Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-04-29
ANOTHER VIEW OF THE NEGRO
EXODUS.


the germs of the yellow fever, which
will develop when hot weather comes
st. Louis is as hot place as Memphis
in the summer time, and is certainly
not any cleaner, and there is no par
ticular reason why the disease should
not prevail there when the conditions
are favorable. A reporter of the
Times-Journal who interviewed about
twenty of the leading physicians of St.
Louis, found many of them very un-
easy. DR.. John p. Bryson says:
A friend Of mine from tina South came
to see me a few days ago, and he says that
a great deal of the infected bedding and
clothing belonging to the whites in the
yellow fever districts last summer was
taken by the negroes A great deal of it
was burned, but byno means all of it, and
as most Of these negro refugees come from
Nlcksburg and other places where the
yellow fever prevailed last summer, much
of the bedding and clothing they bring
with them is filled with the germs of vel
low fever. The germs were not killed
last winter, for | believe an intense cold
will not kill them. The bedding NAV
have been fumigated and all that. but the
breaking out of the yellow fever on sew
eral vessels after being subjected
to all sorts of fumigating and
freezing shows that the germs are very
hard to kill. st. Louis seems, from
Its high latitude or altitude or climate or
some cause unknown, to be IN measure
secure from yellow fever, but the local
cases of the disease that occurred at quar-
antine and at the city hospital last sum-
mer is evidence that the city is only in
measure, not wholly, secure from the
disease, certainly not so secure that we can
afford to disregard all sanitary measures
for the prevention of the disease next
summer. Something ought to be DONE
and quickly, too, to stop the emigration
of these negroes. They come here in
destitute condition and settle down and live
in small rooms. Many of them are dirty
and filthy, and if they have the germs of
disease among them, as many of them
certainly have, a long hot summer will
surely bring us lots of yellow fever"
Similar views are entertained by
nearly all the physicians who express
ed an opinion.
DR.. S. Pollak said.
| think we are running a great risk in
allowing the negroes to come here with
out quarantine regulations. Their bed
ding is certainly infected now if it was
infected last summer The germs are
there still. Some may have been killed
but by no means all of them. 1t is a very
hard thing to kill yellow fever germs
entirely. Several years ago yellow fever
broke out on a government vessel that
had been lying in the docks in New York
for three years. There had been no vel
low fever on board the vessel for three
years, and the germs that causel the
yellow fever then were three years
old. Only short time ago, you remem-
Der, yellow fever broke out on the
Plymouth, government vessel that
had been thoroughly fumigated and
subjected to freezing temperatures
the winter before These facts show con-
olusively that the germs of the yellow
fever poison are very hard to kill. L pity
the negro refugees from the bottom of my
heart and think that it is our bounden
duty to do all we can for them, but I'm
afraid they haven't very wise leaders
among them in this exodus movement.
l think they are misled If they continue
coming to st. Louis much longer the city
authorities should establish quarantine
against them. Fumigating rooms could
easily be made and the clothing and bed
ding of the negroes disinfected as much
as possible before the negroes were al
lowed to enter st. Louis. Or the safer
plan would be to burn up their old cloth
ing and bedding and give them new arti-
cles. ! think we ought to do all we can
to discourage the coming of those negroes
TO ST. Louis now..
These views, coming from such
source, must fill the minds of st. Louis
people with serious apprehensions.
Yet it will not stop this ill-advised and
unfortunate movement The Northern
societies will continue to raise money
and encourage these deluded people to
get off Southern soil before the census.
taker comes around. The main object
now is to reduce Southern representa-
tiOn in congress. They care nothing
for the negro after he has served a
wicked purpose. He may die and rot
on the cherries plains of Kansas so
far as real sympathy is concerned he
may carry the germs of disease and
death over half the land, so that the
other escapes and certain political
ends are accomplished The crime is
committed against both whites and
blacks, but more especially against the
blacks, because they are lured on to
certain destruction, while the white
people can take care of themselves.