Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-04-06

liz GEUGGh 70 ~ r." N ~
The Daily, and 81 per annam for the
Rsekk-Postage free.
THE STREET RAILROAD CONTROVERSY
The Avalanche and Appeal of
this morning rush to the defense
of the street railroad triumvirate
monopoly, the Appeal, however, in
quite a mild and compromising way,
as if %regretting the course of the
monopoly in its war upon the legal
rights of the people. The Ava
lanche rushes to the defense like a
zealot, and becomes as enraged and
indignant as a Spanish bull when a
red cloak is waved before its eyes in
the arena. The Avalanche howls
because it was stated in yesterdays
LEDGER that the gentlemen who
own and control the street railroad
are men of the North and Repub-
licans, and not Southern men and
Democrats; and that as a natural
consequence the gentlemen Of the
railroad monopoly, from their
nativity and politics, could not
be reasonably expected to be in as
perfect rapport with the public as
would three Southern men and
Democrats. The gentlemen vino
control the street railroad, MessTs.
Davis, Vredenburgh and Barrett,
are not, we assume, ashamed Of
their nativity or politics, and their
defense in the Avalanche on these
points, to say the least Of it, is in
very bad taste and probably unau-
thorized. We assert that we do
not believe that if three Southern
men Of Democratic procliyities had
control of the street railroad they
would refuse to obey the act Of the
Legislature fixing the fare at five
cents, or would permit their en-
ployes to annoy and plumber the
public by running the cars off
the track and compelling five
cent fare paying passengers to
get out and walk. The
Avalanche, in its zeal and usual
dictatorial style, solemnly pro-
tests against both the letter and
spirit Of the paragraph in the LED
GER Of yesterday. The protests Of
the Avalanche have been number
less, and are SO common that people
laugh at them as they inquire.
"Upon what meat doth this our
Cesar (Avalanche) feed, that it ha:
grown so great?' The Avalanche
assumes, in a dogmatic way usual
in its style Of editorial business, tC
criticise the motives of the LEDGE
and call it to task for its articles
both editorial and local. We Dc
not recognize any such authority
and certainly the gentlemen who
control the columns Of our contem
porsry do not, we hope, assum,
to possess greater natural or &C
quired ability, a higher order o.
education or more experience in
newspaper matters than their breth.
rem who are connected with thu
LEDGER and Appeal. The asser
ton Of the Avalanche that ~
plain words mean anything thu
LEDGER designed by giving promi
nence to the nativity and polite
Of the officers Of the street railwa,
company to excite a personal am
and partisan political prejudic
against them," is entirely gratutou
and certainly incorrect, the LRDGEI
having no such petty motive in it
fight against the monopoly and il
defense of the public. No doub
the Avalanche would prefer that til
LEDGER should take that position
and the wish may have been fathc
to the thought. The LEDGER
satisfied with its course in defens
of the public, and we hope til
Avalanche is as well satisfied wit
its course in defense Of the stree
car moneyed monopoly.
-E%--
In reference to the Cuban stru.
gle for independence a leadir