Chicago daily tribune. [volume], November 09, 1878, Page 6, Image 6

About Chicago daily tribune. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1872-1963

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
6
YELLOW FEVER.
Dr. Frank W. Reilly’s Obser
vations In and About
Vicksburg.
Natural Advantages of That
City in the Matter of
Drainage.
How They Are Wasted for Lack
of a Few Inexpensive
Improvements.
The Labor Problem as It Ap
pears to an Outside
Observer.
A Retrospective Review of
the Plague Era in
Memphis.
Scones and Episodes .Witnessed
by The Tribune’s Cor
respondent.
Closing Up of tho Books of tho Citi
zens’ Soiicf Committee of
Chicago.
VICKSBURG.
To fhe XHtor of The Trtbunt,
Cutpaoo, Nor. 8. —My advent Into Vlclnborg
deserves nt leasta passing mention. Tied up before
•lark of Oct. 10 at Mlillken'a Bend, the relief boat
v ug to lie there all night, for thopurpose of nuking
Vicksburg, some thirty miles below, In daylight.
Capt. Yore's Judgment was again vindicated In this
decision. a* It had been throughout the entire ex
pedition. To his coolness, forbearance, and good
common tense. indceij, may be attributed, in very
large share, whatever of inccest attended ‘the
ralrsion.
But I was impatient to reach Vicksburg. My
last reports were sent through the Helena quaran
tine on the Mb: and there was Greenville, and
Kri.ir's Point, and Dcfaze, and Goodrich's, and
Henderson,concerning wblen thousands of anxious
hearts at the North were aeklng, “ Wbat tidlnza?"
Witnln thirty rallce were telegraph wires, postal
facilities, aud railroads,—and my note-books were
full o r m'.Magea from the living, of Incidents of
tbe dying, and of mournful lists of (bo dead.
Alter various ineffectual efforts I got away from
the chambers, soon after 8 o'clock at night, m ft
yawl pulled by two good oarsmen from tbe crew,
and steered by Tom Wetzcil. tho Mate. Had Ibe
Chambers attempted the trip in the darkness shu
would probably now he lying in ibe mud-bar shown
in tint accompanying map. As it was,—thanks to
Tom's Keen eyesight and onr angel of good luck,—
the yawl wasn't stack in the mad exactly; but we
lost u precious boor at midnight coasting around
tbe e.itd bar. >
Finally, nbontl o'clock in tne morning, I stood
in a brilliantly-lighted saloon oo the principal
street of tho City of Hills, Inquiring for tbe tele
graph-office. I will rover tell who tho gentleman
was to whom I was Introduced, nod to whom I con
fliird jnr wishes. Suffice it that he was n yellow
fever convalescent; nml If, In celebrating the victo
rious outcome of Ids recent ’’wmseel" with Yel
low .lack, ho hid succumbed to the not less potent
arms of John .Barleycorn, I, certainly, have no
sumo to throw at him.
Tim uuplex tills by which ho was designated sat
isfied me that I had met my men. Alas! I had—
and In u few momenta 1 was Ids. He liateoed to
tuy statement of who 1 was, where I came
iifmi, ami what \ wanted, wltn an air of ebrtuus
disgust— it* who snonld say. ’’This man glveth me
’Aftill'." A note-book, conspicuously engrossed
*♦ ur. JWllu, lt>'pr«»tntativt V/iU-ago litlitf Com
iiiUlte, •’ unu a certain ulr of candor and innocence
begotten of twenty-odd years' residence tn the
Garden City, soon served to dispel this illusion;
but only to have it succeeded by a sentiment of en
thusiastic admiration, which found vent in re
peated demands upon the bar-keeper to "set 'em
up."
How often they were aet op-how often I
heard the sturv of his work during tbe plagoe, bli
illuc.'Aand recovery, or how often I urged upon
him the necessity of finding the telcgraph-oilica
before it closed—l decline to elute, lint at length
avc emerged from the saloon, which. It is needless
tu »ay. was immediately closed behind us, Within
u Itloclt, however, another was still open, and
ammo* of laughter, clinking of glasses, etc., told
of good fellowship within. Under a hue pretext
of expecting tu there Unu Pilppen. Manager of tun
■Western Union Telegraph Company, my Mentor
imiuevo mo tu enter. Once Inside, I was exhibited
un a lion, introduced tu the balf-dosea reveler*,
and a story tula of my exploits which would have
(H'-m highly emoarrasslng had it neon cither to
h'-nuiur intelligible. More demands upon (bo
milist behind the counter followed,—until at length
1 peremptorily insisted upon being led to the tele
pr.tph-onicc forthwith, ur being shown to a hotel.
though bearing it for the first time, my friend
rupi-uiuii, "Telegruph-oOicef Why. of course.
I'll carry you right thurt sore. Why didn't you
mention it liuforvl"
uui on the street again, In the fast waning moon
light: umi, turmni: one or twu coraun. wo Drought
Ait* l-oioro the heavily-grated doom of a large
lUery-sublo. 1 puss uver the details of the owner*
ahipof said stable, my companion's trusteeship of
vW urojx-Tty and business— told with much rupell
nun, while hie ouKinr WU bslng produced. Thank*
ml that wo were et length en touts for the offlco,
und irueiioir It might eilll be open, 1 clutched ta«
•rut-rail with uuth hand* ae the big, raw-boned
marc, fully sixteen and a half hande high, whirled
ub uruuna tbu corner, and. In response to the
driver's ••111. g'laug," alerted down the afreet at
lee* than a three-mmole gull. Aa no epun along
over the roach pavement, gonerallr on two wheels,
my time was pretty evenly divided between specu
lation ua to whether it would be only a cnee of
compound iructure orauddeu death, and a grow
ing sentiment ei graittude to uy companion for
me evident desire is make amends for previous
ticlsjsov putting me Utere quickly, now that we
had started—this last, tempered by a reeling that,
tutor alt, it woe hardly necessary to hi in such a
duticu of a hurry.
Dxcept an occasional whoop and yell at the mart,
vtnrb seemed to lift her right otf bar feel, my
charioteer uttered not a word. But. os all other
imiUiMits were fast giving way la my wind loan
increasing uomlcr uud disgust at the perversUy
winch located the telegrapb-nOlco so far from the
business ceutru, he saudeoly threw the mare back
on her haunches. Ashe turned her slowly urotiud,
unoii-Lcd me, with a triumphant chuckle, what I
itiuu.'ht of “(Aar,for action and speed," 1 resigned
myself to the inevitable, and meekly replied that
* 'all* win a very good supper,"
Driving hack to the Identical comer near which
the first saloon was located, ha turned half a block
tu the rluM and drew up to front of a building,
elud'd mol dark—Hie lulegroph-oQUo 1
suit iii-ißiiug that he could find Plippea and
make him open lliu olllce, 1 allowed him to dnve to
•octal private houses, where, about S o'clock m
the morning, he knocked an the inmates, inquired
for Kllni'cu, lold the story with Increasing ciuto,
uud drovu oil from each, nut ouly without apology,
but with an air that plainly allowed be was assured
he Imd oesiowed a great boon upon thuin. That
wc weren’t both shot before ws gut through, or
that 1 wasn't next morning noUded to leave its
tween twu days, are mysteries which belong to
Lord Dundreary's category.
Notwithstanding this unpromising reception,
however. 1 spent Urn busy, eventful, god most In
teresting days among tue people who bod chosen
ilds tcniJcniao.-l uud 1 would net betray bw
identity. and 1 won't, bomeihiug. surely, nay bo
pardoned one who so recently amt ao closely •
' had looked oa Death,—
and subsequent acquaintance showed him to Vo a
estimable, member of a Warned profession, a
stood atutvt.nud aueUiClent punlic olflrer. || Vtcka
burg had uot so many euch within her borders as
to prove their qualities entirely Independent of
any ciliylie-tMptrauan. U would be In order to
iu> alt .Mr.- Lincoln's remark aboot Qcu. Uraste
viusuy.
tiuruiL’ ray brief star—broken by trips Into the
rounding country, both m Mlaewsippi and Lou
is.ana— 1 necessarily became somewhat familiar
with the commercial and Industrial features of
the ciiy and her surroundings. 1 conceive
no more acceptable or profitable work can
Low- be done fur all this region thou that which
I >-c» to its rehabilitation. And it le proposed, with
the consent of the editor of Tua Tmisums.—which
journal uas always been foremost in every cifort
lot,.cog to the advaucemutit and development of
the iiiiftertal resources of the country, irrespective
of latitude or longitude,— to tontine the remainder
of tnesc I.saves "u» the portions of toy note-
wuich treat of such subjects.
Topographically conalderud, Vlckabarg is highly
furore Jus regard* natural drainage,-' The '.piaia
watershed* he in (So direction of th« cardinal
cuiupaM point*, North, faould, Eoat, and W cat, and
are of a precipitous character, causing a rapid off*
I’-ow, whicu effectually *cout* and cleanse* the
feiilaidca. UUo*’ttayua iscu map) receive* Uto
tmwM fi,
iff § ks^y-}..
* i
>. °^ ' ,
VICKSBURG < . M ) I U
and H jm <1
-YIGINIIYJ *4. || I j|| ._
> - .•;••■•■&'- ■ R.«M.N.o>*e*
drainage of Pie northern aspect of the city, and
finds Its outlet Into the Mississippi )ta point lm
mediately below tno Merchants’ Wharf-Boat and
above the Vicksburg A Delta Ferry-Boat Land*
ins. Since the formation of the mud-bar—
within a period of four to six months—
and tno conscqnentretardation of the already slug*
gish current through the old channel of the river,
it la manifest that the sewage thus gathered must
bo deposited on said bar: and its retention and do*
composition cannot but have been potent agent*
in tbe malignancy and rapid spread of the epl
domic. To this oolnt I respectfully Invite, not
only tbe attention of the Elisabeth Thompson
Yellow-Fever commission, but of tho municipal
authorities of Vickeonrg. ft has for these last an
Important practical hearing on the future health of
the citr. and, consequently, on Us growth and
wllf’bo seen by the accompanying sectional
orotlle, the water-shed of the major part of the city
proper dips rapidly toward the river, a total fall of
aonut 150 foot being found in the six blocks west of
Cherry street, which street forms tho western
boundary of a narrow plateau, tho "divide’’
between the east and wcat slopes of the water*
shed. On lhe eait and sooth tbe drainage is Into
several small oayous, which wind among the hills In
a reneral southerly direction, traversing tho coun
try below for many miles before finding their out
let into tho Mississippi through its confluent, the
Big Itlack.
There is bat one underground sewer In the entire
city. Tbls runs along tbe line of Washington
street, north and south. Either ae a result of
faulty engineering la construction, or want of
proper eabseqnent care, its practical working la a
failure. From Its traps and man*holos a most
sickening and pestilential odor was at til times ex
haled daring my visit; but especially otlcnslvo
uurmg (he prevalence of north or south winds. Its
thorough cleansing and disinfection shou<d ho
entered upon at the earlicat practicable moment
after severe froat. ,
Hut one thing is needed to make Vicksburg one
of the bust surface-drained towns on tbe Missis
sippi. and that Is the application of a little com
mon eense In the flUlng-m of streets and tbe con
struction of gutters. At present (ho centra of tho
street la nsuallv the lowest part, oftoo. in fact,
gullied by rains so that crossing from side lo slue Is
olfllcalt, If not dangerous. Yellow clay In abund
ance can be obtained from tbe bordering hillsides;
and Ibis, wben deposited In proper «bape, with
the necessary elsvated crown along the centre,
and thoroughly bound by horse or steam
rollers, would make a cheap and permanent
roadway, and, In live end. Drove a wise economy
In tills special police of the citv. Something was
being done In this direction during my visit, under
the vigorous supervision of Acting-Mayor Heck,
who bad suggested thla and kindred work as a
means of employing tbe able-bodied beggars who
swarmed around the relief-depots.
Deference to tbe accompanying outline map will
•bow the great danger to wulch Vicksburg baa
recently been subjected. What Gen. Willlsroe at
tempted and failed la do in 1862. and Gen. Grant
repeated with like result In Hkta-natnoly: tho
diversion of the channel of the Mlsslsslpui from to
front of (ho city by a canal across the narrow
isthmus, then known a* Young's i'olnlv—this tho
csbrlclous stream lias lately done for Itself; and
Young's Folnthas become Vicksburg Island. Steam
boats now. instead of passing up In front of the
city from below, are compelled lo make a detour
of tbe Island by war of the New Cm-Uff and
thence through Old Channel into me still water of
what Is acquiring the naius of Vicksburg Lake.
Fortunately for tbe city and her lutnre.tbu main
channel of the Cut-oil is not over half a mile be
low the principal business streets running oast and
west* At us last session Congress appropriated
tbe sum of $84,000 to bo expended in the protec
tion of tho Louisiana bank ol (he col-oil; and it is
expected, by such means, to keep tbe channel to
its present lines. If this can be done, steamboats
at any slags of water may pass along the western
■horu of v leksburg Island and there find a landing
opposite the mlddlo front of the city. In tbatevent
(lie construction of a causeway between tliu island
and the city will be a necessity; and some sort of a
business community will probably locate oo tbe
Island Itself.
Fur the purpose of restoring the channel to Its
old bed It hae beet proposed to bring ibe waters of
the Yazoo and tte tributaries, by way of Chickasaw
bayou, lulo the Mississippi Josi above the National
Cemetery. Tbls plan Is of doubtful utility, owing
lo the sluggish current sod limited volume of the
Yazoo. Another plan, whicn promises better, but
which would be costly, is to turn thcMtsslssiopifrom
lu coarse, at tbe foot of Fawpaw Island, into tbs
Vcuuo, and thence across (bo ’’Wrong end of Old
Diver" into its old channel again at tbe bight of
bend near (be National Cemetery. Expensive as
such a piece of engineering work would be. It Is
very evident something of Die kind must be under
taken; or, notwithstanding her million* of invest
ed capital, her annual export of ’JOO, 000 balsa of
cotton, her railroad aud river systems. —outwitn
standing all these, over tbe portico of her magmfi
ceut Court-lloueo Vicksburg may yet write, IVx
nefis—conquered this lime, not by tno legions of
Mara, but by Ibe caprice of Jupiter Flavins.
If aha caa, however, preserve her river front for
Vlckaoorg baa a flallertu* future be*
fota bar. both commercially and industrially. At
tbe toot of tbe grsat Yatoe basin, comprising
nearly fonr and a half million acre* of tba rlcbaet
aod moat fertile laaoa In iba South, aba la tba
natural man fur tba great bulk of tba col too tbera
produced, —over 26 par cant of tba entire crop of
lb* most pieducUvo of tba coUoD’Krowlog Statea.
Aod yet hardly oot-Uotb tba ullabla Isnda of tlila
baaia ary uodar colUvaUon. Competaot judges
aatlmaU, from accessible data, that, wara but woe*
(bird of tbta great cotton*b«lt of tba Southwest
pat tn that atapla, Ua production would approx*
intaUr tba entire coUun*crop of tba United Htaloa.
Wub the cooipiettoa of tba drat (Iftp tulle# ui
iba new narrow-gauga railroad—already located
and in process Of vooetructloo—through iba Dear
Creek country, n Urge trade wtU aeak bar door*
Irom tba rich plaotauona which lie along tba boo*
flower. Tallahatchie. Coldvaier. and YasooUtvers.
aod tba Uogua-Pballa. Indian Uayou. Doer (‘reek,
etc. Tbla road, tba objective point of wbtcb te M«uu
ubla. via Helena. —«sd which wlt‘ ba known a« tba
Vicksburg A Memphis,— U alre-ady ouder contract
at an averse* coat of |4.000 par mile, full/
equipped.
Mrikiui! duo cast rune the Ylclubunr A Uaridlan
Itailrund. an uid-v»lablt’bvd and well*payimt line.
A'r» panuthut, I may remark Ibal its enure r«*
source*. daring tbo epidemic, vwrc plscedlu the
di*po»al o( the Howard Association. —traiue ran at
their eul'i option: all other bu>in«*e of tbe ro.ul
suspended; and a charge made only for tb« actual
ruuuuip vipvn»ee of vsgiuca and trams whenever
u»«d. Tbe aainu U alao true of the Vicksburg A
Delta Kerr* Company, whose PrasidcutT*-Marl})i
Kcar/—died during ip* epidemic Sflmmaa HUbr,
tba IVaalenl of the Yicxsuuri Jk.lUndUo K-tH*
ruad. b retiran «>t ‘JO-odd, «oplo>uauallv Ui foufld
in tba room* of tba Howards. >vllb a preaeoev Lute
one of toe Cheaiyble brothers, and ready at all
times to give hU advice and tecbuicul knowledge
to tba furtherance of their great cbarltica. Kighy
and tba Freight Aired. Ur. l£. P, Jones, ware ibu
only ofbcers U toe road left at tuc time of tor
visit, tno re»f having either migrated— “skipped
out. "in Iba vatuaculax—or died at their po»u. '
tlroui Delia win. aud connected bv ferry with
Vickatiurtr. run* the North Louuiaua A Turns. it*
preaeul terminus at Monroe, L*.. about half war
to slireveporU This is out-of the imporlaul link*
ta Ur* great Southern tactile route, aud wbru
THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE; SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 9, 185'8-TWELVE PAGi
completed will open op a vast Texan trade with
Delta ami Vicksburg. Among tlio projected lines,
in various stages of progress, Is tbe Vicksburg &
Nashville, which wilt give Vicksburg a direct
Northern connection with Chicago, vis tho New
Orleans & Cairn and Illinois Central, the Junction
bchtr nt Grenada. Under construction, also. Is
the Mississippi Valiev ,t Ship Islam! Dond. lapping
the New Orleans A Mobile nt Mississippi City on
the Gulf. Also, the Baton Douge A Vicksburg,
with branches already In operation between Wood
vflle aud 81. Franclsvlllo, and between Clinton
and Port Hudson.
From this hasty summary a general Idea may bo
formed of the railroad system, present and pros
pective, of the Hill Citv. Much of this Is. of
course, to a great extent Independent of any
changes in her riparian conditions. Dot that
which hae already given Vicksburg her promi
nence as a commercial city Is that which
la now threatened with destruction. Her steam
boat hoc* plying np tho Mlsils-lpnl as fnrasßt.
Louis, and sunih to New Orleans, up the Ohio to
Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburg, etc., toaaynoth-
Ingot her minor trade on tho Vozoo, Sunflower,
Tallamtchle, ole., mast all seek other ports If nbo
do not succeed in keeping tho channel before her
own levee.
Gen. Chalmers owes D to the conatitnency which
has Just returned him to Congress with such nat
tering unanimity to see lo it that some portion of
tho usually wasteful Appropriation hilt contain
mention of the Lower Mississippi at Vlcicshtirg os
well as, if not Instead of, the brook-trouts and
moanMln-conraes of Pennsylvania, tho very names
of which even the advocates of their’‘improve
ment" cannot recall ou the floor of the House.
Among tbe floorisbtng industries of Vtcksbnrg Is
its cotton-teed oil works, owned by J. J. Powers,
and managed by Joseph It. Suck at Mr. Powers'
confidential agent. (Joe hat already been men
tioned In tbeee “ Leaves’* in connection with his
work as Master of Tranaoortatlon for tho Howard
Association.) The wtfrka have a capacity of 500
bushels of seed per day. hot were closed at tbe
outbreak of tho epidemic, and alb the horses and
mutes tnrned over, to tho Howards. For some time
bet animals (has famished were tbe sole reliance
of the Howardi for their volunteer physlclane.
Many were used op In tbe oxacting demands made
upon them, but without a mormnr from their
owner. Mr. Powers, with bis family, waa, at the
beginning of the epidemic, hi Bt. Louis, where
also ho has large Interests. Stack telegraphed blin
tbe situation, which telegram was at once
responded lo by a carU biancht of authority, a
liberal subscription to the general relief
fund. and instructions to his private
bonkers to honor Stack’s checks to nny amount.
This action was supplemented by repeated ship
ment, at ms own expense, of supplies, disinfect
ants, medicines, whatever, in abort, was suggest
ed. His two steamers, the Alert and the Kate
Dickson. were placed at toe disposal of tho How
ards. For weeks they wore the only means of
conveying supplies, doctors, and nurses to the in
fected points along Ute river. The Kato Dickson
carried tbe find succor to Greenville, making two
tnpA thither.
A day or two before my departure tbe worke
wore again sot In operation, for (he purpose of
giving employment to the hordes of idle darkies
congregated on the street comers to disease tbe
delay in distributing the Government rations they
■upoosed tbe relief boat to have been laden with.
The unrivaled iron of Alabama finds one of Its
chief points of consumption and distribution at
Vlckanargi bermacblne-shops, railroad car-wonts,
boiler-mop. carriage, wagon, and agricultural im
plement factories, and tbe rolling-mill and foundry
hit
iVirV'/, V ! ’ rf~^
«i AJSf
• 1 V ‘ fthe
■ V*/- 7£/|iV
-1 <
TOW!? A •.'
iHDAMs'ar,
-NO
A
tii\
wV
ty
, * «*
V
’ XP$
\ tCHEWHV”
\ . BJAEET
A v
. Hcvee [?'*
*
\
V/ALN
WA'SHINC
BTKEEJ*
• ..
Ait
I»>\
VTmonroe
JETBEET
A
A •vhtmrr
£ yREET
2 J
I! “\
■' l (WASHINGTON
#RONT*LCVI
> ftTRCET
motion or city or vicoboko
ciar ob ctuwroao bthckts)
scrnt tbom cummrrTK«BT
KIVBB AND UAYOISA, TO II
dkainaub riciLiruw or tin
of d. M, I’aztonACo., uiluir large quantities au<
nuaily. Th* Alabama coal weaauree crunontiu
the hills around the city, hut uu effort has yet boon
made toward milling iL All tbe coal cnnmuu-d u
brought down from rllUbunj aud vicinity; and over
a mile in length of coal-bargee moored several
deep along the levee. flve mllre above the city, are
the evident* of tbe vaat monopoly of Mattingly,
Piowrrco Jc Co. If. \V*. i’ltiMerre U dead, and
when I left C. \V. Klowcre* wn* Iv mg *eriou«iy ill
will) gaelrtc gout. having eucceeefoilr withstood
attack* of (Ucumatuui, cryaipeioa, aod yellow*
fever, during the nrvvioaa *vvo months, Hie
brother-in-law. Capt. Ed Carroll, Superintendent
of ihe Aoc-or Line Klwulor, and known
of all eieaiubttal'Uieu from St. Louie to tua Gulf,
was in couetiiut attendance at hie bedside.
Several eiw-milU do a ptoiiuble bueint-u lu the
city and euburbe: but tbe cutting and ruitluuof
lumber to point* below. although one of the moat
lucrative occupation*, U very imperfectly devel
oped, aud by Utu rudest methods. UiuL James M*
Sfarlea, an old West Point graduate, reminding roe
strongly, In tils manner, of the late God. J. I).
Webster, pointed out to mo, on bis maps, thou*
■ends uf acres of cypress brakes, where I be trees
will avern'o thirty to the aero, every one of them
Ruud for a $lO sight-draft ns soon as they are float*
eel Into the Miitlssipplr And the average total coat
of putting such trees In rafts on the Yazoo or Sun*
flower 1s about £*J each, Ciipu Sear Jes was for
many years In the United Slates Knetncor Corps,
but resigned his commission when his Slate "went
out.?* Since the War he has tmrsued the profes
sion of civil engineer and snrveyor, and there It
little of Mississippi, Louisiana, or Texas with
which he Is not familiar.
Anion* the things which Vlcksbnrg urgently
needs, and which would prove a prompt-paying In
vestment, is n sood hotel on the modern plan,—a
house of from 100 to 150 rooms. During nine
months In the year such a hotel would bd filled to
Its utmost cnoaclty by a class of people who come
to the city to spend money and pay liberally for
what suits them. And as manager of men an
hustolrle no more popular nor capable gentleman
could be found than W. J(. Davol, of Vicksburg
nml New Orleans. '‘Dave,” as ho Is familiarly
called. Is an old Chicago boy, —one of the “early
timers,”—and I spent a pleasant hoar with him,
recalling the Qttlet lemporit actl, circa I£H
-1800. The firm of Hood & Uavol, of which he
was mornocr. succeeded Orrln J. itoao In the bout
and shoe trade, in tbo days when Marshall field,
and L. A. Loiter, and Johnnie and Hilly ICoss were
clerking for Potter Palmer. Stevens & Davol were
then prominent jewelers; Davol is now of the firm
of Charles H. & Georgo C. Walker. Among
“tho uoys” who used to keep Chicago from going
to steep too early then was Ld Hall (nnw of C. I*.
Kellogg A Co.); ’(ins names (then with Uasselt is
Hammond); Norman Hahn, son of old Dr. Hahn,
and clerklni£for (he old house of Jewett, Hares &
Johnson: Hob Ilalnoy. taller In George Smith's
bank; the Lafllo boys, Dwight and Jim; B, P.
Thayer, afterwards of the Thayer A Tobey
Furniture Company; and Filklns, liunnion, Fos
ter (lloss A Foster), Kirk Johnson, 111 Alford, and
a score of others, .backed up on occasion by Pat
Ilalltiijall and his professional brethren,Tracy and
Blackwell,old i)r,.Kgan, Uob Wilson. Ullly Davis,
Charley W Uson.Totn Uurfee, ct al. Mostof these
will bo but names and remlutscences to many of
tbo present readers of Tub Tmnfsn: but they had
n strange charm fur my ear os we sat In the sultry
mldnlcnt air. smoking such '■liars and drinking
such claret as our harsher Northern air forbids )o
ripen for us here.
In prefacing what it teema worth while to say
upon tbe Labor Problem at the South. I wish to
express my hearty concurrence with the sentl*
menu of the Memphis correspondent of TiisTma*
usa, Mr. M. ii. Tliden, in bis temperate, Judt*
clous, aadvory.Taloable letter of 0ct.25. Compen*
sutlon Is Indeed to be found for the terrible rlslta*
tton tbe South has Just endured In the era of peace
and good will to all men, as between North and
South, which (be epidemic and Ita cbarltits have
inaugurated. When I made UIM French, in my
last Saturday's screed, swear “by tbe sheeted
shade of Stonewall Jackson " to ‘ * lick " any man
who ventured “after this" to exoresa any but
the moat kindly feeling toward the North in his
presence, I simply materialized tbe universal sen*
tiineut met with wherever I went lu the Missis*
slppl Valley.
Abraham Lincoln's prophetic utterances upon
the memorable field of Gettysburg have been fully
realised to the saOeriDg South under “carpet*
bag" rule. Whatever wrongs she mayliave in*
dieted upon a bonded race through her inherited
system of etaveholdlng have been at last and am*
ply atoned fur. And By what right do we, who,
by accident of birth or choice, reside in a given
section of the country, assume to sit in Judgment
upon our ownllesb end blood living elsewhere?
llud slavery been aa profitable in the New England
colonies a* in tbs Virginia plantations, how long
and how much would it bavo taken to abolish ft
there? Humility and gratitude, rather (ban arro*
guuce ami Pharisaism. should characterise the
altitude of tbe North on this subject.
There Is to*day morn of proscription in (be City
of Chicago on account of color thou in the City uf
Vicksburg. In the latter place colored men are
holding office. are associated in chnrtundeworkon
et|nal tooling with the bluest blood of the South, ami
nru evury where regarded and treated with the meed
of respect and Consideration which their tudlvid*
ual characters entitle them to, without reeard to
tne amount of pigmentary matter deposited In
their cuticles. Last Saturday I accompanied a
rrspecUols colored man. William Werlee, of
Uruenvills. Miss., one of the registers uf election
and Clerk in the Chancery Court at that place, luto
half a duxen olllccs in tbu vicinity of the Chamber
of Commerce, and, almost without exception, he
was eyed sakance with an cxnresslou which plainly
•aid * * nlggrr." Stepping Into a basement room in
tu« court on the east side of the bnlldhig fora
glass of koumiss, no attempt was made to conceal
this expression, either by the servant behind the
counter or by tns two or three loungers In front.
A certain region—whose ruauways ought to be
In good condition, if, aa is said, they are “paved
with good Intentions"—la full uf Just such people
aa luive beeu representing lae North and the lie*
publican parly In (be South since the close of the
War. Hen with whom no decent person at ths
North would associate; meu without one shadow
of a shade of principle, of character, oroi self*
respect; meu. or simulacra of men. who skulked
lu the rear during tbs War, hut wbo. when peace was
declared, came poluly to Uiv front to rob and
plunder under the protection of a perverted and
prostituted authority.—such Northern men us
these have been filling buuihcrn offices, levylug
Kouthcru taxes, degrading and destroying boulii*
cm labor. «s represented m the olack voter, and
making an integral section of our common cuuutry
a desolate and a waste place.
lam stating now IPs general rule. Wherever,
in the South, one has beard, during the last dozen
years, ol a Northern matt holding oillco, Federal,
totals, parish, or municipal, —it has ueen generally
•afe to set him down os a worthless, unprincipled,
and unscrupulous blackguard, who loft bis North*
irn borne fur his own safety and her benefit. ‘I net
there have besn exceuuous. it Is not necessary to
say. And such exceptions are growing more nu
merous, as respectable Northerners, good citizens,
uisu of character, find It possible lu relieve them
selves of the stigma these rascals have afilxed to
the Nurtacrn oanie. Due Would not risk much,
biased, if he wore to prophesy that within the
uuxt geuvrauun the affair* uf the tiouiuwiUiw
largely administered, as u matter of Southern choice
or outwent, by Northerners and their aesceudauls.
No very profound ethnological knowledge :s re
quired to show that tuts must be so.
The buuinrun is essentially an agriculturist.—
that is, under mu condition* of Smllieru agricult
ure. lie has no Uste orlaptitudc for commerce, or
uavigutiun, or imuiug. or mauufaciunog. Ilia
horse is u more engrossing object than thu llucst
locomotive of ilaldwiu or eoame by Curlit»; Ins
dog of mote concern than a Juccard limiiu or a tele
phone. Ho instinctively hates a crowd. »ud detests
thu hAll-follow-woll met style of business from
those lu whom he has not been formally intro
duced. Figures have no latere*! fur bint except tu
Ibv gross. An hour uf the methodical couuacs of
uuu of our great ominess coucertts would drive him
to the wildest excesses, lu short: detail, mimi
liw. nice udjiwltueui uf means lu ends, —the fun
damental principle* of commercial success; and
pliancy, persistency. «regxnuusuu*s. and tolerance
ut uonosUiouor n iuse. the essential queliiles of
asucccssful politician,— are alike slau to ms na
ture and disposition, tie will be nnly 100 glad
tu leave Ihoe roles to others, and to
confine himself to his plantation. or
if he must, iwrforce. participate m public hie. his
SUpctiasvs Will Ui won lu LUa usuimmUmu rsUs^r
gl* 8
|S
STREET
LIMB or
I), KtIOVTIKO !>*•
T BACU WAT TO
ILLU.VTHATIC Till
S AITB.
than tn the arts or trade; In the forum rather than
in the markct-plerc or counting-house.
• ‘ What to do with the negro" will engross much
of hl« time and Attention during (hi* end the next
jenenMoii. That lie Is the agent hwt suited In
every wav to solve the problem, wpmn Indisputable.
(Small politicians and llsuntersor toe bloodr-shlrt,
M well a* the “end men" of the pres*. are wel>
cotno to the facile Jo«l amt comment lhc«o
phrases will sire them opportunity for. Thin H
not written for the purposed provoking political
discussion. hut with an earnest desire to do some
thing toward the unification of our com*
num country; to aid tn destroying the *c
carted spirit of sectionalism which colore the
views of North and hottih altke, —preventing each
from recognising tho good there osiurcdiy in In tlm
other, and from assisting. In the proper spirit, to
correct the defects and vice* which nndouotedly
eziet in hath. )
Mr. Tllden (not him of Oramcrcy Park, bat M.
11.. of Memphis, above referred to) has given a
graphic picture of n very large class of tho negro
population of (he South. Improvident, shiftless,
with the most lax of notions regarding the laws of
niMmrf/iium, of the sanctity of ths marrlngu re
lation, and the fundamental value of trulli as un
element of tho nodal structure, the average South
ern colored man it, it muet he confessed, a very
unpromising subject for a New Utopia. With
such material Mr. Mailock would mom than ever
Insist upon heglonlug his experiment with an “ex
clusion."
lint while all this Is trae to an extent that words
alone can give n» Idea of, a simple statement of
the underlying catties, while It tempers present
Judgment, gives much of promise for (ho future.
If the negro is now improvident and shiftless, Is
It not because generations of while owners did bis
thinking and providing for in tho past?
If he now disregards the property rights of others,
were not hie own. even to bis very desh and blood,
the bone and sinew, which itself created property,
tor centuries set at nanohtf
If the Seventh Commandment now has no bind
ing force npon him, Is that fact anything more titan
an Illustration of Atavism,—a reversion to a habit
Implanted upon his ancestor hy the overseer who
bred “prime back" to “likely wench" with as
little regard to the monogamous principle as ever
governed a dog-fancior or cattle-breeder?
Ann If it is now easier for him to lie Ihao to tel!
the truth, is ho to hlsmc for not being an excep
tion to the universal rule that slavery la the fruit
ful hot-bed of all (ho vices? Neither Suartan
helot, nor Irish kern, nor Hebrew “dog of the
Olictto." has ever yet been neld up aa a comoctltor
for the little hatchet of (I. W. or the monatneul
of Knud Iverson. Why. then, doipsir of the
American negro,—released, within less than half a
ceneratton, from Inlluences fully aa degrading ami
debasing ae any these races were over subjected to?
Whether the “ influences" that have since ocen
brought to hear nponhitn have been the heat calcu
lated to eradicate his vices and to develop his vir
tues will, I fancy. he promptly answered In the
negative hy those who are familiar with tnoso in
fluences. Mr. Tildcn has forcibly portrayed some
of them. “The unscrupulous political mendi
cants who overran the Houth in the years Immedi
ately succeeding the War" have as much to an
■warfarin tneir debauchery of the negro, tn tho
destruction of Ids self-respect, in their rostering
and encouragement of ins lowest traits, aa they
have In keeping open the bloody chasm Itself.
Hut the picture Is not nil gloom and snado. Snch
Inlluences must, iu the eternal order, be ephemer
al. Duly the right can endure. Truth U not
forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever oa the throne,
Tho negro Is already beginning to penetrate
through the surface of (binge: (o strip the mask
from the lying faces of hie pretended friends: to
realize that his Interests and the interests of those
who once owned hloiare the same: that wnaleoovrr
makes tor tho common good—ln lighter taxation, In*
improved production. In security of person and
property—works also (or Ida individual good. Ho
is beginning to realize, and to act npon too knowl
edge, that—with whatever of halting and stumbling,,
offrequent Injustice and hardship. In short, of*
human error and fallibility such work Is done—it
must, If done at all, he done by those who owu
the country: those who have a stake tn Its prosper
ity; those who are bonnd to it by the potent
forces of birtnright and association; and who
ventured the great prize of Death la battle
for it—no matter how mistakenly. Ethnologists may *
quarrel over facial angles, uud brain measure
ments, end caudal vertebras, in their attempts to
settle tho question of racial superiority; uud Mr.
Tilden's Mvmphian “ moralists uml law
giver#"—having decided that, like John Chinaman,
bo “must go "—may speculate on “absorption
or extinction " os the alternative fate of the Ameri
can negro.
But while thereto cotton to plant, and hoe, and
Kick, ami gin, and bale; and rice to sow, nod “lay
y,”nndgather, and euro; and cane to “tend.”
and cut, and “toie.” and sugar to make; while
there aro lovees to build, and brakes to clear, mid
steamboats to freight, and a thousand other things
to do forwhicahe Is especially fitted, such ques
tions will .bomiy nossess an Interest absorbing
enough to keep cither darky or white man awako
o* nights. •
His docility, good-natnre, faithfulness, Imi
tativeness, enuuranco.—all these finalities sorely
coant for something In bis future. And when,
under happier conditions and by education and ex
amnte, to those snail be added thrift. Industry,
enterprise, and the social virtues. It will hardly be
worth while to reproach any given black person
with tho charge that he or tho ts not aTonsssint
L’Oaverture, a Frod Douglass, nr an Kilmonlo
Lewis, not. ot least, until all whtto-sklnned
people can claim ucemhlp with the Wolllngtous,
wobsters, ana Michael Angelo* of their owu race.
Vicksburg, vale/ ■
‘ PnavK W. lUillt, M. 0.
MEMPHIS.
SCENES AND INCIDENTS OP TITB PL4QDB.
To (A* Jvmtor of ITis Tribune.
Chicaoo, Nor. s.—'The summer of *7B dawned
upon Memphis glorious in the promise of a
prophetic •prlng,' # Tbo previous winter hod been a
leuon of almost unexampled prosperity. Dull
ness had been “booming," loose n Westernism.
The crops had been abundant, and at the close of
the year. .when planter and factor balanced ac*
counts, there was generally a credit loft standing
to the former. With this Incentive to prompt
them, and the seeming assurance that hard tlmoa
were past, the husbandman increased tils area of
cultivation, employed a larger force to pat in the
crop than since tbs War, and labored diligently in
tbe hope that bis returns would enable him to at*
tain a piosncrltY almost ont of dale. Nor wus lie
disappointed. When the crop was “laid by" It
more than realised his most sanguine expects*
lous, and nothing remained but iU
harvesting and shipment. In the dty
the hanker and merchant rejoiced at the success of
their operations, and contemplated the future with
pleasure at the prosperity which that future held
out. The small dealers had also been generously
rewarded, ami the mechanic bad laid up treasures
unun esrth. The health of the city amt surround*
imt country bad never been bettor. There was an
exceptional freedom from tbe maladies peculiar to
this climate as gratifying ns It «m singular.
Nature and art smiled npon the landscape, anu all
things combined to beget a new hope in tne hreasta
of a people wno had for a decade of yearn tolled, ns
the children of Israel, in hopeless bondage to debt
and remedlleas adversity.
A 8 TUB tll’MUßfl ADVANCED
the osnat complement of tourist* U> tbo North, to
the Virginia Springs, and other favored resorts
bade farewell to tbe city of their nativity and pur
sued their Juurneylngs, anticipating a return to
the winter feitlvltica of which they were prime
factors in the “DtulT City." Early in July
rumors reached Memphis that tbe yctlow fever
bad broken out in New Orleans. No attention was
paid (o ibis. “Tbe disease could not reach Mem
phis, " it was said, aud if It did. the city teas pre
pared to cope with what, in tbo light of subsequent
events, has proven itself to be a more formidable
adversary than war or famine. It made no impres
sion on the people. Uuiincse wee uninterrupted.
Tbe pleasure gardens were open, and nluhlly filled
with the throng who took no thought of the inor*
(Continued on the Aevonth I'ago.)
Oil* OANN.
THE LITTLE WILL OIL CM
Thli complete Family ami Khlpolnx Oil Can I* mad*
of *lm l*e*f grauoa "f Uiaicoal 'flu I’Ulei, duuhU*
aeamnl amt aoMered.
Killing 4ill| KIMK'I VIA.
the Wd<>4 Wia-Cr Cu« l« nicely QuUUcJ and var
ol«lie«i. Tli« rreOio I* made from one jili-ceuf So. n
win*. Dent in auiti ituuu a* lo lurat » wry »tr<>nir nail
han inline aupiKiri. ami ta nicely palntiM. llvi-ll gaud
Truaiou* of Japauuml liuil uroaxiy faau-ued with
clout u-illi. u U provl l.il wliu Ulleia'a I’aleiil leu
Ton. Improved ihlMtii («uh adluauMu aiwm). Hi*
ni<wl iHirfect Invented, lie Iu it bIMIM.I-:, UtUA*
UI.K. 4MI KFKKCTIVIC.
. Aa’a who.el IT lb HKHKI-CT. Influx Safe, Llfftil,
lluuiUooie. Cootcdu-oL and Cheap.
WiICK-FIVJ. (iALLOS t'AAi AND VUAMK. SI.M.
wii* & tvmiH's
CANS & TANKS,
OFFICE AND FACTOUY
47, 49, and Si Vest LaM, Ciucam
Wholesale Store,
Harkct-st. tor. Madison.
Field, LeiteT
. Co.
CHICAGO,
Are daily replenishing their already well-assorted
stocks tolth NOVELTIES! of their own importa
tion, in
Silks! Satins! Velvets! Dress Goods! Laces!
Costumes! Cloaks! Shawls! Cloths!. Cassimcres!
Children’s and Ladies’ Furnishing Goods!
Linens! Housekeeping Goods!
Upholstery and Carpets!
TO THEIR STOCK OP
FURS!
They call particular notice, as it now comprises
EVERYTHING in its line, and is without doubt
the best-selected and most elegant ever shown West ’
Specialties in REAL LACESt FANCY NECK
WEARI HANDKERCHIEFS! in colored and
embroidered borders, HOSIERY! KID and FAR.
RIC GLOVES! GENTLEMEN’S FURNISHING
GOODS! comprising EVERYTHING new and
desirable in UNDERWEAR! HOSIERY! and
NECKWEAR! to all of which SPECIAL INSPEC
TION is invited. Prices throughout will be found
very low!!
PALiTIEIt HOUSE.
Pint DIB,
CHICAGO.
Tho new addition now being
completed, which Increases the oa
pooity of the House 3B rooms, will
be ready tor ooouoonoy on the 15th
of this month, miking the capacity
of the Bouse more than any other
In the United States.
mM
CONDUCTED ON
THE AMERICAN AND
EDEOPEAN PLANS.
Prices no higher than
other good Houses, bnt
with accommodations
far superior.
ROOMS Wffl BOARD,
From 03 to §3.50.
Without Board, from SI.OO
por day upwards.
EEDEOED PRICES TO PEE
MAR ENT BOARDERS POE TEE
WINTER, AFTER NOV. IS,
POTTER PALMER
OWNER AND PROPRIETOR.
iim, omamt, eic,
-A- BOOTH,
DBALEB AND PACKHU 09
FISH, OYSTERS,
AND
CANNED SALMON,
Cor. State and Lake-sts., Chicago. 111.
BUUUCAL*
pit HENDERSON ac.*Cblcavu.lli.
1-H.voica bla aUuia lltuo to Uic Ucatiuaat of CLreulc
•ml N*olal dihjk., S«r*oo* Debility, DUcaac* of
iJ«niU«unu. I'Um. iapcwoniu, Ac., Ac. UuarabUca
U»t aucuitoo ami trvatiucut. I'atlouUat aduiaaco
by IclUu. McUicluiaaciil cvurywbtre. tbatkai
low. fomuluilou free ami couiLleiuui. Ceil or write.
IllhUlrtira u>ok ami cticmajaacul aviied (or two ibrua
ccniMAiuoA l-rck*«t wtflke. N. U.*-I»r. il. U»regular
ffiiuiuAlo u medlciac, add Lai Lad over lu jirac*
Retail StoreT~^
Wabash-av. bot. Madison and Bionros.
TUE TIFFANY CAH.
mmir
SUMMER Ai
WINTER CAS.
We take the following extracts from letten
♦received during the post summer from buperln
'teudeots and Freight Agents who have used
these cars;
“ 1 am pleased to Inform you that, so far as I
know, every shipment of butter, etc., has reach*
-<*d destination In good condition, not one word
of complaint having been received from either
shippers or consignee. The experiment has
proved a satisfactory one to us.”
u Wo have been running your refrigerator
cars since the Ist of Juno between Cincinnati
and Fort Wayno with nsrfcct success.”
*• Tiffany car from Sioux City arrived In New
York to-day In tip-top order and condition, and
equal to, if not ahead, of any wo have seen. Car
was dean, alrv, and In every way all that could
tfeUMired. Tufa Tiffany car suits us, and ws
recommend it to our ahlnpors.”
“ Tbo past record of this car (rives satisfactory
evidence that It fdmUbos equal protectloo
against extreme cold.*’
A trip made durintr tlie latter part of Au*
Siut, the average vanatloti of tcmperaaturi
urlng the entire dUtaucn—Chicago to Nev
iork—was hut 1° from the temperature Ulua
at tbe time of starting.
80UTIIBHM SniPiIBNTS.
During tbe past summer many of these ran
have been used for shipments of Ico between
Chicago and Little Rock, Wuco, Houston, ami
other points South, saving the shippers from
the severe losses met with In other cars, loiltg
but 1,000 pounds to tbo twelve tons of Ice car*
ried.
The Canada Southern Fast Freight Line are
now using a number of these ears fur the slap*
inent of dairv products, dressed beef, etc., be*
tween Urn West and Hast, to tbo evident sails*
faction of tbe shippers.
Extensive butter, cheese, and ratal shipments
have been mode (rum Chicago to lac Scuta
during the summer to the cullre ssltifactiuu uf
all jiartica.
VBXT SimiNd.
This Company expect u very large ftrade
with Texas and tho Bouth next spring by
the Introduction of their ears in the shipment of
enrlv vegetables and fruits to the North. The
success with which limy carried these goods last
spring should lead shippers In tbo Booth to
make arruugementa In season to get their early
vegetables to Northern markets.
IN BUttOPB.
Seven of these ears are now running from
Vienna to Paris, uud the business Is being ex*
tended Into Russia.
nifcßCiQant tailoring*
LINDSAY
BROS.,
TAILORS,
141 & 143 Dcarborn-st.,
(Tribune Building, Chicago!,
Havo always in stock ono of tbs
largest and choicest selections oi
IMPORTED and tho FINEST
makos of DOMESTIC
WOOLENS
FOR
GENTLEMEN'S WEAR.
Quality finest, and roasonsbH
prices insure success.
PUHniTUKU*
THE TOBEY
FCMTERECO.
Stale & Aflams-sls., Chicago.
Factory, WeslKaudolpli&Jeffersua-sU.
SEWING SlAt’llllNW^^w
NEW AUTOMATIC
WEED SEWING BACHIHES
HELI, TUEMKKfcVKS*
riIICES 0» AH-UIiTIUS.
WEED SEWLVU HAUIIiE CO.. t'liica2»