The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1882-06-01
4 Misrepresentation Corrected.

The Southern Advance, published In
Atlanta, by Hon. J. E. Bryant, in re-
cent issue, under the head of THE
Graves of the Union Dead-Decoration De-
nied," tries to impute other than a right
motive to our Mayor aud City Council for
not allowing an excursion train to come to
Marietta ON the 30th ult., as will be seen by
the following extract
1--WE cannot avoid the conclusion that
fear of smallpox is not the real reason why
the city council will not consent TO have
Decoration Day suitably observed in the
United States Cemetery at Marietta
The people of Marietta care nothing about
the editor of the Advance avoiding the
conclusion" if in doing so he didn't
avoid the facts. When he designedly seeks
to give the action of our city council col
oring of political hostility to the general
government or opposition to the holding
Of the decoration of the Federal graves. then
the editor does a grievious wrong. The
editor of that paper knows, if he knows
anything, that small pox in Atlanta is
the true reason why excursions are
no: allowed to come to Marietta He has
been fully informed of this fact. When the
city council of Marietta, three or four weeks
ago, passed q resolution prohibiting excurs-
ion trains coming from Atlanta, the Fcder-
al decoration was never once thought Of
The resolution was passed at the same time
that compulsory vaccination becameR law.
Both were precautionary measures wisely
enacted for the safety and protection of the
city against that loathsome disease that May
or English of Atlanta says will cost that in
fected city twenty thousand dollars to get
rid OF, to say nothing of business prostration
and the destruction of human life. If it is
as damaging as that to Atlanta, then Mari
eta does not care to incur, by willful neglect
of duty and vigilance, such liability by al
lowing the disease to be brought here. An
Atlanta negro is already down with small
pox at Powder Springs in this county, and
we don't want any more impOrtations.
Towns around Atlanta quarantined, but
Marietta desiring to be as generous towards
Atlanta as the circumstances would admit,
only placed inhibition on excursion trains
The regular trains have never been inter
ferred with, and, therefore, parties interest
ed in the decoration could come and hold
the decoration without restraint which in
itself shows that Decoration was not De-
MED" Our people are too sensible for that
and respect the feelings and rights of others
in this patriotic observance. Nothing was
denied but excursion trains, and that order
has been in force for several weeks and has
not been rescinded yet. AS tor allowing
our town to be flooded with five or six hun
dred negroes, many Of them worthless vag-
abonds, ON that day, or any other day, who
| avail themselves of cheap excursion rates,
and our town run the risk OF them bringing
with them the small pox. was not to be
thought OF, and we commend the Mayor
and Councilmen for their prudent and I'M
swerving action. We regret that Atlanta
has the small pox. which renders this pre-
cautionary measure necessary, but as the
disease is confined with bat few exceptions
to the colored people in Atlanta, and as the
bulk of the persons who attend these decor
atoms are negroes, who come not 30 much
through patriotic impulses and love of the
Federal dead as they do to have frolic
which generally ends in drunken rows, then
the keeping away of excursion trains has
injured no one, but was sound policy, back
ed by good judgment
Since the above was put in type, we no
ticed that Col. Bryant. REV. E. O. Fuller,
and others, arrived On the regular trains,
Tuesday, and the decoration exercises were
duly observed. Hon. s. A. Darnell deliV-
| cred the Grafton.