The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-13
a Remarkable Communication.


A rather remarkable communication,
signed by w. A. Spence, defending Surgeon
General Hamilton against the attacks
made upon him by some of the
Florida newspapers, was published
in Fridays Times Union of Jack
sonville. The Times Union says that
Mr.. Spence is one of Jacksonville's most ex-
perienced and accomplished physicians.
| His communication is remarkable in this,
| that, being experienced and accomplished, he
| appears in print about a matter concerning
which he does not seem to have taken the
| trouble to inform himself
He says that the attacks which have been
made upon Surgeon General Hamilton are
not only unnecessary, but unjust, because he
is mot properly responsible for the publica-
ton which has been so much criticised and
so severely condemned He then pro-
ceeds to say that the Surgeon Gen
eral, as chief of an important bureau Of
the government sends an abstract of the in
formation he gathers to points of danger.
| This information the doctor considers con-
fidential, and it is not supposed, he says,
that it will find its way into the public
prints. The doctor then INDUCES in this
remarkable statement:
The press of a neighboring city, not
averse to anoccasional fling at the prosper
GUS State of Florida, got hold of it, how
| cannot imagine, and gave it such great
| prominence that it is on the lips of every
one, and has even been the subject of
resolution by a very respectable body, a
convention of druggists assembled In the
capital of the State
The ''itn in the above extract refers, of
course, to tho confidential information.
But why should the doctor refer to the
press of a neighboring city" in such an
ambiguous way9 Why did he not name the
newspapers which, in his opinion, had COM
mitted an offense, and, also, the city in
which they are published Does he know
| of any newspapers in neighboring city
which are not averse to an occasional fling
at Florida Does he know of any conf
dental information relating to Florida that
has appeared in the public prints in "a
neighboring city" or anywhere else 2 If he
does not, then he ought to make haste to
| correct his communication.
There was dispatch sent from Washing
ton to the press of the entire country
through the Associated Press relating to the
public health of points in Florida and it
was published in "a neighboring city" 1t
was brief dispatch of warning, and it was
authorized by Surgeon General Hamilton
This, doubtless, is the confidential in
formation to which DR.. Spence refers.
If he had taken the trouble to inform him
self with regard to its origin, or had read
the newspapers of "a neighboring CITY," he
would have had no occasion to wonder how
the public prints got hold of it. If he had
inquired of the newspaper which published
his communication he would have avoided,
if he desired to be just, any reflection upon
the press Of neighboring CITY,"
Dr. Spence closes his communication with
the remark that he believes that ''the Sur
geon General did only his duty" What
then excited him to the point of writing a
communication. The Surgeon General
having sent out the first dispatch of warn
| ing, and, also, when he was attacked by a
few newspapers, the lengthy dispatch giving
| extracts from the report of Florida doctors
justifying his first dispatch, what was the
occasion for DIR. Spence to rush into print
| to attack ''the press of neighbOring city9"
If the Surgeon General only did his duty,
did the newspapers which published the
dispatches which he furnished to
them do any more than their duty!
Perhaps DR.. Spence thinks that while it
was the duty of the Surgeon General to
furnish the information that was published
to the newspapers the newspapers published
it only because they were not averse to IAN
occasional fling at Florida" Even from
this point of view, can any one doubt that
DIR. Spence's communication is remark
able onel