New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-06-27
DUB RUARANTINE ABROAD AND AT
w HOME

States cS asul at Vera Cruz. publishes i
the Hou'ef Leisure, Of that city,
communicate in which he asserts tn
ineficacy and injustice Of time quaran
tine upon commerce. His comments ar
well worthy consideration, although a
inhabitant Of Vera Cruz who criticizes tn
fear of yellow fever is good deal like til
occupant of bomb proof who ridicule
the cowardice of men under fire.
The consul admits the propriety Of pre-
cautionary measures to prevent the admis
sion OF contagion. but contends that NJ
! detention Of persons Or property j
proper. and no system OF disinfectiol
effectual. OF the regulations at presen
in force in the United States ports OF en-
try he says:
They are, in every respect. uhjus. ant
ubiquitous; for while they do not accomplish
their end. they stuluiy and cripple con-
merce.
Taking these regulations as at New
Orleans. he complains that the foreign
consul is required to-
Certify that in this port and vicinity. and
among the shipping thereof. good health
| prevails. without any suspicion OF plague,
yellow fever, or any other contagious OK
pestilentlal disease whatever, in either an
| epidemic OF sporadic form: and that no such
disease has existed land it it be not clean
bill OF health, then it adds:l fos the past -
weeks or months.
This is. we admit. very hard on COM
merce or on the consul. 1t even suggests
that this form has been put up in the in
terest Of the quarantine officers and Sta
tons Of the United States. What consul
could certify that there was neither con-
tagion or infection in city of many
thousand inhabitants. Of whose language
he may be ignorant, and Of whose domes-
tic conditions be can no. possibly be cog
infant:
The commercial grievance is then stated
If consul can not certify the fact stated
in the form, the vessel is subjected to "a
detention Of from five to twenty days, with
passengers and freight all on board" The
personal discomforts are thus touched on:
Imagine vessel lying ten days at qua,an-
tine IN the river below New Orleans, sur
rounded by clouds Of mosquitoes and ma.
laria, and ask yourself if it be possible for
this little community to pass the probation
without some of its constituents falling
sick! 1t 80. when is the detention to end
May not contagious and epidemics originate
at quarantine! OF course, yes.
This is one consequence of the delay.
New Orleans is the most exposed port in
the United States TO the access of tropical
disease. The Atlantic ports being more
distant from points Of contagion. have
the time quarantine OF the voyage.
Hence sail vessels from Rio, Havana or
Vera Cruz. have pretty well expiated the
offense of trading to those unhealthy
ports before reaching Baltimore. New
York or Boston. Surprising even ten
days quarantine at New Orleans, then q
passenger or o package destined for the
interior can reach their point il less time
and expense by the Atlantic ports than by
New Orleans. The prospec: Of imprison-
ment in the hulk. under the conditions
by the consul, are sufficient to
turn every woman. child and business
man over any other route to the interior
in preference to that by way of New Or !
cans Such are the CONNIE rcial conse-
luences. Ten days detention here will
unit has heretofore turned-almost
III the import and export Of Western
rade to and from this port. 1t is perhaps
90 much to expect people to remember
hat there was but one way Of getting in
n oui Of the Mississippi yalley-there are
low fourteen.
1t is proper also to remind the public
hat quarantine is rendered futile by the
anne change in the m ode Of conveyance.
The books of steam ship plying between
havana and New Orleans showed that
My twenty-five of hun dred passengers
'ho shipped from Havana for New Or
cans arrived in this city on the boat.
hey crossed to Key West and took a
teamer coming with clean bill from
ONE healthy port. or they went North by
oat or took rail at Cedar Keys. Such
assengers may even have arrived at New
)rleans and died of fever contracted in
lavana before the boat in which they
ook passage from that port had complied
18th the time of her detention. The rail-
BAD thus enables passengers to flank the
The city which thus block
ied her port finds herself quaran-
ned on all sides. and the com.
lerce which she has driven away en-.
yed by other cities which are not sub.
ct to such restric tons. Every one has
card the sell in which Jones, primitive
assenger on river boat, is invited to go
! shore at night. at a cotton landing,
ID participate in the sport Of catching
rtain very fat and delicious birds.
hese are to be arou sed by the com. I
.nions Of Jones. who. with poles in a
cir hands for that purpose. take leave I
Jones. leaving that sanguine individual t
ated near an uncomfortable fire built to t
tract these birds. He holds in his Q
Inds sack stretched open with barrel
,op, into which these deluded birds are S
fly. Thus disabled from defending v
mself from the mosquitoes. Jones is 6
ievously bitten. and. wholly disap- o
tinted in his expectations Of game, after P
me hours reports on board. where he {
ids his companions playing cards and o
mixing whisky over his miseries. New tt
leans represents Jones. She sits amid | il