The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-10-02
TREASURER POLK'S APPEAL.
Result Of His Mission to Washington
What Tennessee Must Dc.

Result Of His Mission to Washington
What Tennessee Must Dc.
TO Tennesseeans 1t is with great
reluctance / bring myself before you,
but believing the time has arrived to
impress upon you the great necessity |
OF immediate action, make this APP |
peal, confident that the moment you |
arc convinced that iC is needed your
warm hearts will prompt you to fur |
nish all that is wanted at once. In !
the latter part of August, at the sug-
gestion of the Governor, | went to |
Washington and saw the President the |
Secretary of War and the members of
the National Board of Health, and, |
laying before the condition of our broth
ers in Memphis, requested that they
make arrangements to furnish orr
people with food where they should be
moved from the stricken city and
placed in suitable camps.
The President and Secretary or War.
i'll fact all the members Of the Presi-
dents public family, expressed great
sympathy for our afflicted pc PIE, and
were anxious and willing to supply
their wants, but found themselves
cstopped from Overstepping the law by
the action of the Congress in creating
the National Board of Health, with "a
large appropriation, for the especial
purpose of supervising the yellow fever
and preventing its spread in our coun-
try, and no one doubted that the
board had ample power to act in our
case.
Upon interviewing the members of
the Board (the Executive Committed
Drs. Cabcll, Smith and Billings, [
found them very courteous and dcsir-
Gus of giving us all the aid in their
power. Upon a full investigation of
the act creating the Board and a con-
sultatiO1 with the proper legal adviser
of the Board, the conclusion was
reached that the Board was powerless
to help us, except partially: 1st, by
bearing the expense Of making the
camps, and ID, by feeding such per-
sons as should be placed i'll them for
twenty days. This ended my business
i'll Washington, and | returned home
and made my report to the Governor.
All that remains to us now is to 90
work and help our own people. If no
other means can be secured, | have no
doubt the Governor will direct me, as
Treasurer to use such public funds i'll
my possession as will be sufficient to
prevent the poor and needy in Mem
phis from suffering. In our assuming
10 override the law i'll using money es-
pecially appropriated to another plir
hose, we will be assuming grave re-
sponsibility, and whilst have no fears
but what the Legislature and the peo-
pie will sanction our action, yet | am
loathc to do this thing and shall not
arrogate power to myself Unauthorized
by law, until every other resource fails
me.
Owing to the change in the time of
collecting taxes there will be no sur
plus in tie Treasury, or very little, by
the time the taxes for 1879 are col
lected.
With this statement l come before
you. and God forbid that you should
fail to answer the appeal. We want
provisions-meat and bread for our
own flesh and blood, without which
there will be great suffering. Think
of it Men,. women and children
cooped up in q city, with a visible
death stalking through the streets;
poor men who would labor, but there
Is no labor. Commerce is stopped,
oil industries have ceased, and they
have nothing to do or look at but star
walton Oh one side and dreadful death
on the other. Shall we suffer it? With
bOuntiful crops all around us, with
Il ar1
with the healthy bod in our hearts,
shall we permit our brothers to die,
or force our public servants to override
the law they have sworn to obey, to
give them relief?
L appeal to the people of Maury,
Giles, Williamson, Davidson, Bedford,
Summer, Wilson and Montgomery to
act Mt once. Your fields are blooming
like eastern gardens; give of your
:. plenty to these our people, who cry to
you with voices made feeble by disease
and hunger. | beg to act at once, and
by the time your gracious contribu-
tiOns arc exhausted, the other and
and more remote counties will have
to come the front, and the poor are fed
until the welcome frost has killed the
monster now destroying them. Ifyou
cannot give much, give little; do it
cheerfully, for "God, loveth cheer
full giver;" the mite given by poor
widow was equalled to the most given
by Others.
Send in your supplies to Commits
sarv General WhelesS; what you choose
beef, potatoes, bacon, -four, meal,
peas or beans. Such as cannot be sent
to Memphis will be sold here and
things bought that can be forwarded;
Tcnncsseeans the eyes OF whole
country are watching to see how you
stand by your own flesh and blood.
Ten cents head for every voter would
make noble charity. Shall we have
it or shall we say, III whispers Of
shame, Our own people fail us, we
must cry out to the outer world for
bread for little ones" Very faithfully,