Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-08-31
COUNTY COMMISSIONER
MIDDLE.



the County Commissioners, Judge Hun
ter and ether ex-officials, the report Of
the late Grand Jury must have been a
shrapnell shell thrown from twenty
inch Columbiad. Louis, White and Merri-
man have all had their say, in lengthy but
vague and unsatisfactory statements.
Their defense was vigorous and noisy, If
not decisive, leaving probable chance for
the Com missoners to withdraw with the
appearance, at least, of good order. A
stray shot, however, from the Grand Jury
happened to fall over into the peaceful
and neutral camp of Grandmother
Hunter, who was quietly engaged at
the time in reorganizing and con-
solidating his shattered ranks, which
we're somewhat demoralzed in his
late battle with Judge Smith. Hunter
imm ediately brought his largest and best
piece to bear--a two-inch brass mountain
howiizer-and blazed away in this wise
in the supposed direction of the enemy,
giving his gun at the instant OF applying
the fuse an artful twist, so that 1T would
scatter around and hit the Grand Jury,
County Commissioners, or any body else
that might be threatening bis lines.
Hunter says: m b
Nv accusers, the late Grand Jury, state
that the county has furnished mattresses,
blankets, etc., which duty belongs to the
one feeding the prisoners, ETC.; that
the Board of Commissioners have been
furnishing large amounts OF such things
for the Jail, under an order of ex-Jn dge
VIM. Hunter"
Now, the original order shows that
there is no truth in this statement, and
that no order was made that mattresses,
blankets, or anything else should be fur
uished and the bill returned to the County
Com mi ssioners is alone for such prison
ers as NAV need them" drawers and
shirts and this was done because chow
ever great the necessity there was no
provision In the law that the jailer should
furnish them.
If the County Commissioners have
furnished mattresses and blankets to the
prisoners under the pretense that there
was an order of the Criminal Court re-
curing them to do so, they did so under
false pretense, from the fact that no
such order was ever made, and was
made without any authority Of law, as
many other acts of theirs which still re-
main mysteries to the public.
The mattresses and blankets, accord
iug to the report Of the Grand Jury,
were furnished by the Commissioners,
whether under false pretense or not, and
if Mr.. White had anything to do with it,
we shall probably hear from that function.
airy to- morrow, showing that it was done
under contract at saving of $4,000 to
the county; that is "be claims $4,000"
LIE. White, Louis and Merriman write on,
and explain their official conduct in the
best way they can, yet the county is minus
1928, 567 80, and the tax-paying public
will stubbornly refuse to think it less
than sheer embezzlement and indisput-
able defalcation in Office. DR.. Whites
explanation cannot be satisfactory to an
intelligent public, when he talks of saw
ing $4,000 in bill for stationery and
the same amount in the burial of paupers.
Certainly the Commissioners must use
deal of white paper, and the mortality
among the paupers is truly alarming. A
heavy majority of the paupers Of this
city requiring burial at the expense Of
the county are negroes, enticed into the
city from comfortable homes in the
country by the Radical party, Of which
DR.. White has been bright and shining
light. If be and his party had let them
alone where they were, the county would
.ouor have been taxed a dollar for
,be burial of one of them. A negro
diving on farm is decently inte:red oS
the landlord, or OF his expense, and the
county is never asked to defrsy eeHt Of
the expense. But this is not in keeping
with Radical ideas. They hold the negro
to be their especial property by right of
setting him free, and therefore have him
under exclusive control, dead or alive.
While living he is indirectly valuable to
them as . yoter, but when dead
he is directly valuable to them to bury
as a pauper. The truth is, the little
army of Radical Office holders here, with
very few exceptions, is thoroughly
corrupt, if not absolutely dishonest, and
those stil! striving for places not whit
better. They have one common in
tent-pluuder. When one gets into Office
he regards his commission license
to steal ell be can during bis term
of Office, and now the late election
has made some startling Developments
concerning their tenure of rule, they in
tend, no doubt, to make the most OF it
while in. A Radical office-holder would
not regard himself IS smart, or capable of
holding Office of profit and trust, unless
he could manage to manipulate q few
thousands while engaged in serving
the public. DR.. White should
not complain about men approach
ing him, etc., with propositions
of bribery. ETC., when he we'll enough
knows that the party to which he has
attached himself-espeeialiy the Office
holding part of it-has done more in the
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