The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-10-22
He Had a Pass.

The question Of the governors absence from the capital Is oaw se alra
vauing theme of street corner conventions and able editorial dz.a-4a E
following letter from Health Officer Todd of jackson and addressed to I'll, Bran
don News Is altogether pertinent:
CITY HEALTH OFFICE. JACKSON, Miss. oer 49, l-9,
In recent !ssa, o, yonr gpss yn Ny "esy MgIaertn ae. a5ea 4g.a'
, ss be l bal. M" na e. w"ra 1 'Ss await. ".n"f Hmm hmm nhr. T .istcms ra rs ara ,3 @3"s@5 Il e. ia .a .sr
1%1 they r cover s@, u p q mc fact that thu hs| so%. Tn%r left eft 1 JacEson |} 1I ,a w, u@oo
a, .hr health officer Of this city ana tn. only lrrs9" ch9rHd ls @w waa
rb t Is y ,,4. afnc I%,ns q, = ., ,f. s"'!"I =, <. ' mI 1s s, J@otHalT 1r ~" }@ 'a t'
The tapses ss has ens nsly s,n. abroad That Coy .. Molama m. va. oa~., 1@o
"a {. 1nm Thn na hm !"a' . t !. r P,n ss 1sS1 h. da in ti: T Gy d an4 am a' y 19 %". 2%@.
g; ] .s% Hs1ni ~ :, The !. ;sss' , ss.I & { & 7 hssS lSf e. so % n ;Sss,4 @ea r + n
I I"'Ge ia" mi intorn@, tn 'h. ANN !" "n."Scss.t"I "ts'"p, ~a "' MADE "I, b y $S"o r~ @%"
e. e. ( . 4 { ::s +; ! 3 =: 5:: :s; +: u ?% r; & E; e, s ::;s:; 60. ! e + 4: $ :::; :. $.}r : IS "% "a ,@' s@ 4
' E1a2Snf Ledger lS'@ eo"a,S "ys% ans tp Tcsi%'' L. ." September = ""'''''. '"
Coy McIaurin va booked rs II Of the speakers at the Couhaym', rm
ION at Walden. but was forced to foreso the appointment feeling that h~ prz
enc is necessary at the capital during the yellow fever excitement
The Evening News Of ths city of the anne date. contained d similar IN
no"ncemcnt Presumably these publications werem made at the mqwut of the
governor 1t begun to look as II the governor really meant what he ~l aUoulI
being willing TO lay down hi. life for Mississippi, in message o No Iu5-a /
tUre But It must be borne in mind that the yellow fever then WIS only al o.au
Springs 800 miles away Walden is about 80 miles from jackson three hours
run, with three trains a day and tleRraphic communication This was WsDs
day, September Mark the date About this time the suspicion thai .u0 81 s.
Champion. who died Mt Edwards a few day" betore, had yellow fever begun To-
grow There were rnmos that he had caught the fever from the Anderson fu
iy me Of whom hnd returned a short time before from Ocean Spuns+ Thou
rhn oJnau.a Wv ",n.Jc,a,,a ,mm u.no,. anh r Vs. , "% ~"
wards almost melted the telegraph and telephone wires SO hot were they Rut
md New orleans C,.e ,rer co.e n t,vn, waa rosn1ea ~ rJ"nrj. qn
tors there insisted that 1t was dengue fever On September H. the Jachon na
pms published that there were 30 Asses Of denguo among the whites and among
The negroes at Edwards Thi, Information came in a cnr1 If seI1rnl1r "
signed by Ds Ratiao McCanum and purncl These doctors said that Cham
pon had died from infection from tn. Anderson family, me Of whom bd IT,
Gently returned from Ocean Springs The jackson anaruittp- had nInnl.,.
tablnhd quarantine against Edwards, and the people of jackson including. The
governor no donbt had made mp their minds in advance Of the above publication
that the fever Mt Edwards was yellow fever There was great excitement but
many people seemed to feel treasured since the governor had caused it mI~ pub
hshed that he ws forced to frgo the appointment to speak at the Confederate
reunion ut Walden, feeling that hi, presence is necessary 1t the capitalize the
yellow fever excitement" They had not stopped to think. when this statement
IA made, that the fever MAS 800 miles away. And they bcathcd as easy fits they
could with the fever then within 81 mile. Of them. Thus the week which ended
0fhf'"F' september H., wore along o It's clse Snndny morning September T.
til" governor vas missed Some people thought that h. had gone to Edwards
Everybody v'Sa anxious to know his whereabouts He hmd not gone to Walden
lie had caused it to be published that hi, presence was necessary at The mliui
during the yellow fever excitement Where is Gov Mclaurny~ was passed
'F"n" mouth to mouth Monday afternoon, September 49, tn" Clarion Ledger
contained the following information; Gov McLAurin il in Smith county to-
day where he addre~e. Its citizens at Raleigh, presumably on the capitol yyt,
Raleigh IL "bon u miles from jackson, but unlike Walden it has no railroad or
telegraph, not even a telephone Gov. McIaurin had left here Saturday evening
double buggy, for Raleigh, presumably to speak on his capitol veto
This vas three days after the announcement with great flourish of numr,t4I
two papers that he as forced to forgo his appointment at Walden
ceiling hat s presence was necessary at The capital during the yellow fewer os
WI" d" ~ m' inc TN yellow FEVER was at Ocean Springs BOO miles,
away But now when the governor left it was believed toh be at Edwards only
% miles away His presence in Raleigh, In defense of his veto of the capitol n
'~"' a." nave {, become suddenly imperative As before stated there Is 10 rail =
road to Raleigh, and the governor had to drive in a buggy along the dirt road
through the So"ghns and health giving pines Bnt while Raleigh was without
nt4'" y. ," ""m|"o EDWARDS ~asn And Will" tn" governor WAS
in defense o his veto of the capitol bill, his private secretary was open
hE teFFr"ms addressed tot the governor announcing officially the prnvp,a of
n1u rst"n" to p.nn 's". ~%nn ny , etr srs, A',r sIeohn@"t "a"is1. 1"y
ome II his indhcreet friend, undertook to make political capital ont of ht| 4
ing kept ont OF the capital by jackson health officers" concluded to ru Y
o'H the first opportunity In the meantime took pains to ascertain that
had not beenTxp@ed toyelow fever. and becoming convinced that lohal Hi 4
and persiAently aud successfully avoided even the suspicion of oyrcnnrn I'd
the city My opportunity Dor came. Capt j W Fewel of Meridian ott,r
~ for the Alabama and Vickshurg railroad had a engagement To meet ur,d 4,
I'd health authorities at the Rankin quarantine for n conference LOOKING Il, n,I
@" trains Of hat road, which had a few days before been abandoned
rt f""eh, en- route to this conference, picked Gov McIaurin n in hi. SIM
car at Brandon, and the governor .. present nj ,n rnnrnmnn p" ,m "> i"
had been reached, DR. Hunter OF the state board Of health knovin,
'V McLaurn presence VA nt only necessary but imlelatiyc "thr
FntaL to approve accounts during the yellow fever excitement" ,u.u,iu 4
q health ohn'erS Of the state mmH 10 to Brandon to meet hin. for sml Dnur, "a
after repeated failures t" come to the Rankin line to approve such accounts H.
hn II h" did noi want to come in He replied TINT he did. Instantly EH
th" governor n pass and handed 1T to him. Ito reformed tn me gura nm, $#
mt WIN To" statement TINT he might come in in three or four dp. ymt vms IA.
september ~ told him that h. should tm passed in ly or Hm. uwt n, NM
M meet ne a't he quarantine atNini first nott.n4 IN, .A a. ,,- W
yer hml n request from Gov NcIaunn Tor pass into the r. SIM, ,A
to ne whenever he want. it,, I. | AN sure he ba, meyer Imo v,. .a a4
d neverw will be exposed unless by accident
As N act o. Justice to m the city Of Jackson, whose brave ,coula have 80.
t"med the yellow fever. and who by the grace of God even if the p,vcyr,r
nonnes to remain absent from his post which he caused tt be published vn
Nv ne cafltaid nrihRt thu yellow fever excitement but LETT ut the first ~,
'"h on danger : l ask that his printed in the home rapcrof the goycrprr f.,
der hat our people may be vindicatei lhnve given copies of this to tb.nr,
Very respectfully. w T. Tom,
Health Officer for the City If jackson
Enioning a Suprerno Tribunal,