Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-09-10
WILDCAT.
More of the COnnubial Combinations
Started in the City Yesterday to
Gull the People.
The Infamous Nature of the Natal Asso.
ciation-The Spectators NHmer-
Ously on Deck.

The matrimonial men continue to
their little charters. Two more were thrust
upon the public yesterday. The APPEAL Ia
more and more convinced that they are run
in the interest OF the spectators, and the
new and interesting facts daily brought TO
light regarding them confirms this view. Inc
most nauseating feature of the business IL
the natal department. This ia thing almost
inconceivable in infamy. Ancient his
tory furnishes many disgusting episodes
and instances of depravity; and it would
seem that speculation upon the I'M
born babe ought to be RELOCATED
to that time, and that it was totally out OF
place in the nineteenth century: suppose II
got TO the ears of young wife that her hus-
band, if he be infamous enough, or her neigh
bors we're gambling on the child she Is TO
bear. what sort of an effect would it have
upon her? 1t is not necessary to answer.
This is a
LEGITIMATE OUTGROWTH
of these matrimonial association. 1t ls per-
haps not generally known that there is firm
in Nashville having the names OF sixty per-
sons whom they enter, to use the language
of the race-track, in all the associations
when they start. 1t is done purely for specu-
latiye purposes. A great many of these as
sociatious are started by Nashville men,
whose cheek is rapidly eEcroaching upon
that of the Ohio man or the Yankee. An
APPEAL reporter was stopped about mid
night. recently on the street by Nashville
matrimonial man. The reporter at first took
the fellow
FOR A FooTPAD,
but curbed his instinct to fight, when the
chan began to softly unravel his connubial
scheme. The matrimonial association is Or
panized under a law of the State which
sanctions the existence of benevolent assocla-
tions. such as the Masonic lodges. Now the
APPEAL takes the stand that under this law
a bank can as readily be organized
AZ matrimonial association. The
word benevolent" cannot by any way
be twisted around SO as TO apply to
the latter organization. A body must be
trnIy benevolent. Can the benevolence of q
connubial corporation be proved in a court?
Can it not be proved in ten or fifteen min
utes that for the one man who really enjoys
a benefit. ten probably will lose? Is that
beneyolence which takes ten dollars out OF
Toms pocket and puts it into Dicks?
A FOOLS ARGUMENT.
The great argument of the dapper lah-de-
dab who run these societies ls that they are
like the Knights OF Honor. This is cheap
vay of begging the question. The difference,
however, is easily discernible. The young
man who Joins one of the mushroom SWIM
dies expects to get married within a certain
time. Inc man VINO JOIus SuO Au'Sh'o VI
Honor is in no hurry about dying. In fact,
he would be willing TO pay assessments Ior
100 wears if he could live that long. He
does not 90 into it expecting to make money.
So far as he is concerned personally he is
ont of pocket for the benefit of those who
. come after him.
THE DIFFERENCE.
Moreover, these Masonic societies are re-
publics. The connubial determines are des-
potisms. Only an idiot can fail to see the
distinction, and only swindler will pretend
not to see it. An APPEAL reporter met a
president of one of the associations recently
and he claimed that the benefit OF his as
sociation had not been understood. He then
proceeded to explain what ought to have
been full explanation of the workings oil
the association. Most of these circulars are
worded to deceive. They are designediy mis-
leading. When one takes them as they are, the
matrimonial cha ps claim an entirely different
get of facts from their own leaflets. For
instance, the writer has a circular here
which says certificates issued in the sums oil
$4,000, $4,000, $4,000, $4,000. Members can
marry when they please. There Is not q
word in the circular upon the length OF time
yeu have to be a member to get the $4,000
and no smaller amount is mentioned at all
The associations now are mainly in the hand;
of the spectators, and if they are left nc
one will grieve.