New-York tribune., 1869-03-17
INVITING TIE PESTILEYCE.

Section 80 of the Act Of April 90, 1SC3 cstab-
lishing Quarantine, imposes severe penalties
upon all parties who may board or have any
communication with a vessel subject to quar-
antine, before she shall have been examined
by the Health Officer, and the Permit to such
vessel to proceed from quarantine shall have
been delivered mt the Office of the Mayor OF
New York or Of Brooklyn.
The purpose of this provision is apparent on
its face. 1t is simply that of making the quar-
antine system effective. 1t is to prevent the
possible introduction of infectious disease. In
no way can that be done except by rigidy ex-
Guiding from inward bound vessels any and
every party who might recklessly or inadvcrt-
emily communicate with the city after leaving
an infected ship, and thus introduce the pestl-
lence against which strict quarantine Is in-
tended to guard.
But n bill is now pending in the Assembly
at AIbany-introduccd by Mr. Jacobs-pro-
posing to modify the law and exempt from Its
provisions "such boats and their 'crews as are
"authorized 10 collect marine news for publl-
"cation in the daily newspapers Of the City OF
New York" 1t is proposed to permit such
boats "to board inward bound vessels" either
+" in the upper or lower harbors of New-YOrk;" :"
that is to say, either before or after the Health
Officer, and quite independently Of his au-
thority
This appears to MS n reckless trifling with
the public health. and entirely wrong. The
plan involves an utter disregard OF the public
interest, while it has not the slightest excuse
in any existing necessity. More than year
ago the Press of this city. with single exeep-
tion, appreciated the difficulty which the Health
Officer found in preserving rigid quar-
antine so long as unofficial boats were
permitted TO board quarantined vessels
on any pretext. Accordingly they yielded
ut once to the suggestion that their
HarbOr and Marine news should be collected
by means of the Health Officers bOat-the Re-
porter boarding vessels Only in his company.
BY this means the Reporter is within the super
vision and under control of the responsible
officer, on whom the public relies to prevent
the introduction OF cOntagion from abroad.
Under the old system it was i'm
possible for him to be sure that
men who boarded infected vessels never carried
letters or small parcels on shore for passengers
or crew. II is o common thing for men cOOpcd
up on board quarantined ship to tempt boat
men by bribes to smuggle themselves or their
letters ashore. IL is the business of the Health
Officer to prevent all this, aud he can only do
so by having the entire subject i'll his hands
exclusively.
Certainly no newspaper In this city has deeper
interest in ship news than has The Journal of
Commerce; but that paper appears to have
found no difficulty III tho present system of
ship news collecting. We assert, too, MS the
result of our own experience, that there is not
the slightest necessity for any change in the
existing law, so far as the Press is concerned
Against the passage Of the proposed amend
mont we protest in the name of humanity and
the public Ysafety. The proposed legislation is
asked by but single journalist of this city,
who appears to seek il solely for the gratifca-
ton of bit Of pride of opinion. On the other
hand, il should be,opposed by every Press and
every individual having the good Of tho conf
munity at heart and wishing TO put away as
far as possible all danger of the pestience
which walketh at MONDAY. We repeat, there
ia not the least difficulty In procuring
tho ship news promptly and accurately-just
as nearly every journal Of this city gets it
now-by means of the Health Officers boat.
There is, therefore no pallation for the Jacobs
BILL which makes q mockery of Quarantine, and
relieves tho Health Officer from his responsibility
by destroying bis authority and control. 1t is
madness TO crafty an individual whim at
30 much risk 10 the entire people of this city
and its vicinity. Surely tho measure could not
have been understood when il was ordered to
third reading. We call upon tho City dele
cation TO have It recommitted for more careful
examination, or to SEQ to it that 1t is at once
consigned TO defeat by definite rejection.
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We have inst aeon N eircular distributed very