Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-01-11
MEMPMIS APPEAL
WEDNESDAY, ;: JANUARY IL, 1889
THE GOVERNMENT.

When vessel has been stranded upon the
coast OF Africa it is confscated and the work
of pillage is at once entered upon by
the natives. Soon the coast is lined
with naked men, women and chill
dren, all demanding their share of the
rich spoils. The American people seem
to regard the treasury department of the
United States pretty much in the same light
that the Africans regard a stranded vessel
The burglars are continually Hocking to
Washington with crowbars on their shout
ders, ready to prize into the government
vaults. Indeed the government seems TO be
regarded as an immense eleemosynary cor
poratiOn, and everybody is trying to steal its
funds. In Paris and in several of the other
great cities Of Europe, and even in New York,
there are schools for teaching the art Of
stealing IN all its different grades, from
sneak-thieyery up to a robbery of the pleth-
oric vaults that contain the public
treasure. And now the national gov
nment has undertaken to teach this
art-it has become the dollhouse for
warming into life a prolific crop Of
thieves-for it seems that however honest
a man may be, the moment he commences
dealing with the government he is inspired
with determination to rob it. In all its
transactions with individuals the govern
ment pays two or three times, and sometimes
twenty times, more for its purchases than the
seller could get from any other purchaser.
All contracts with the government are ex-
orbitant, and are often secured by fraud
and downright corruption. There seems
to be a universal desire among
contractors to fleece the government
To illustrate this general disposition
Of the American people to rob
the government, we have only to
refer to the charges of the physicians
who attended the late president. In the
ordinary transactions OF life these physicians |
are no doubt honest men, and would scorn
the idea OF charging rich patient in proper
ton to his ability to pay. But the moment they |
commence dealing with the government they |
are seized with the desire to rob and to imi-
tate the example of the Star-route thieves.
The charges they have made against the gov
eminent for their services in attending Pres
ident Garfield after his assassination are dis
honest, shameful and scandalous. Dr. Bliss
places his loss of practice, and by personal
expenses while attending the President, at
$500; DIR. Agnew puts his at $4,000, while
has not yet reported, but it is esti-
mated that 900 each, or $4,000 will be
about the aggregate claim for services
by these gentlemen, which the whole country
feels is an outrage--simply unadulterated
fraud. contemporary accounts for the loss
Of these physicians, which they wish the gov
to make up, in but one way, and
that was through the criticism which their
practice in the White House provoked with
put; and if this is the manner
enormous loss, it suggests the very pertinent
question, what right have they to ask the
government to pay for the results of their
malpractice. 1t does not comport with the
Lightly of great government to higgle ;
'ver the bill charged for attending Gar {
Ield. Considerations of respect for the {
memory of the late president would favor
he payment of any bill incurred for COM
ort and recovery. But it has already been {
,iven out that the congressional committee !
Fill refuse to recommend the payment of t
hese physicians bills, which are regarded as i
xtrsvagant, a shameful and unvarnished !
raud, as unjust as the brazen villainy of the G
tar-route thieves, who charged the govern
1ent for losses never sustained and for ser .
ices never performed.