The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-11-28

Mefiwether, OF this city, The writer, II
, one uf the editors OF the Women'i
Christian Temperance Union Depart
, ment.
a "aoDLKss MEMPHIS"
, Being resident OF the locality des
ignsted, the above caption, heading 9
> leading editorial in last weeks Issue
{ naturally arrested my attention. Its
, perusal appalled, me. When the
{ writer penned the following sentence,
memphis needs another Ievengeful
Providentisl yellow fever tcourRe.
The lesson it got from God eight years
ago Is forgotten" was he really
Clothed and in his right mindT'
Does he honestly believe that the
fever plague OF 1873 and lS79'was sent
upon Nj mphis in recompeuse for any
other sins rave those OF dirt and bad
sewerage7 Does he honestly believe
In aud devoutly worship God whom
he believes capable Of fending ire
vengeiul" scourge upon a city Of 50,-
COO people, slaying remoHely the in
Docent with the guilty, the infidel
with the Christian, the spotleas babe
with the hoary sinner II so, be
must be a relic OF the middle ages,
and not what l had supposed him to
! bean intelligent Christian OF the
nineteenth century.
I And not content with pouring out
the walls OF his own wrath over
whole editorial column, greatly to the
detriment and dshonoring OF that I'M
offending page, on the following page
he returns 10 the attack, and full
inmate his revengefnl prnphesy with
swim" that smacks ttro gly OF his
wish being father to his thought:
"No God, no Sabbath, for Memphis.
She needs the scourRing Of another
outpourng vial of yellow fever wrath.
And she'll yet get it and deserve it."
Is this the terance OF a follower
OF the gentle Master, who has said:
"Blt SO them that curse you, do good to
them thst hate you, and pray for them
that spi,eiully use you and peraecute
you"
Now, rs regards this matter, would
promise that lnasmuch IS the cotton
is not being handled in Nashville, 1t is
not The Issues "luneral," and, in my
humble opinion, 1t might be more
probably employed were it to pick
up its broom and sweep little on its
own pavement.
And again, happen to know some
thing about the Memphis City Coun-
Gil and its cotton merchants. know |
that our merchants had, ss they fully |
believed, made ample provision for |
8 orage, and had no desire to handle |
cotton on Sunday. But the influx |
was sudden and unprecedented, and
they found themselves with large |
amount Of property intrusted to their |
care, for which they had no shelter.
The property was not theirs; It be-
lop ged to men all through the Missls-
sippi Valley, whose families were de-
pendent for their support upon the
price it brought. What were they to
do2 They could not build immente
sheds in q day, neither were they
willing to allow this source OF support
which had been intrusted to their care
to be Injured. And in this dilemma
they appealed to the City Council,
aud know that the CouuCil debated
the question long aud seriously.
They did not csrelesely, as our
editor pu's it, suspend all hui
man and divine law" They were
greatly troubled about it, and they
lol ked carefully AZ the matter from all
points of view. The cotton merchants
had eaid to them, "Givs Us authority
to protect our customers this me and
another year, we assure you, we will
not be caught Mapping" AID after
careful consideration the Council cav
no other honest course to pursue, and
our merchants are keeping their prom
ise. am told that one firm has pur-
chased twelve ACRES in the southern
part of the city and another a large
tract in the northern, and they are
building immense sheds as fast as
workmen can put them up.
Ia conclusion, want to enter ny
serious protest against habit into
which The Issue has fallen, namely,
that OF holding up the iafdel and the
Tree thinker 10 its readers as monsters 1
of wholesale iniquity, human "Nazi-
reths, out Of whom no good can posi-
bly, come"
/ am not an infidel-contrariwise, /
Inn a church membsr-but / stesdfast-
y hold to the right 10 do my own s
thin king, and l hold with equal tenac-
ty to the right Of every other man or
woman to do his or hers. And / do
protest against calling a man oppro- n
,iious names, or iupugniDg his mo-
ives beCaues he doesn't think as you 1
10 about re igion or any hing ellie. lie 81
las as good right TO his opinion as n
'ou have to yours. .
Moreover, if The Isss is conducted \
n the interest Of any system Of theol- !
gy, let 1t say so; and let i seek TO
onvince and convert infdels and
by the squire and peace q
BILE" methods inculcated by the d. =
inc Teacher. But IL has been my
that 1t was edited solely In G
be interest OF temperance and prohi- Z
ition, and If my impression Is correct
would respectfully submit that 1t -
light better promote the interest and
lrther the progress Of lie special OBJ
'ct by sticking &c Its text. -
We are fighting for prohibition; 1
by not talk about III 1t appears to
10 we shall have quite enough on our 7
ands II we bring that about, without az
Undertaking. to regulate all the public III
It's and the private opinions Of the On
alton. This Is garment q world too 90
ide for our proportions. Let us lay oi'
aside, brother, and try one thing at
time. Lastly, brethren, l want 1t
Understood that / write this only
nder my own sign and SEAL" AL. TX
Iough l am the recognized leader Of A.
10 White Ribbons OF Tennessee, l do "a
1t speak for them on this occasion, q
i'd would not speak at all but for apr
10 fact that my name stands at the II
lad Of one Of the departments. That at
ling 60, / claim the right TO "say my "a
y" In thess columns, at the same ID
ne distinctly stating that for the ne
,iuioDs herein expressed nobody is y
sponsible save 4
LIDR MERIWETHER,