The New York herald., 1870-09-01
The Quarantine Middle.

The Quarantine NIuddie-
The decision of the Secretary of the Trea-
sury in the case Of the bark Wavelet, that our
quarantine authorities may have the right to
dstain in quarantine vessels and goods arriving
from infected ports, but not to seize and detain
goods which have passed quarantine in another
State, may be constitutionally and legally cor
rect enough; but it places the health Of New
York city at the will and beck of the quaran-
Of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. DR.. Carnochan
in his communication to Collector Murphy,
which we publish in another column, places
the matter in clear light. This ambitious
young port in New Jersey not being
infected, vessels from Rio Janeiro or any
other infected port can come into quar-
antine there and thence sail directly to the
pier in New York, with no more disin-
fection or fiimigation than the ambitious port
Of Perth AmbOy, eiated with its new honors
and sanguiue of eclipsing New York itself at
an early day, may choose to enforce. The fact
that vessels can evade our quarantine in this
way is all that gives Perth Amboy any i'm
portance or its quarantine authorities any
show of work. New York's difficulty is
Perth Amboy's opportunity, and she is taking
advantage Of it with zest that tells
well for Jersey hopefulness and badly for
Jersey equity. Herein lies the evil that
will come of the Secretarys decision, if he
does not reverse it on reading DR.. Carnochan's
clear exposition. 1t will back up the ambi-
tious Jersey port in her selfish war on the
health of New York, and it will probably
induce few unscrupulous merchants of our
own city to evade quarantine, even at the
risk of their own and the city's health. Our
quarantine laws may be onerous, but they are
necessary and some means should be en-
ployed at once to arrange all differences be-
tween the federal and The State authorities on
the subject. The best way would be to abolish
the port of Perth Amboy. There is no neces-
sity for the place. # it were to disappear to-
MORROW there would not be ripple Of excite
ment over it, except in the place ITSELF where
really there is nobody living but few quaran-
tine officials and dozen or 80 of swamp
owners, who depend upon this Illicit quaran-
tine business to make themselves millionnaires
It must be borne in mind that ships do not
load or unload there. They simply touch
there in order to smuggle themselves into
New York as from domestic port The bus-
ness, therefore, will never make a metropolis
OF the port nor millonnaires of these sanguine
Jerseymen and it would be righteous thing
to disabuse the latter of their visionary
ideas, and let them go at once to honest clam
digging for living. Let the port be abol-
shed, and the great metropolis will be relieved
OF a very uncomfortable pest.
The Code OF Hsuor the Code OF Misery.
We have given particulars of fatal duel
that recently occurred on the Mississippi, on
! the borders Of Tennessee. The principals
were two young men Of rreproachable private
| reputation and high personal character, be-
longing to Memphis, the victim, if we mistake
| not, being a relative Of a late member of the
| United States Senate from an Eastern State.
| We also give to- day brief account of another
| tragical affair between two gentlemen of
| Savannah, in which the curtain fell upon the
| corpse Of one Of the combatants.
It is strange that in this age Of civilization
the deliberate taking of human life according
| to the dueling code should be at all tolerated.
| In nearly every State in the Union, and, in
f, deed, in all Christian communities, the practice
| is condemned as criminal, and laws are passed
| FOR the punishment of offenders. Then why
| is it that men well educated and Of fine social
position, who would hesitate to offend the law
| by taking pins worth Of anothers property,
| should step forward and, in defiance of its
| majesty and in the presence of respectable
! witnesses, wantonly take the life of human
being-perliing his own soul while sending
that of another, unprepared, perhaps, upon It's
eternal dighI!
The question NAV be answered in this way