Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1859-09-17
Dsnersneres Of me market a


We have spoken Of the Market Ordnance
now under the considera ion Of a COMMITTEES Of
Council; as being a document remarkable no;
: only for what it does, but for what it leaves
undone. We have paid some attention to It's
, faults Of commission we now propose to
glance slightly at lie errors Of omission. To
do 90. we mast consider the new ordnance in
connection with the old one, portions Of which
it virtually re-enaets BY repeating only the
conflicting provisions. We may here observe
that this way Of repeating in one ordinance
conflicting portions q another, without stating
what those portions are, is a s~l6Ferly mode Of
legislation. In this case, It is insxcusable, foI
the 2Sth section, page 14s, Of the ordinance
book, requires, and very properly, that a copy
Of the market ordinance shall be posted up in
every stall in the market house. How can
this be done with any advantage, II there are
two ordinances, one Of which is partly re-
Peslsd, bat which part even a lawyer can only
guess at.
In the first place we remark that while the
18th section Of the market ordinance requires
that @no licensed grocer or provision dealer
shall sen a~ayfhing. . there is no provision
to protect those who pay high rents and
heavy taxes In the city against competition in
the market from pedlsrs who, on paying " ten
cents for every morning they may be there TO
SELL may enter with the odds Of light rents
and no taxes, the ten cents excepted, into CON-
potion with them One Of these Pedlars may
have hsndkerehisfs. wells and collars another
packages Of tea, coffee and other groceries
a third certain cures for ague, worms, diar-
res and other Ills that flesh is heir to a fifth 1
may have candies, cakes and tars, and 50
every retailer in the city as well as he grocer,
the druggist, the dry goods dealer, and the
eonfeeti~ner, may have their competitors In
the market, while they are not only hampered,
as we have remarked, with heavy rents and
onerous taxes, but are expressly prohibited
" to sell anything in the MARKET
There are no such necessary provisions as
the following: Requiring vehicles to be re-
moved from market when their contents are
sold out; fOrbiddinE to make the market a place
for the sale Of horses, mules, etc, or live cat
tie, sheep, hogs, etc; providing for the aecu-
rscy Of scales, weights and measures; for the
protection Of the premises. railing, ETC., Of the
market house, forbidding 10 sell before The
market opens; providing weights ana measures
TO Re used as tests in suspected cases; invest
ing the Market Master with the powers Of a
psliee' officer, and requiring him to prosecute
offenders before the Recorder; defining the
amount Of space each wagon, etc, shall be
allowed to occupy.
These items Of provisions omitted viii SUI
fee to show how defective the whole market
Misunderstanding the unrepeaied portions
Of the old ordinance, as a set Of rules for
the regulation Of our new m-rkets We need
not farther enlarge upon the subject The sb- .
surd things that are in the ordinance, and TIE Z
necessary matters left out, are sufficient 10
give the reader an idea Of the sort Of legisla-
ton accorded US BY a Cou7cil that is crowd a
ing meeting uPon meeting, and speech upon ,
Before concluding, We take the lib
Of suggesting to the Board, that a market
should be provided for on Saturday night, at
me or both market houses. The convenience o
z that portion of the citizens who receive O
heir weekly wages on Saturdays, and Of the Z
'ublie in general, who will have no market to 7,
to on The Sabbath, make a Saturday night
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