Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1899-04-14

ty mad Deen eleCteu lHSlSau vi
myself, that all this trouble
would never have occurred. l
can see no reason why these un-
reasonable demands should be
made upon me.
1t is appearant that til csc pro
ceedings are to TO &c me to re-
sign under a charge which is
untrue in every PARTICULAR.
You gentlemen admit that pr
Wood now hold a position under
the United States Government
as a physician in this place, who
secured it by undertaking the
other doctors, and taking it at a
much less salary than was tor
merly paid for the place, and
you say that this was done with
the tacit assent of the doctors.
and If this is true, Or. Wood not
only accepted the place at a
much less aslary than was paid
his predecessor, but underbld his
predecessor to get the place, and
sought the place at a less price
than his predecessor had. l have
not done this.
One of your members saw no
wrong in accepting the place,
provided DR.. Fearing should not
be reelected, and sought the
place at 500 per month. | have
lot done this, and yet am the
only one to be called to account
and claimed to have done wrong,
A few years ago DR.. Lumsden,
DR.. Wood, DR.. MCMILLAN and
other physicians of Elizabeth
City were undertaking each
other for the place / now hold
the lowest bidder accepted
the place for less than the
other who offered to take it.
This it seems was not considers
ed unprofessional. Those who
acted in this way now seek to
say that when l refused to enter
into competition, or even under
bid one, Or seek the place, and
because it was given to me when
the Board refused to elect DR..
Fearing to succeed himself, that
l am to be charged with acting
unprofessionally. Have the med>
zeal ethics charged within the
last few years? Is it a fact that
what was not unprotesslonal
with the members of your
society the is unprofessional
now2 You may say that this was
doue several years ago; that is
true, yet it seems that no one
ever claimed that such was un>
professional.
Suppose that instead OF CONS
ing into competition and under
bidding one another, as some OF
you gentlemen did at that time,
the position had been rendered
without solicitation and without
undertaking, would you MT
have accepted it as readily as if
you had gone into competition
and underbid one another? And
would it not have been consld
cred more professional to have
accepted the place without striv
ing for it, as n my case than
In the case of you gentlemen
where there Was feeling? L
have NO disposition to bring up
these matters to CRATE upon the
feelings of any one, but cite
them to you to show that you
gentlemen are the ones who
nave acted in this way. l would
scorn to do this. | have never
done it and never intend to.
1t is not the position, which
you gentlemen seek to force me
to resign, that | am craving, nor
the elnoluments that come from
it, that causes me to refuse TO do
as you gentlemen demand, but l
stand upon principle, that | have
done no wrong and nothing to
grieve any member of the Soci-
ETY., and l would suffer any in>
justice before l would sacrifice
principle for within Of the So
c!ety.
You seem to have abando 1ed |
the matter which you first took
up, about my accepting for a |
fixed salary l suppose that You
abandoned that upon reflection
that so many able and Dustin
guished physicians are now SER
wing for a fixed salary, which
was fixed without their approv~
al, and by the law making pow~
ers, and which also includes
another member of y our Society.
l have underbid no one, have
made nc cut rates, and have
sought, regardless Of pecuniary I
to sustain a high
medical ethics, during my Ell
Ire career.
The Town Commissioners of
Raleigh met a few days ago and
liked a salary for two of the doc>
ors of that city, for sery ices for
vaccination and small pcx, and
afterwards selected the doctors
Who accepted for a less salary
han ain paid.