

In yesterday's copy you observe that the German Aid Committee publishes no reports and you single me out in your demand for information. I am no "paid official" of the German Aid Society and it is, therefore, very flattering indeed that you expect my activity and willingness to bring sacrifices even greater than I have done heretofore.

In what manner the German Aid Society works you might have seen from the daily announcements in your paper. We are employing German Superintendents and assistants in each aid district of the Chicago Relief and Aid Society. We had to fight for several weeks with the officials of this Society until we gained recognition and respect for our supervisory officials. We finally had complete success, and I readily admit, that the Relief and Aid Society, today, treats the various nationalities without any discrimination....The indefatigable work of our President, as well as of the Superintendents, Messrs. Josef Kaufmann, Max Horwitz, B. Kielholz, H. von Langen, 2A. Limberg, Pastor Guntrum, and their assistants, has resulted in cooperation between the Chicago Relief and Aid Society and the German Aid Committee, and has gained for the German relief clients many advantages... The German Aid Committee also established an employment agency at its headquarters, 70 West Lake Street, which is managed by Mr. Josef Kaufmann.

Furthermore, the Aid Committee has a Ladies' Committee, consisting of Mesdames Claussenius, Magnus, Bluthardt, Buhler, L. Schulz, Madlener, and Miss Stolte. It supervises the stored goods of the Committee and their distribution. Every day one of the ladies is at headquarters to receive the applications of women for clothing. This Ladies' Committee is doing excellent work in collaboration with the Central Committee.

Finally, the Committee has won the help of a number of German physicians, who give free treatment to the sick, indigent, and, in the fifth district, have made arrangements with the pharmacists to furnish free medicine, on their 3prescriptions for which the Committee pays...

If our officials did not give detailed reports up to now, I can assure you this was due to the fact that they felt, their work would speak better for them than many words. Besides the small number of gentlemen who have done the real work of the Central Committee, have had not a moment of time to think of the elaboration of lengthy accounts. Of the twenty-seven members of the Central Committee only the following have recently been on active duty: F. Lackner, C. Knobelsdorff, H. Claussenius, F. Buhler, George Schneider, A. Limber, J. Kaufmann and Julius Rosenthal. The other gentlemen who appear in the Central Committee only with their names, you will easily be able to ascertain by a comparison with the published list.

Signed: C. Knobelsdorff.