Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-01-07
SANITATION.
A Sweeping Review of the Whole Field.

action of the majority Of our legisla-
tive council This is right. There
was meeting of few gentlemen at
the cotton exchange yesterday which
makes such meeting necessary. That
cotton exchange meeting reminds me
Of Andrew Johnson's favorite anec-
dote he used to tell on the stump
when speaking Of little caucuses that
were held in opposition to him. He
said there were three tailors in Lon
don got together and after mature de-
liberation issued an address to the
world, beginning with I'VE, the people
Of England resolve, so and SO" Thus
it was with the few gentlemen who got
together yesterday and said we, the
people, endorse DIR. Porter and CEN
sure the legislative board. Mr.. Editor,
you pere correct when you said
in your issue of yesterday
that nine-tenths of the people we're
opposed to this "Dr. Porter's pet, {"
and Colonel Warnings earth ma
chine. The people know the thing to
be utterly impracticable, and that in
stead of being benefit it will prove
10 be the nastiest and most clumsy
nuisance imaginable. The tru.h is
that the owners of Memphis have
never had showing during all this
sanitary discussion. The whole mat
ter has been rushed through by a few
parties in and around the same place,
and in the same manner as that meet
ing yesterday. A few days since it
was announced that Colonel Waring
would explain his Terra Gotta pipe
sewer plan at the cotton exchange.
went to that meeting and looked on.
Some gentlemen commenced giving
their views on the Waring plan, when
they were very promptly called to order
by President Hadden, who said the
meeting was for the purpose
Of hearing Col. Waring, but if they
wished to ask the colonel any ques
tions, they could do so. After thi,
action morning paper states thai
after thorough discussion of the mat.
ter large meeting Of citizens haC
lendorsed MIR. Warnings plan of sewer
age. 1t was in this meeting that DR.
Watson unearthed the origin of thu
earth machine. DR.. Watson reaC
from a magazine, which he said bore
date of 1868 twelve years ago), saying
Col. Waring was the agent of an east
ern terra Gotta company, for the pur.
pose of introducing into the towns
and cities of the United States
the earth closet system. The
Doctor asked the Colonel if he
was the man referred to. The Colonel
modestly replied he was. DR.. Watson
also asked him to please state how
many towns or cities had adopted his
earth closet. The Colonel still more
modestly replied-Memphis was all. al
Now, Mr.. Editor, this successful earth
closet agent, flushed with the victory
of having, after twelve years hard
work, succeeded in getting our city to
adopt his machine, lays before us a
new tangled" jug metal" sewerage
plan and succeeds in having it, like
the earth closet, endorsed by I'VE, the
people of Memphis" in and around
the cotton exchange.
AS to Col. Warnings sewer plan, or
any other sewer plan, |, and | suppose
most Memphians, know but little if
anything. l, however, do know that
Colonel Waring himself says that he
nor any other man in this country has
succeeded in introducing this plan
into any city of the United States, but
that all ofthe cities in the whole coun-
try, after years ofexperience, are using
an entire different plan of sewerage.
He says Oxford, England, has it.
Well, that is long ways off, and we
have not the time to go there to see
about it. Therefore this is simply a
Waring experiment.
Memphis has strained herself to
raise money to perfect good sewerage,
without which we are told the lives of
ourselves, our wives and children are
in imminent peril. If this be
true is it wise to experiment
with a strangers new plan, or had we
better follow the beaten track and
sewer and pave our city like all other
cities of the country have done2 The
tax OF tive per cent, which I think ali
will try to pay promptly, will give us
over 100000, which will if properly
used, improve our city wonderfully
but let us take warning and be sure
we do not spend the money and in q
short time be compelled to look with
sorrow on another Nicholson pave.
ment blunder. Let there be a full
meeting and full discussion of these
matters. Let us uphold our legisla
tive council and do whatever a major,
ity OF them tell us to DO, for they arc
an intalligont bonaet lot % 49,, II