New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-01-26
COMMERCE, AS AFFECTED BY QUARAN-
TINE

many and glazing defects, and is SO offer
used to hinder and interrupt commerce
without any corresponding benefit to the
community, that it is manifest that some
other and less burdensome manner Of
guarding the public health should be
ascertained and adopted. The port OF
New Orleans, from its peculiar position is,
perhaps, more affected by the various
State laws regulating quarantine, than
any other in the country. There are
numerous instances where the local quar-
antine regulations of rival ports have
been unscrupulously used to direct com
merce from its legitimate and natural
channd for the benefit of those having
the power for the time to do SO. Instead
Of being conducted for the advancement
Of the public health, State quarantine is
more frequently enforced for some more
local purpose.
The fact of each State being permitted
to enact different, and often directly oppo-
| site, quarantine laws, leads to great con-
| fusion and uncertainty. In the hands of
the most competent and honest officers it
is liable to initiate against the best inter-
ests Of the commerce Of the country, on
account Of the uncertainty OF the mode Of
enforcing it.
While the foremost commercial nations
of Europe have abandoned the practice Of
establishing quarantine, on the ground
that experience has demonstrated that It's
Of no practical use in preventing the in
PRODUCTION or spread Of contagious or cpl
demic diseases in q port, the different
States comprising the United States still
adhere to the old idea that quarantine is
Of value, and each enacts and enforces its
own particular law on the subject; and
frequently the separate municipalities in
State establish a distinctive quarantine
within their respective limits.
In order to avail ourselves Of the benefit
Of the doubt, and admit the usefulness Of
quarantine under certain circumstances,
it is manifest that it should be controlled
by national law in order to secure q uni
form system upon which commerce could
depend with certainty under all circum-
stances, and thereby be relieved from all
local rivalries, incompetenc;es and jeal-
ousies.
The constitution has placed in the
hands Of Congress the power to regulate
and control commerce between the several
States, and between foreign countries and
the United States. Under this authority
some general quarantine law should be
enacted by which all local quarantine
regulations should be controlled. It
would, perhaps be impossible for Con-
gress to say under what particular cir
cumstances quarantine should he de-
clared, but the mode OF enforcing j.
should be determined.
For instance, an act of Congress could
declare that all guarantees established
by authority Of State law should be sub
ject to such regulations as might be pre-
scribed by the Secretary Of tie Treasury,
and the customs officials subordinate to
him could be charged with seeing these
regulations properly carried ont at the
various parts of the country. AS it is, the
State officials can enforce /. quarantine
irrespective Of the Customs officers. For
eign and domestic commerce can not
reach our ports without being subjected
to delays, expense and Inconvenience,
established by merely State or municipal F..
authoities. This power shcuid rot he |
entrusted to so many and conflicting au-
thorit:es. One of the features o: az il !
depender: government is the con-
troll OF Its commerce. tbs branch !
OF Cur government is intimate
~ connected with our foreign IL
tercourse. If a local municipality Can
dictate, under the semblance O.: & cI.aran- |
tine, upon what conditions commerce can
reach the port, then foreigners would be
to negotiate commerc:a, treaties
with the municipal authorities instead OF
the federal government. Such an idea
would be absurd, yet the practice of
quarantine regulations, based
solely upon State enactmen.s, is equally
ridiculous.
Without attempting to point out what
particular course should be pursued by
Congress IN the premises, we desire to
,all the attention of our members to the
present inconvenient mode, with the hope
hat some national quarantine system
ray be established, in order % relieve US
If the great impediments to our CONNER
.ial intercourse with adjacent ports
uch as We're inflicted upon US las: sum
ner and to which we are Eableto be ex-
'osed each recurring year, as the law now
tands.
Al IMPROVEMENT IN DIpLoNACy.
The German Kaiser has justified al that
be REPUBLICAN has ever sad il his
avor IN his letter to the Grand Duke
4 RoG1,1 tho Of Gown, r;,,