New Orleans Republican., 1871-06-09

| fected. New Orleans and Galveston suf-
fered last year from the precipitate action
of the Galveston Board of Health in de-
claring New Orleans an infected city,
when, in fact, her people were in the en-
| joyment of better health than usual at
that season of the year. There was no
epidemic and no cause for shutting off in
tercourse. 1t was really great inconve-
nience and loss to the people of this city
and Texas, brought about by the folly or
avarice of very few persons, This should
be guarded against in the use of quaran-
tine laws.
But where there is undoubted authority
for declaring a place infected it is merci-
full to cease communication with it for
the time being. The power of enforcing
quarantine, however, should not be lodged
in an irresponsible person, nor should
State proceed to enforce it without first
having duly consulted the authorities of
the place that is to be prescribed. When
ever an epidemic exists in New Orleans it
is made known by the Board of Health
through the public press; and until that
declaration has been made by that body
it is safe to conclude there is no epidemic.
Had this course been pursued by the Gal
weston Board of Health last year its pre-
cipitate action, based upon mere rumor,
would not have taken place, and there
would have been no injury to trade.
The authorities of this State, whose
business it is to look after the public
health, have already moved in the mat
ter with the view of preserving it through
out the present warm season. Acting
upon the advice of the Board of Health,
Governor Warmoth has issued his proc
lamation enforcing quarantine against
certain infected places named. These
will be found in the proclamation in an
other column.
The quarantine took effect on the first
of this month; and all vessels, together
with their officers, crews, passengers and
cargoes, arriving from such ports, or hav-
ing touched at any of them, are subjected
to delay of ten days or more, as deter
mined by the Board of Health, before
they are permitted to come to the city.
The measure is precautionary one, and
will be continued, no doubt, until the
Board of Health reports its further con-
tin unnecessary.
But other precautionary measures are
also necessary to preserve the public
health. Our city authorities must also be-
stir themselves. There is too much evi-
dence of filth in every direction for them to
remain dormant. Let the streets be thor
oughly cleaned, and the sanitary ordinan-
ces strictly enforced in every respect The
section of the city that has been over
flowed should be thoroughly sprinkled
with lime as the water disappears, and the
sanitary police instructed to look after the
back premises of every house By pursu-
ing an energetic course in this way, the
city authorities may effectually destroy all
local causes for disease arising from the
overflow.
Epidemics have been the great curse of
this city. One epidemic season produces
an injury that takes years of health to
repair, and as General Butler demon
strated, while in command of this city,
that clean streets were great preventive
of epidemics, let our city Administra-
tors remember this, and by emulating the
conduct of General Butler add to the
public health.