Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-04-14
THE GOLDEN CITY
Aud the IndIctms mt of Her Officers for
the Awful Loss of Life Attend
ant Upon
Her Destruction by FIre-A Pew Words
Logically Pat Together that Can
not fail Of Effect.

To the Editors of the Appeal:
In the olden time, when that turbulent
mob, the children of Israel, was still wander
ing to and fro in restless anticipation of some
day or other reaching the promised land,
there was enacted a somewhat curious regu-
lation by which an innocent but luckless
goat was caused, periodically, by some for
mula of prlsetcraft, to be burdened metaphor
ically only, let us hope, for the goats sake),
with the crimes and misdemeanors of the
Children" and driven afar into the wilder
ness, carrying with him presumably the seri-
Gus burden of wrong-doing that men had
foisted <com their own shoulders to his.
Hence the term ''scapegoat." In this day of
boosted progress and universal mental illu-
minstion we can readily imagine the howl
OF indignant protest that would repudiate the
assertion that this custom still holds good,
with some slight variations and added
touch of barbarity unknown to the Mosaic
dispsnsation, for, where insensate goat
satisfied the ancient demcnd, we cry out for
a fellow-man to make the "scapegOat" of
every mischance that befalls. In such
light does the proposed prosecution of the
officers of the Inflated Golden CITY strike
the writer, VINO, without any personal ac-
quaintance with any one of them 10 bias or
warp his Judgment in the matter, feels i'm
pslled to express himself in the cause of
justice.
DISASTERS MUST COME,
it would seem, but woe be unto him by whom
they come, is one of the morals of the recent
terrible accident. We are told, and there is
no reason TO doubt the statement, that when
the first alarm OF fire was heard every deck
hand deserted his post; that with his own
hand Captain Mcintyre made fast the boat
az the fret step toward rescuing the passen-
gers, all of whom, to add to the horror, were
asleep and far back in the boat. The burn
ing through OF the rope that caused the boat
to drift down stream was the last cause of the
awful holocaust OF helpless women and chill
dren, and surely that cannot be attributed TO
any lack on the officers part. There was
but one thing more that he could have done.
He could have chosen to burn up with them.
Let that man among you who would yolun-
tarily have chosen that alternative cast the
first stone at the man who is suffering cruel
6xion now at the hands of the public, who
must have its scapegoali 1t is easy to
imagine the feeling of an officer quivering
through every fiber OF his being with the
horror OF such catastrophe, suffering all
the torments of uuavailipg regret and bitter
remorse for the first cause of the tragedy,
when the added sting OF being held person
ally responsible for the horror has TO be
borne.
IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE
and of the future safety of the travelling
public, why not strike at the cause of these
terrible disasters, and place our hope rather
in the sure plan OF prevention than in the
possibility of superhuman efforts at rescue
in the face of death itself? So long as COM
bustible and highly iphsmmable articles of
commerce are transported from one point to
another in the loose and recklessly careless
fashion now permitted, just so long will the
passengers lodged over that dangerous
freight run their chances of death by burn
ing. Why should not the strong hand of
the law, which is SO ready to demand q life
for a life, take this minor p question of
prevention under advisement? Why should
not the carrying of article that has al
ready caused the loss of. two costly steamers,
in addition to so many precious lives, be
absolutely forbidden in passenger boats,
unless SO packed to render it harm
less? But the writer is not presump-
tuous enough to suppose he can offer
one suggestion that has not been made,
or advance one new idea on the subject
that for little while Will occupy everyone's
mind. Bat there is an innate love of Justice
implanted in The average human breast that
makes a man hate TO see a fellow kicked
when he is down. And the talk of finding a |
bill for involuntary manslaughter" against
the officers of the Golden City strikes this
average citizen as about as reasonable as it
would have been to get out an Indictment
against the celebrated COW that kicked over
the celebrated lamp on the occasion of
Chicago's celebrated FIRE. "Man's inhuman-
ity to man makes countless thousands
mournlo FAIR PLAY