Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-10-09
A CHARITABLE CHATTANOOGA PAPER.


Memphis malcontents are about to
test their constitutional right to spread
the fever in all the surrounding coun-
try. The pretense that there is any
business question involved in the pal
try lint cotton traffic is absurd and
fraudulent, The whole outcry about
the oppressive order No. 6 is the cheap
blab Of bad politicians. 1t is of a
piece with the attacks on the How
ards and the general howl kept up by
the licentiOus asses who control the
newspapers in the plague-smitten
town. One thing Memphis-or the
fellows who now assume to be Mem
phis-may be assured of: they may
fool the surrounding cotton planters
into carrying on two-penny barter of
seed cotton for yellow fever germs,
but they will not be allowed, nor will
the fools who mix with them, to 90
gadding over the world as heretofore,
dumping the pestilence here and there
as they go. If they will blackguard
and abuse all who try to help them
they will by-and-by be permitted to
60 to the devil their own way.
1t is no wonder the charitable world
eyes askance the ll-conditioned, un-
ruly crew, They would not go into
camp. They abuse everybody who
tries to save them from the spread of
the plague. They curse and howl at
the State and National boards for
their efforts to keep the fever inside
Of Memphis. They want to have the
whole South sick as they are.
For our part we would not give
them cent, if we had million. Let
them first learn to behave themselves
before they ask charity, learn that
beggars can't be choosers.
We could not have believed without
actual proof that there was a paper in
the country capable of expressing
such atrocious sentiments as the above
from late number of the Chattanoo-
ga Times. The author of this ma
liciOus and wanton assault upon the
pent up citizens of Memphis is at a
safe distance where he can nourish
his wrath into frenzy without any
peril and without spending any Of his
millions" He doubtless belongs to
that wild-eyed, semi -lunatic class who
would burn Memphis to the ground
if they had the power. Those who
favor the proposition do not own a
brick in the place and probably none
anywhere else. That there is a differ
ence of opinion as to the workings of
rule No. 6 shows that there are two
sides to the question, but that such
utterances as quoted above are inhu.
man and diabolical no one can deny.
The quarantine system while it may
have been conceived with the best of
intentions is regarded by many men of
experience and cool judgment as un-
necessary, oppressive and unjust. We
have a right to our opinion as we'll as
the nervous theorists who snuff the
battle from afar Off In the first
place absolute quarantine is impracti-
cable. The Federal army could not
prevent blockade running during the
war and "a few sleepy patrols, knowing
that they are sent out on FOOLS er-
rand, cannot prevent it now if they
would. In The next place the trade
in loose cotton was never known to
convey yellow fever to the country or to
distant cities where the cotton is ulti-
mately sent to the manufactures.
Over twenty-five thousand people
left Memphis this year after the yellow
fever broke out, carrying with them
clothing which in many instances must
have been kept over from last year,
and yet they did not communicate the
fever where they went Those who
had the fever in their systems and
took it after they left here did not
give it to others. The Chattanooga
lunatic may remember-if he was not
too badly scared-that Mr.. Fred
Morti, of this city, took the fever
near McWilliams Station, in East
Tennessee; chat he was nursed safely
through by Mr.. Luttrell aud family,
md that none Of them contracted the