Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-10-24
Sew OrIeans Quarantine RAISED.

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NEW HAVEN, TENN, October q.
DR., D. T. Porter, President of the Taxing
District;
The following has just been received
from New Orleans:
NEw ORLEANS, October q.
M. Burke, Superintendent:
New Orleans has removed quaran-
tine against Memphis and all interior
towns. D.. B. MoRNEY, G. T. A.,
Letter from "a Memphian at 81.
LOuis.
FRIEND WHITMORE-It can not be
that the PUBLIC LEDGER, one of the
opponents of public opinion, is an
enemy of Memphis. Your individual
fortunes, as we'll as hat of your paper,
are involved in the question ofwhether
Memphis can be made habitable or
not. Just think of the awful destruc-
tion of human life from yellow fever
in the last twelve years. Just think
Of the enormous loss of wealth entailed
by the four epidemics, Is it not time
for every man, woman and child, hay
ing an interest in its fate, to throw
aside all differences Of opinion as to
ways, means and methods, and as one
man TO step to the front rank in an
united effort to SAVE Memphis from
destruction? While | am frank to say
that | disagreed with the st. Louis
convention as to the plan of raising
the money to sewer or u~nderdrain the
city, believing that the money can be
more readily raised by a joint stock
company than by taxation, | find
that there are constitutional Difficult
ties in the way Of arriving at the end
desired, which are: 1st, There could
not be engrafted in the charter com.
pulsory connection with sewers, and
the subsisting and continuous power
to declare a failure to connect
with the sewer a misdemeanor, Enable
and punishable, through which only
could we hope to get capitalists to sub
scribe the necessary money. There is
beside this no question that the peo-
pie should own this character of pub.
lie works-sewerage and water. For
these and several other reasons | have
arrived at the conclusion that the
money cannot be raised by a joint
stock company, for, to hope to do So,
the charter must guarantee subscrib-
ers to the capital stock a fair dividend
on their money; and this is the more
particularly necessary now, as both
Memphis and the State of Tennessee
have virtually repudiated their public
debts, and Of course have no credit to
borrow money on any description of
bonds. Reputation or a compromise
of a debt should be the last resort of
an honest man.
VIZ are now brought back to the
main difficulty, and to confront the
situation. As it is Memphis is not a fit
place 70 live in. Shall all its people
make 4 supreme effort to save her from
destruction? Would you consider it
a bad investment to spend $4,000 to
save a debt Of $4,000? yet this is the
situation. | do not regard a so called
tax Of 4 or even 10 per cent. as a tax,
but l look upon it simply as an invest
ment to give value to the property,
for as it stands it is worth absolutely
nothing. Take the trade Of Memphis
away, let the merchants go elsewhere,
which they will certainly do, and what
is the ground worth ? not exceeding
$40 per acre, if hat. 1t is the pres
ence Of capital that makes the ground
valuable, and if the capital goes else
where Of course the ground is com.
paratiyely worth nothing. The Mem
phis people here are greatly discour-
agol to see any opposition at all to
any plan to SAVE the town. But the
Memphis people here cannot and will
not do the work themselves. Every
one has to do his share or the improve
ments will surely fail. 1t is no time
for differences Of opinion on minor
details as to the ways and means. If
the PUBLIC LEDGER has any interest
in the fate Of Memphis as | know it
has everything at stake, let me entreat
you to come to the front rank and
advocate any plan as to paying for the
improvements that are imperatiyely
necessary, even if it takes one-half Of
the whole property. Your friend,
w. p. PRoUDFIT.
ST. LOUIS, October 20, 1879.
LangstaG, Graham d. PrOUdncs
House is open.
Orders promptly filled. So