Year: 1879

The jackson Tribune and Sun last
week contained the subjoined excellent
article. 1t expresses our own views
SO ably and fully that we copy it en-
tire. Our legislature ought at its next
session to lend helping hand to our
suffering fellow-cihzens Of Memphis,
and we hope it will do 50 promptly
and unanimously. Let the whole
press of the state speak out favorably
on the subject.


Memphis must in some way be
placed beyond the power of yellow fe-
yer. This we have no doubt can be
done by the adoption Of proper SAN
itary measures. But it will require
great deal of money to do this, and
the unfortunate city has been SO much
injured in the loss of her citizens and
the destruction of her material pros
perity by epidemics, an | is 50 much
embarrassed in the finances that
she cannot without very oppressive
and ruinous taxation restore healthy
conditions. Now she is a diseased
member of our body polite annually
threatening the destruction Of the life
and prosperity of the whole State.
Her people are driven from home by
pestilence or DESTROYED by it if unable
to get away. Her material interests
are seriously injured by the enforced
regulations for the protection ofneigh-
boring communities. Her misfortunes
have compelled the adoption Of regu>
lations which have seriously interfered
with the commerce of the whole State.
Her necessities have drawn large sums
for her relief from the moIe fortunate
communities in the State and abroad,
besides entailing considerable expense
upon the State as body polite.


The very fact that yellow fever is
raging in a Tennessee city has done
much to deter capital and immigration
from coming to the State, and partic-
ularly to West Tennessee. People
abroad who know nothing Of yellow
fever except its fatality are alarmed
at the very idea Of coming in contact
with a State that has such terrible
disease among the people.


We are annually paying out in char
tiles and the unavoidable expenses en-
tailed by the yellow fever, enough
money to place Memphis beyond the
reach of yellow fever forever.


Better save the valuable lives annu-
ally sacrificed, by giving the money
before the epidemic comes, to aid in
keeping it away. Better give it be-
forehand to save the reputation of the
State fiom the dangerous charge that
the yellow fever is acclimated in Ten
nessee. Memphis has been Temporal
rily crushed by accumulated misfor-
tunes, but such commercial city,
located as she is for great commercial
centre, with such an organized system
of transportation, backed up with such
an extent of wonderfully productive
country, can never be crushed out.
She will continue to exist, continue to
do business, and perhaps continue to
endanger the lives and prosperity Of
the whole State. We believe her own
people will do all that can be dOue
without the utter destruction Of prop
erty values to restore her to good
sanitary condition.


But they need help, and we think
it is charity as we'll us business sense
to extend such aid as we can. Let
the State then when the next Legisla
ture meets remit her taxes for State
purposes for a term of fyears, sufficient
to enable her to restore herself to
good sanitary condition. she is one
Of Tennessee's leading cities, and fur
nishes rich source of revenue, which
it is policy to build up instead of al
lowing it to be destroyed by the rava-
ges Of disease which annually costs
the State five times as much directly
and indirectly as the amount Of her
taypS What CAV Our onntemn nOrariaS2