The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-09-15

wondered at If the press Of rival cities takes
up the cue and indulge in the same char
acter of denunication, and neither must it
be wondered at if the reputation of Cairo
is blackenod, If the facts would justify
the denunications and if the results at
tanned would compensate for the rum
wrought it might be tolerated,
but such is not the case.
1t is not true that the authorizes of Cairo
uniformly allow unfortunate people to SUI
fer in the streets of the city," There have
been cases of neglect, but these were the
exception, not the rule. The tIouble is that
the hundreds OF cases of suffering poor
which receive the attention of the authorities
during year are hardly noticed and never
given second thought by the readers of
the local press, while tho half dozen in
which there is not such prompt action arc
given great and continued prominence and
excite general comment which is only an
other proof Of the inner humanity of this
community. During the fiscal year ending
the first instant there have been upwards of
fifty burials by the county, including those
of the coroner, and nearly all Of them were
persons who came to the city, like the man
F. Montgomery on the steamer Jas. W.
Gaff, In dying condition. The criminal
neglect of the man Woodgate, because OF
which the city has been so much and SO UNI
justly villifed, was not chargeable to the
city authorities. The old man was partially
blind and he wandered into the railroad
yard and laid down on the track, very
likely unconscious Of danger. The rail-
road company employs Waterman whose
duty it was, first, to prevent Woodgate
from trespassing upon the company's
premises Had the Waterman performed
tins duty we'll Woodgate would not have
been injured. Secondly, it was the watch
mans duty after, through his neglect,
Woodgate was injured, to assume the COM
pany s moral responsibility and have him
Immediately taken care of, just as the Off
GERS of the city assume the city's moral res
possibility when in their rounds they find
similar case. But the Waterman did not
do this. Woodgate was taken TO the stone
depot and allowed to lay there in his agony
alone until morning, when he became an
object of interest and laughter and pity
of molly crowd, but only of silent, mac
tive interest of the agents of the company,
and it was not until after nine o'clock in
the morning that the city authorities were
notified of the mans condition. 1t
was not until ten o'clock that
DR.. Wood had any intimation Of
Woodgate's case, and when the doctor had
conferred with Mr.. DePue he left with the
understanding that the sufferer would be
cared for. Thus it will be seen that the
old man suffered for seven hours after he
had been injured and discovered by the
company's employees, before the authorities
were even notified Of his case. But there
IS no use in arguing the point of response
bility any further. No reasonable person
will for moment doubt, knowing that
neither the city nor the company were leg
ally bound to take charge Of the poor man,
that the company, having injured him,
was THE party who was morally beund to
take charge of him, and is THE party
against which all abuse for so shamefully
negIectingits poor victim ought exclusively
to be directed,
In their abuse of the city authorities the
apologists for the railroad
company have shown some mex
cusable ignorance of city and
county affairs. From their utterances and
writings one would judge that there were
no provision whatever in the city for tax.
lug Cdlc vi tnc ucStllule unu blCk tlldt
stream into the city from all directions all
the year round. Such an impression IS IN
consistent with the facts and those who
have created it have laid themselves liable |
to the charge of being either ignorant or
malicious. In either case they are dangerous
advisers when the welfare Of the commun-
ity is in the balance. The fact that so
many poor invalids receive attention during
year Of which the public takes no notice,
or possibly never hears is in itself conclu
sive evidence that there is some provision
for doing 80. The mayor and all the Off
GERS Of the city understand that the city
does deiray the hospital expense not only
of extreme" but other cases. The
minutes Of the council will
prove that this is 50. Furthermore the
county board sets aside each year poor
fund of two thousand dollars, onc-half of
which Is applied exclusively TO the care of