The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-11-22

result OF conflagrution or q war, the recur-
o OF Whic oaaa ay BE- prevented by gres1
= hope that by renewed energy and additional
aid We could restore the rate OF progress to
entltle us.
Unfor unately We can see no reason to escape
ron tho repetition of the Same evils except in Il
total change Of commercial policy to which we
will subsequently invite your attention. the no-
cessity Of which we have endsnvnred TO make
| of facs.
We are compelled, therefore, to say thnt we
hnptPhhond nhh fron the snnitnry policy Of iho
gent reqnirementa Of our aute laws. IN an
nual and sy stema'ic closure of our port against
al conmerGe with the tropical ports Of the con
tjnent. Of al vessels cleating from or touching
at those ports.
In like manner we may expect n rapetiton Of
the blockade OF our intercourse with tho int9-
Now Orleans woul1 then stand as leper
among cities, with which it will be forbidden to
conduct the operations Of trade or excha go the
Offices of n common humanity for q period Of ut
least OnDthird OF each year.
,Whoohn &C, tenn plate without emotion pr1n-
cipai city Of this Union, the second In the value
Of its exports to foreign countries. thus placed
under such serious commercial dlshblli iesI
sho shall be abandoned to u fate not caused By
any fault Of her own, but duo solely to u system
e}dP2bng b e9mmS[ca ut thnt baS baE
agencies and even mako it to their interest to
| become her rivAls?
|
| peri it becomes the duty OF the business mon
and property owners OF Now Orleans to examine
into the most etfectuaal means q meeting the
obstacles Of the occasion. At will hy no means
do to wait until this monstrnus offspring of
panic and cupidsty shall have tiehtened its coils
| unto our commercial suffOcatOn
| We have population of moro than 2oo0 900
souls dependant upon Us for subsistence. Cau
We comply with this obligation under tho total
people2 We have computed tho cost OF this
popular support with this annual charge Of an
army Of refugees and the withdrawal Of capial
| and of industry from smong US, the periodical
stagnation Of our trade, the reparation and re-
placement Of our buildings. the liquidation Of
our public debt with its interest, and the sup
port of the three several governments rscuisite
to our protection, 1t VIII require army of
figures to find the inability Of our commerce to
comply with these OuerOus obligations, borub
out by he decline in our tfsxable values Of more
than 25 per cent within the past eight years by
tho reduction OF business and rents by tho pov-
erty and want Of employment among our
people,
We have no wish to exaggerate the unfnvora-
bic conditions which present themselves Other
commercial cities have undergone n somewhat
similar shrinkage Of values and troubles OF in
dustry, but none Of them have boon. like New
Orleans, placed under the extraordinary and
cruel restrictions which threaten, unless Obvi~
ated, to impede the restoration of her prosperity
and the impulse Of her progress.
It becomes q duty OF self-preservatfOn to at
tack and. If possible, break through the coils Of
double quarantine which have been thrown
around us We must endeavor st least to OBJ
viate their destructive effects upon our com
mercps With this object we propose to examine:
I. The quarantine laws Of this State These
laws are historically known to have resulted
from tho terrible visitations Of yellow fever up
to the ysar 1856. 1t was readily acauiesced in at
that date, for two principal rensOns: First. there
being no other port of Communication between
the Mississippi Valley and the sea. the custom
ers of New Orleans could not escape from her
counters. The cost of an ineFmission OF trade
for three months could be marked upon tho
price Of goods and commercial service-a quar-
antne in 1865 WAS, therefore,. but q postpone
mt nE hllGjuSll hnliIpy "
which the customers paid without complaint
and without mi, 1nj4,ry; o 2 Passsngers, for
verse tho country by sailing vessels. or by the
slower method Of movement Of that period. It
was, therefore, comparatively easy to control
tho importation, of dsense and to arrest it's
diffusion throughout the country. At present
mon and merchandise are moved with the fatal
it is impossible to determine upon personal
inspection if passenger bears within him the
seeds Of disease under q posi- bic transit Of 100
Of New Orleans cannot prevent the conduct of
the tropical travel by way OF the Eastern At
ano sro p9Tt can an It 2T6d Wef
from New York to Now Orleans. or, landing
from the he. Hnyana steamers ~ at Cedar Keys I
Union by railroad. Who ran guarantee. then,
that while New Orleans suffers as the sentinel
Of the whole West in q vain guard against 81
danger in 'front.' epidemic disease may not be
d1stributed as it has been heretofore, by pas
sengers who enter by other passwa5a. and deci-
the sp as 1t Hsw s q2qs s6s IN s5 st M
The quarantine, 1herefore. which, in 1855,
might have been enforced without other evil
than postponement, of our trade. without ulti-
mate loss TO our merchants, now ties cur hands,
while our rivals rob our pockets; or. without
iI!iberal metaphor, it has operated AS such an
obstruction to our trede with the tropical ports
as to almost destroy it's value.
The rigid restriction upon trnvel. which might
in 1865 have prevented the introduction Of the
eff ct that Object
motion Of he public health, as enacted and
amended contains provisions Of extreme rjgor.
The State Board of Health is composed of nine
members, two-thirds Of whom must be appoint
state with references to their knoWo z3al in fl
vor of q quarantine system. Upon tho advice
Of the board the Governor is required to issue
his proclamation declaring any place. whore
there is reason to believe a pestilential cOnta-
gon or infective fever to exist, to be an infected
place. stating the number of days q uuarantine
is to be performed. In case OF emergency the
Board Of Health shall have power to issue prog
amaion of quarantine without reference to tho
Governor. and to enact all needtul regulation,
for the enforcement Of the SamO.
When We shall have added that the police
juries of the State have power to enact ordi
nancos and regu !ations to protect their r97pec; M
every kind Of contagious or epidemic diseases.
it will be evident that the proclamation of quar-
New Orleans itself, by her parish police Jnries
s imperative and inevitable. 1t may be added
that the political patronage involved In the ap-
pontments under the law cannot be expected
to approve the repeal or even modification of
the law.
From these views we have reason to fear that
the repeal or even modification Of the law consti
tuting the State Board of Health will be attand-
cd with almost insuperable difficulties. Even
were the representtation of New Orleans unani-
EQUALS one fifth Of that Of the whole State: nor
Is it probable that the parish representatives.
imbued with the apprehensions of the past
year. would consent to repeal provisions
deemed by their constituents essential to the
protection Of their health.
Weare, therefore, restricted to consider the
prospect of relief from the obstruction Of our
trade with the interior which may be expected
from the Legislation Of Congress, under the
general power of the Federal government. AS
they have been exDounded by the war, there
can be 10 doubt that any measure necessary for
tho general welfare Of the Union would justify
any Legislation to carry into effect the grandest
powers SO constructed. Under the power to
regulate commerce with foreign powers and
among the htates. Congress may certainly pre-
won't communities in one State from enacting
restrictions upon the commercial. postal and
travel intercourse with the communities Of