The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1879-08-07

1
city so as to be ready for use in case of
need.
Friday, Aug. LIST, there were reported
officially to-day IL new cases and four
deaths. Among the new cases are two
Catholic priests, Fathers Doyle and
Faha, who were in charge of st.
Patrick's Church. They are the first
of the ministry who have been stricken
this season. There are 450 people at
Camp Marks and 500 at Camp Mathew.
| The colered citizens who have refus-
ed to leave the city and go into camps
have issued the following manifesto:
By the census of the city of Memphis,
just completed, it appears that the CEN
sus-takers found remaining in the city
| limits 16, 10 inhabitants, Of whom liz
s27 are colored, and 1928 white. 1t
will thus be seen that nearly three
fourths of our present population are
colored, according to this imperfect
| account. We can, therefore, safely as
sumo that we stand three colored to one
white. By the last weeks mortuary
report, of the thirty-four deaths from
yellow fever, thirty-three were white
and only one colored. More than ten
of the former to one of the latter. These
| figures show that while the death-rate
among the whites for that period was
! nearly eight to one thousand, 1T was
among the colored people for the same
| people only one to four thousand, or
about thirty-two whites to one colored.
| These figures clearly demonstrate that
we have but little to fear from yellow
fever as compared with the whites,
hence their is no necessity for our
| leaving the comforts and conveniences
of our humble city homes, leaving our
humble city homes, leaving our person.
al property exposed to probable destruc-
ton, and exposing ourselves to the GER
tainty of contracting those pulmonary
diseases which are so very prevalent
and fatal among the colored people in
| this damp and changeable climate.
Our people knowing these facts, firmly
refuse to go into camps, feeling that
they are more secure IN the city than
| they would be in camps anywhere in
the Mississippi valley. In this conclu-
sion, we are in accord with the whites,
who, with few exceptions, decline to
accept the Inequalities of camp life,
under military surveillance, with its
l1bothNAtiit 10 VI anu
outrage, as they prevailed last year in
the camps established by the citizens
relief committee. For this determine
ton to remain at home we are denied
any assistance whatever from those
who haye assumed the authority to re-
ceive and disburse everything that
might be contributed for the relief of
the thousands thus rendered destitute
AID dependent. Thrown thus upon
our own resources we are organizing
our own mutual aid societies, and so
helping one another to the extent of
our very limited means. From our I'M
avoldable poverty we can do but little
i'll this direction. We therefore appeal
to generous public, in those sections
of our country more favored than this
valley of deathi to send us of their
more abundant means, that we may
, not perish from starvation, which is
now staring us in the face.
The Committee of Safety also issued
. the following:
/ Whereas, The committee of safety
and official representatives of the tax
| ing distriat have been informed, thro'
the public prints, of the resolution of q
number of citizens, chiefly, if not alto
gether, of the colored race, to reject
our plan for common welfare, and they
propose to appeal to the property own
ers of the city and the public at large
to sustain them in their course; there
fore, be it
Resolved, That we fully concede to
these people the inalienable right of
thinking and of acting under the laws
of the land for their own good.
RncnlvaA That af fha oon,a ty,,.a 1I,..
committee is constrained to testify that
in our plans we are sincerely seeking
the good of all our people, present and
absent, colored and white.
Resolved that in forming camps we
are acting under the advice and with
the appreciation of the official represcn-
tatiyes of Tennessee and the United
States, and that we have the approval
of the state and national boards of
health In seeking to check the progress
of the fever by withdrawing the popu- |
lation from the infected localities.
Resolved, That only by means of |
camps is it possible for us to guard |
against the great evil of the people in |
truding into the city to draw rations. |
Our men are too few to guard so wide |
an area as that covered by the town,
and when people thus come into an in |
fected locality they will carry the seeds |
of the disease with them all over the |
land.
Resolved, That so far as carrying into |
effect these plans we make no unjust |
discrimination or regulations against
the eolored people. The police force
how put on night duty is one-third col |
ored men. All Of the detail made from |
the volunteer companies for daylight |
service are colored men. All the mi
litia yet placed by the Governor under
the command of Col. Cameron are coll
ored men, and the same supplies are
dealt out by our committee in charity |
10 the sick in colored families as in
white families, the books OF our COM
mittee being evidence of that fact.
Two representative colored men, Capts.
Glass and Brown, have seats in this
committee
Resolved, That, IN submitting such
facts 70 the Judgment Of absent proper