Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1899-04-21
ELIZABETH CITY, n. c.,
April 18th, 1899.
DRS. w. J. LUMSDEN, Pres,

DRS. w. J. LUMsDEN, Pres
and A. l.. PENDLETON, Sec.
Gfulkmen.:-Yours of the 9th
inst. daily received | cannot
say it was a surprise f. one of
your members saw nc he day
before the charge Wa sent and
asked me to resigu, d said,
while the public 1nay now be
with me they will soon forget
i, aud the doctors l.ver you'd.
| inferred from this, your society
uas determined to force HE tC
resign, and if I did not, do all
they could against ne from now
OH.
Probably you gentlemen think
this IS Medical Ethics, aud an
honorable course for profession
al men to pursue, and believe d
generous public, because OF
your influence and popularity
may soon forget and forgive
while you never will ! do not
know how this may be, l ain not
Influenced by it, but having
done no wrong, and having Civ
ell no just cause for offence, l
would suffer rather than s2Cri-
fee principle. 1t is true that |
was not present, but l sent you
a full ard flank written state
mcnt.
Let me say regarding my eX~
pulsion from your society, that |
regret your action, it was unjust.
The true reason for it was uot
unprofessional conduct. My
statement was clear and candid
and you had 10 evidence to con-
fiCt with it. You could have
corrobOrated every word of it by
the county Commissioners res
garding my conduct with them.
There is nothing i'll the state
ment or my course to justify
your charge. | am willing to
leave it with any set of i'm par
tial men, to be selected and to
say if our charge IS sustained,
and also to say if your action is
not to be condemned ; | have no
fear OF the result
You gentlemen were not i'm
partial, you had already made
up your minds, you w1r the &C
tors who wanted to drive the
Commissioners 0: this county to
accept your terms. Your pur-
poe was to force Tie 70 resign,
ard seek to prevent anE one ac>
cepIng the place oi Health Ofd~
Ger, unless you should name
him, make the county ConIuis>
sioners, pay wateVer Gu said,
and if the Commi>>iHn1-s acting
for the entire peopl .uld re-
fuse you. you Woult 10 one
serve. Your purpose aas to die
tate to the Commissions SIS, and
thereby do an injustice to the
citizens. To have carried out
this is, in principle, 1 trust more
to be condemned t'ian the To-
bacco, Standard Oil, NIiskey or
the Cigarette Trust. yet YOU gems
lleneu call it "AIedical Ethics"
or professional Conduct"
The county Commissioners al
lowed DR.. Fearing $50 salary |
$50 for extras and $I2o for vac
clnation for one month, which
is more by about $1,000 to SIS.
90 a year than any stale officer
gets, from the Governor down.
The $3.50 per mouth allowed
me by the Commissioners and
vaccination extra is a fair CONS
pensation for the services, and |
l am willing to leave it with
the doctors of North Carolina.
One of your prominent mem
bers said that $3.50 was a fair
compensation for the Commits
sioners to pay, and another mem
b.r of your society was willing
to accept it for 500 per month.
so I did not accept it for less
than a fair compensation, and
under no consideration Would
have done so.
Whatever sting there might
be to one for such action under
ordinary circumstances, is taken
away in this case because it is
'o-every fair mind, it
was done for wrongful and un-
lawful purpose. which you seek
to call medical Ethetics" or
professional Conduct" It the
result of your action is any sat-
isfaction to you. may you ell
joy it.
| have the consciousness of;
having done only what was
right and honorable, and the
qualification of knowing my
course is almost, if not quite,
approved by an
intelligent public.
Respectfully,
II. T. AYDI EFT.