Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-05-16
THE DOCTORS.
Another Complaint against Taxation
The Friends of the Poor Feel
the Burden

EDITORS APPEAL-The late laws of
taxation enacted by our City Fathers
taxes the doctors, as well as all other
classes, / believe, except the ~bOot-black,
for the privilege Of practising their pro-
fessiOn. From the best calculations we
can obtain, there are from nine to ten
thousand persons in the city of Mem
phis who, after procuring the most COM
mon and scant necessaries of life, are
unable to pay one nickle on the hundred
dollars toward the bills of their doctors.
Now let me correct a mistaken notion
that prevails with a large class OF the
people even to this day-that doctors
are, compelled by law, or otherwise, to
visit and attend to the poor through all
the vicissitudes of weather, day and
night, whether they receive n cent or
not for their time, labor and trouble
visit and attend them equal and alike
with those from whom they receive
their usual fees. This is a mistake. 1t
is not 50 now, was, as far as we
know, and never will be, because he
principle is wrong. 1t rObs the physl-
clan of his time and his labor.
THE POOR
virtually have the same claims on the
dry goods man, the butcher, the baker,
the grocer, and their landlords that they
have on the doctors. Still, they never
expect to get a single article from either
of them without paying for it. Physi-
clans, however, as a general rule, are
more sympathetic, open and ~free-heart-
ed than any other class of men, hence
their attentions to the poor without pay.
Every city is expected, and virtually
compelled, to take care of their own
poor. And let me say that physicians
do more in assisting them TO do so than
all the other classes combined. Not
only do they attend them through all
the phases of weather, day and night,
but they frequently purchase their med
icines for them, and as often give them
hard-earned money out of their pockets
to assist them in procuring the actual
necessaries of life, and that without the
expectation of receiving one cent / n re-
turn for it. No one like the physician
knows the real distress, misery and pow
erty of the poor. AS far as
JUST AND NECESSARY TAXATION
is concerned, doctors do not object to it.
They do not object to being taxed by
9 the best government the world ever
SAW " 9t1NE kaA4AAuAF NC1ANJ 1
ton, city taxation, taxation for wearing
a good coat, hat, shirt, shoes or pants;
taxation for bulldogs, black-and-tans,
pointers, tom-cats, b~illy-goats, or any of
that kind of thing, nor do they object to
taxation for being born, eating, drinking
and breathing, if you please, provided
they nave the same fair and open show
with the other classes. But they do OBJ
ject to being taxed by our City Fathers
for the privilege of assisting them in
taking care of their own poor. If it Is
right for these fathers to tax the doctors
for this privilege, certainly it is but just
for the doctors to club together and not
visit a single case of the city's poor
without receiving their usual fees. 1t
may be hard upon the poor, but it Is
equally as hard upon the doctors to pay
for such a privilege.
THE CITY
will then be compelled and driven to en-
plOy physicians at a stipulated price to
attend them as they did, if l am cor
rectly informed in 1S67-6S. Then ply
sicians, / understand, were employed by
the city in the years above to attend the
poor at a salary of one hundred and
fifty dollars each per month, two drug
gists a atone hundred and twenty-five dol
lars, house rent and medicines at about
two hundred dollars, making the neat
little sum of one thousand two hundred
dollars. Contrast this with the taxes
imposed upon the hundred doctors in
the city at ten dollars each, making one
thousand dollars, and you will see the
beauty of the schemes that are impOver-
ishing our city. 1t is rue the doctors
are compelled to pay n dollar extra
for registrars fees, but that goes into his
pocket instead of the city's, but no
blame to him, for he is Obeying the
laws and works for his money. In con-
cIusion, 1 feel certain that the principles
involved in this law must have been
overlooked by our city lawmakers, as
certainly they neve would have i'm
posed a tax on those that have assisted
them so long and so faithfully in taking
care of the poor. j. L. NJ.