Daily Republican., 1879-07-28
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A NOTE.
w. A NOTE.
1Ae ssRcpubalcan~ stfIl lAaas u
saEeulation. Advertise where yO~
gs1 the nAost for ye1F nnsney and
eAo ssReDubllcan'' n that Daper.
Memphis and the yellow Fever.

memphis and the yellow Fever
The idea that the yellow fever
Memphis consisted only of few 81
rodio cases, has been entirely dissipat
and the dreadful truth Is now full
realized that it is fsarfully epidemi
and We may as we'll make up our min
to see the plague spread all along IL
lower Mississippi Valley where it ge1
4erally loves to linger until it scarcsl
has anything left to live upon. Fro
the rapid spread of the disease We al
ls1 to believe that it exists in a MOI
violent degree than last year. III
whole nation has been looking at Men
phis with bsted breath, hoping tha
the disease would show some signs {
abating. but as the symptoms have bee
such as to afford no encouragement
becomes . grave question Of how thi
emergency is to be met. It is vel
Known that last year the eharitabl
people of the North poured out thsi
gifts in money to the amount Of over
aillion of dollars to the aid Of thei
distressed brothers Of the South, anG
should a call be made upon them, they
would no doubt do it again, but If this
yellow fever disease is going to be a
thing of annual occurrence this con.
tinual draft upon the North will become
very burtAsnsome in time. How then
shall this question be met? That
s.arity will have to be sent can
mot be denied, and that it will
hare to come from the North is
about equslly certain, but without some
regularly and legally authorized plan
thsae voluntary charities may fail Wien
pressed too heavily. There seems to
be but one equitable plan to be pursued
and that is for the General Government
~ OukuP iOl "dtu hAu IcuucIs tu6 u6CSS-
sary aid as it is required. In this man
ner all who pay to the support of the
nation will contribute something to aid
in q calamity which may be called ma.
tionsl. This may perhaps increase
National taxation to certain degree,
but at the same time the taxes SO rails
ed will be applied to the extinction of a
national scourge. It was seaa \ year
ago now reluctantly and grudgingly
the wealthy people OF Memphis and
New Orleans contributed to the aid Of
their suffering neighbors, and many Of
them even fed their own servants upon
the charity Of the North that had been
sent down for the destitute instead of CON
tributing their own means for that pur-
pose. Should charity be sent again the
same thing will be repeated unless there
is strong organization to superintend
the dispensation of such charities, and .
we know Of no stronger organization 6
than the National Government itself. ,
This may be in opposition to the doc b
trine Of States rights, now the cardi- h
nal and leading feature of the Southern 8,
Democracy, but States rights must u
stand aside in times of National calami- >,
" and National necessity. This done p,
" the nation it should go step farther y,
Ind provide against the temperance Of 9,
he scourge, even if it had to adopt and ot
md carry out system Of draining and tr
paving the streets of the Southern in a.
ected cities. Indeed We can scarcely 4.
lee what else can be done under the -
circumstances. Memphis is bankrupt, -,
nd to avoid the payment of her debts, i,
Ter charter has been annulled, and she =.
'A' ar
las been reduced to mere tax district -.
y State that has repudiated large bo
art of her honest debts, and cheated =,
Ier creditors. No reform in muni -,
ipal management can be expec -,
ID from such city and such
tate. Were it not that yellow fever Is ;,
national epidemic, the tax district of -
lemphis might we'll be left alone to re. a.
Ell in her dirty unpaved streets, but H.
hen the whole nation is threatened it :,
'comes another question. Safeguards NJ,
ust be established, and the best safe. 70,
lard against the spread of yellow fe- ~
n is for the Government to take hold .h'
the tax district of Memphis, erect MT
'wers and drains where needed, pave m,
IL streets and make the wealthy prop. r.
'ty owners pay for it. 1t is quite pos m ,
bic that there now being a National ho,
oard of Health, the Government alone -,
i'll take charge of the infected districts 49,;
I'd render whatever assistance is heed r.,
|. Already the Secretary of War has
Mt out large number of tents, blan-
Its and rations to the terror stricken I
ty, though this is a stretch of author pre-
y which Southern Democracy would con
olently object to at any other time. to
q people will heartily approve of it. coll
1t is demanded by necessity as well ten
humanity, and it is the only effectu. to t
method that can be employed under the
g circumstances. 1t is possible how frs
er, that the chivalric Southerner cou
IL be found, perhaps even r4pr-sent- sigl