The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-09-15
QUARANTINE EXTORTIONs.
yHE HEALTH OFFICER AND THE HEALTH
COMMISSIONERS.

COMMISSIONERS.
yHE MCDus CPER ,NDI BY WHICH MERCHANTS, sHiP-
OwNkRS AND IMPoaTsRS ARE TAXED UNDkR THE
SANCTION or THE COMMISSIONERS OF HEALTH
AND HEALTH OFFICER.
We have too many commissions to have laws properly
sdpDistsred, filled by men who are, In many cases. IN
sopoten 70 discharge their duties. who Indifferent
70 the obligations imposed upon them. We have
!. Commissioners Of Emigration
q Commissioners Of Hs'hh.
.. Commissioners Of Police.
l. Commissioners of the Central Park
5. Commissioners OF the new City Hall.
Q. Commissioners OF Excise.
Besides body Of men known the Ten Governors OF
The Almshouge
An these bodies are either managed az political ma.
shines or for the purpose Of increasing the pecunsry
means Of their friends. In other words
The city Of New York ridden to death by commissions and
eonmssicneYs, each or whom tries to shift responsibility
fsom one 70 another; nd whenever anything goes
wrong, It % nobodys fault, and nobody is TO blame.
ANY ore can see that the mansge nent OF Quarantine
should be confined 10 system Of marine supervision
alone and divided al present. between the Commis
sioners Of Health and Commissioners Of Emigration and
Csy Inspector One set OF Commissioners could, asc,
build City Hall and improve the Central park The
Commissioners OF Police should be abolished, and the
systsn organized under muni,ipal control.
Why 80 many Offices hsye been unnecessarily created
- difficult explain unless II 20 provide pisces for poll
tciAns, who expected to use oici. influence for
party purposes.
The Reslth Commission ia composed chiefly Of men
who wholly incompetent to judge OF disease and con-
tag,on-who probably al eight could no. tell the difference
between yellow sundice AMI yellow fever. ahe City In
spector the custodian OF the sanitary condition OF
the city should be we educated and practical physcan
Who could be able, when bunglDg doctor falsely re-
Il,
iocahty, to ascertain for himself the true character
Of the disease. But instead of this Office being aled
by rhysicisn, 1t bestowed upon a msu for po-
ntical considerations, and who medical He
Is authorized to appoint Health wsrdens 70 act guar.
dns of public health in each ward. Yet he has filed
these departments with politicians, the most o: whom are
wholly .enorsn. OF medicine medical hygeine-good
nen, perhaps, in their way and good ward politicians,
bui not properly qualified for health others.
Who are tie Commissioner OF Health? The principal
men In are his honor Mayor John Clancy, Charles
H. Haswen aad City Inspector horton, with the Health
Officer ss Quarantine, R. rbompson DR. Rock yef sc.
Eo~, - clear sna. the non -medics gentlemen s'ove
Damed are not qrsuaed to &C. Commissioners OF
Health. They nothing OF medicine or its terms, aud
very probably unable to tell the difference between
eoEsgon and inection-bet@een fever aud another
when bile p-esent-wha. merchandise s infectious and
what s not. Commissioners Health should be see;ed
from soaad and well educated physicians, who could
Wait The Quarantine enter the holds o. vessels and
ascertain for themselves whs:be- their Hsah ON ser was
decesvnx them with false aud panic making reports, In
order to get prexts to cypress The sake
personal interest without exciting public claraor.
Of the present Board Of Health Commissioners, DR.. r
H. Thompson has been the ruling spirit rhe Mayor and
Aldermen with the City Inspector, sitting in the City Hs,
u distance from Quarantine, have let him do pretty
much as he pleased.
il mas been charged ina, the fees established by him
azd sanctioned by Board OF Health IgAa
-sa orpreesive. TO this charge we have seen card
signea by Che Mayor, Jacn Clancy, ari Charles II
Haxwe endorsing Or. rnonpsons a:ts, his charges and
all. This the point 70 ~h;n we wished 70 get then.
nsy say, admitting the charges double the uIua
rates they not too high considering the nature OF
the work.
Now, how has Dr. Thompson arranged mss.ers ..
QuayantnsT
A, the commencement, or the Quarantine aessou IN
Hoalth ocer has right 70 grant licenses " ghieEmea
70 approach vessels detained cusanine, and take
goes on board OF bsrges lighters for landing them
Quarantine or shpmeEt for he city In doing this, Il Ia
clearly his duty 10 gran licenses su,ient number to
do tho business ami who willing 70 give bcnd. 10 do
Me work II the cusomar rates Did he do thiss Nos
as all. He issued but single license W one man,
and refused recognise any other iyhiermsn though
work was dull, and they were willing 10 DO Tho
wseE for one half or less han they charged lie not
having llshtsrs or barecs Of his sucent 10 do the
work. lad 70 hire them from outsiders, and ~ lower
yaAss, likely, than he ch,rged 70 merchants How fSr
NJ rates exceed all ordinary charges, will DO sssa from
Ne tables We have given below.
Asan: Dr. nomp,ou coanncd his license 70 . steve.
1s arm Of two three persons, one Of whom said 70
be his relative and who hire svedorss the best terms
- h~4 A.t ~rkg al opt All fQr
the work and 81 double or than double the
.suai rates, and which ID collected from the vessels
BY tie rm The sssyedore arm charge the vessels with
out for everything lhey do. u IA said that Dr. T.
used United States storchouses for sometime free OF
charge from the government, and yet charged he mer
chants full storage. His sevedores were, also, Is sad,
disciplined at primary elections for blask
publican delegates.
whle protesting the greatest horror Of conmunicaion,
has been that lighters hired By The Arm have
eli summer up the city with goods and discharged
then vh1vsso both sides Of the Fast river, while
she ofncers and men employed them have scattered
abcut beth Brooklyn and New York, visited their
fr,snds, or remained with their families all night
Ms also notorious that twthstandng both the excite
ueat and he excessive fears OF the Csieior Board Of
Health tnaa thousands Of people visit the Quarantine vii
lass almost daily and the Sunday after the ire, proes
by some thirty thousand visited The place. including all
seres and ages without fear sny likelihood whatever
or catching the yellow fever. Hence avarcs both on
water and land has had deal 70 do with the immense
hue and cry raised on the subject.
We ind, too, thash vessel arrives with but single
case smallpox board The doctor required 10 vaccI
tho and passengers but the law nays nothing
about being paid extra for his work, yet he collecs
t-en,y ave cents per head for all on board.
We have doubt, the merchants we're 70 pay the
s charges evsd under protest. tha, they would be able
70 bring suit and recover The difference This they ought
70 do in every Tho Lac confers power the
Beaith oacer, even when backed by the non medi
cal COMMISSIONER charge merchants under the pretey.
Of protecting the health Of The city, because the
same or even better protection could bo had n one half
or one fourth the expense. Ths Law never contemplated
has TIE DOCTORS stcvcdorc firm snd ligh,ermsn In chies