The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-04-28
CONFLICT OF EVIDENCE.

s!ppi River towns have INDUCED II
protests against news Of overflow il
their neighborhoods and have caIlet
In question the reports from The Re
puolic'S relief steamers. Yet appeal
rem these three towns to United
States supply officers ask that provl
sions be furnished for 500 250 ant
700 people respectively. Commercial
prosperity Is valuable, but the desire
to appear immune from all attacks o.
the elements does not warrant q mis-.
representation of facts. The valley
along tho Mississippi is one of the
most productive saetchea of land III
the world. Its prosperity does not
need bolstering by such petty denialG
OF truths which could not be concealed
II The entire press tried concealment
st. Louis Republic.
No doubt the GRRRNyIILE TINES
ls one Of the papers alluded to In the
above, although it is not q weekly.
Ln one OF its numerous protests against
the reckless exaggeration of overflow
reports II copied portions of a lurid
and narrowing story published in
ataGcato shrieks across double columns
OF the Republic under appalling black
headlines. Some of this stuff ran as
follows; "Can boats reach in time to
save human beings struggling IN the
water, hanging from tree tops, aud
holding with death grasp to the
house tops? Yellow fever and chol-
era scourges have heretofore sent up
walls OF agony from the brave and
courageous people whose picked flow
ers have been wihered by the blast
of contagion, bat the flood, bearing
equal wrath 10 all alike, sweeps on
with pitiless fury, dashIng to death
every human obstacle ard sparing
none," &c, &c, &c.
The TIMES said this Wild fantasia
was the work of an inspired idiot,
mud sees no reason TO rescind that
Judgment Tho Republic was simply
Eictlmized by its reporter. The young
very young t4,an who wrote 1t may
De an lnciplent Poe or Coleridge, if be
will only cultivate the opium, absinthe
md mixed drink habits long enough Il
'ut as flood reporter he is entirely
90 fiamboyapt.
Likewise when another ST. Louis
)aper said that the entire population |
# Greenville we're in q state of phys
cal collapse from working all night |
ong to build protection levee twelve
eet high, and press dispatch, which
must have been the work of lady
ovelIst, Informed the world that the
7ater was seven feet deep all over
freenville, and that upwards of thirty
housand head of stock had been
rought into the city (probably to be
astured in the seven foot water and
'ennd up with grand tragic last act
post script, stating that the city of
ireenville had been swept away.
1t is true that we have been knocked
own, but we don't propose to be
omped on; and repeat with tervor
lat the press of the country at large
AS done the everfowed districts in
'lculablo injury by representing them
J abysms of ruin aud dpstructjeu |
hen the truth is simply that they are
under water, that few
Isualties have occurred, O considera-
e loss of stock aud property has fol-
wed, and an appeal has been neces-
ry to help feed the large population 3
utterly indifferent and improvident
'groes, who, il is wQll known, never
axe any provision for themselves, or
ok beyond the needs of day.