New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-02-21


protected from the ravages Of this terrible
disease. This bill is for the special benefit of
the class of people which represent in the
Senate: They expect their representatives
to advocate the passage Of such laws as
will protect them when they Cannot protect
themselves. am in hopes that the motion
to postpone will not prevail, and that the
Senate will take up this bill at once, and
pass it, after the necessary amendments
The motion of Mr.. Todd to postpone was
then put, and defeated.
Section three having been read again
Mr.. McRiillen said that in his opinion it
would be better to allow the physicians on
gagged in the work of vaccination stated
yearly salary; say one hundred dollars.
He. therefore, moved to amend the section
in that way.
Mr. Ray 1t strikes me that tho amend
ment offered by the Senator from Carroll
(Mr. McMillen) will defeat the object Of the
bill. Ii We were to give the physicians
yearly salary of one hundred dollars, they
would have no inducemeM to perform their
services properly, as they would not be in
terested in the amount of work they would
do. i am Of the opinion that we should
give them moderate fee for each case Of
successful vaccination. and we would then
be moro apt to secure the faithful perform
ance of their duties than We would be if we
should adopt the system proposed by the
Senator from Carroll. Ii. on the other
hand, we should leave it to the police .uries
to fix the compensation, one-haif Of them
would never fix it at all. If we had more
efficient system of organizing police juries
that that in force at present, in all proba
bility the law would be properly carried
out; but we can not depend upon that at
present. l would suggest that the amount
be changed to fifteen or twenty-five cents.
Mr.. O'1ara suggested that the amount
should be changed to ten cents.
Mr. Pierce thought that ten cents was too
small fee. The amendment suggested by
the Senator from Tcrrebonne (Mr. O'Hara)
would defeat the whole object of the bill, as
no physician would DO willing to perform
such operations for ten cents each He.
therefore. moved to lay the amendment of
Senator OHara on tho table. Carried.
Mr. Pierce: The persons who drafted this
bill were inclined to think that the physi-
CLANS selected to do the work might attempt
to vaccinate everybody in their respective
parishes, and. whether the operation was
successful or not, collect the fee. 1t was for
that reason that the provision was incor-
porated III the bill that they should only be
paid for every successful vaccination they
performed.
Mr.. Ray moved that the section be
amended so as to provide that the fee for
each successful vaccination should be
twenty-five cents instead of fifty cents.
Carried.
The section was then adopted as amended;
also the fourth section.
Section five was then read.
Mr.. Barber was not in favor of the pro
vision of this section which placed it in the
power of the superintendent of public
schools to have the pupils vaccinated with
out the consent of their parents. He did
not wish a clause to remain in the bill
which would have the effect of allowing tho
superintendent to exclude a certain class
of children from the public schools on the
plea that they had not been vaccinated. He
therefore moved to amend the section by
striking out that Objectionable feature.
Mr.. Pierce was willing that the proposed
amendment should he made.
Mr. Ingralam: This section discloses the
cloven foot which has been hid from view
in the first sections of the bill. Here is the
place that the wolf comes in in sleeps
clothing. The practical effect of this bill
will be that every child whose parents are
OfAfican descent, will be kept out of every
public school i'll the State of Louisiana. |
am of the opinion that this bill is got up
for the express purpose of placing the power
into the hands Of the State Board OF
Health, to render the law declaring that
the public schools OF the State shall be open
to the children of all citizens a perfect
nuliity. We all know that when small
pOx epidemic is prevailing, the pupils OF the
punlc schools are generally withdrawn
from school by their parents. That has
been almost the uniform practice i'll this
city. Two or three years ago, when we had
a smallpox epidemic here, the
Scarcely IA dozen pupils remained
in Seach school, and they were
probably children who had had the small
pOx or yarioloid previously. | lived in the
vicinity of the school at the corner of Ben-
vile and Robertson streets tone of the
largest schools i'll the city, and devoted ex-
clusively to the accommodation of white
children), and | know personally that not
more than a dozen children attended that
school during the latter part of 1867 and
the early part oflS6S, at which time a small
pox epidemic prevailed here. When the
city is free from smallpox, that school ac-
commodities at least four hundred and fifty
pupils. Another school, at the corner OF
Robertson and Customhouse streets which
was for the exclusive Use of cOlored children,
was also emptied. and the teachers drew
their salaries without earning them. AS l
said before, the practical effect of this bill
will be to render null and void the system
now i'll force of conducting the public
schools in strict accordance with the con
stltution. l hope that every Senator who
properly represents his colOrcd constituents
will cast his vote against this bill.
Mr. Pierce: desire, in self defense, to
deny cmphatically that had any such OBJ
.ject in view as that imputed to me by the
Senator from Orleans (Mr. Ingraham). in
the drafting of this bill. The gentlemen
who drafted the greater part Of this act
Including the provision SO bitterly de-
uOunccd by the honorable Senator from Or j..
leans) have been as true to the race which
he claims to represent as he himself has
been. Were it not that | consider it i'm
proper to mention the names of parties not
connected with the Senate. would make
him ashamed of the charges he has made.
His suspicious are un ust and unfounded in
every particular. Tie drafters of the bill
had no other object in view than to benefit
the public, and Il would not make this state
ment if this question of race had not
been sprung) for tho benefit of his
race in particular. 1t is we'll known fact
that fOur-fifths of tho persons who die of
African race. The white people generally
have intelligence enough to protect them
selves. If the gentleman would be less
suspicious, and would act more in accord
ance with his judgment and with the facts,
his vote would be right more often than it
is at present. / second the amendment
offered by Senator Barber, and hope it will
be adopted. 1t is not intended. in the in
PRODUCTION Of the bill, to oblige all the
public pupils to be vaccinated without the
consent of their parents having been OBJ
tanned. 1t is only intended to increase the
facilities of vaccination. The physician
Will be required to attend the school regu-
Larry at stated intervals, in order to consult
with tho teacher on the subject The