Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1866-04-21

Tns HsAnm OnDiHAHcs.-In view ~ .
probable visit froo that dstested speid Dics
Choless, en- sitissos hass ast1rslly bssa
slsuosous Sss aetioa at the hands of ~
City Fssbus, thas sssld have the sosst y
tssp Ibis deadly ~ u ths hsean family =
ataSs distanes. The Csusdl respssdsdS :
and took steps towardUasving IN 0rdinsnes
framed that should msst the euerSeeey.
Said ordinance was presented to the Coun :
Gil Il its last meeting. A portion thereof
appeared in these eolsmns yesterday, and
the balance Of il te>day. Il did net pass
Il that meeting, but was laid over in order
that it might be read and commented upon
BY the people and ths press. That was veil
enough, Though delays ass dangerous. When
it shall next come before that body vs pre-
sumo It win b pas, ed after having under
gone some important changes.
While it Is proper and even necessary to
create Board Of Hsalsh, and 70 cseths il
With almost despotie power in some In
stances, We believe that the ordioaoce IN
hand in some respects is susceptible ofsome
saIutary alterations We DO mot wish to b
captious about the matter r--in fact We are
stoutly in favor Of having the city thorough
y purgsd and cleansed Of flth and conta-
gion-breeding nuisancss ~ fer % oil the
streets, alleys, out-houses. etc, are coDcern>
ID, and that necessary hospital provisions
should be made, but should rather object to
enscting Law that NO I'D cause child that
had The itch or measles to be taken from
home BY force Of arms, if need be. snd
sent mile or two away to hospital. Un>
der the provisions Of the ordinance this
would be obligatory on the health officers.
We want an ordinance that would not be
dead letter on our statute books Of the
city. This one, 90 far - it relates to quar-
antine, would be, for even could W control
the action Of steamboatmen, on this aide Of
the channel, in way and manner prescribed,
(Which We seriously doubt would be
attempted) there is yet the eastern half Of
the river over which We could exercise no
control, unless Rock Island would join
Davenport in this matter, it would be folly to
attempt it here. Such aetion on our part
alone, while it would do no particular good
io sanitary point Of view, would make the
streets Of Davenport . proper place for the
abundant use Of grass seed.
Howsvsr,if cholers is to come,is the rive
the only line Of spproschs Possibly not,
for nine tenths Say niuty nine hundredths
Of the emigrants that come to Davenport,
come via Railroad from the East, but no
provision has been made in this erdinant .
to quarantine the cars at . safe and respect.
able distance from the city, and it must b
admitted that cars ~ we'll as boats are
freighters Of disease. But these are mat
ters over which the city authorities can
hardly expect to es:ablish control. If they
assumethe right and essct the law tenn to
nothing they will be dead letters.
Let US set our city in order; clease It most
thoroughly and most rigidly, that nothing
shalt abide in its borders to invite disease !;
then let Us take due precaution within res-
sonabls scope Of power to keep it out. Let
the city be cleased frst Z; then let the two
citi . here make the proper concurrent ef>
fort to keep the enemy from advancing BY
way Of the public thoroughfarcs.