The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-10-13
WE MUST HAVE RELIEF.

New Orleans has passed through summer
which was filled with alarms that We're
groundlesa, but while unscatled by the fever,
and exhibiting ell the while most exception
al condition OF cleanliness and o remarkably
low mortality, she has suffered all the phlns
and penalties OF plague-strleken town.
Neighboring cities and towns. absurdly AFRO
cutting to themselves greater healthfuness,
have reinorselesely guaranteed her, and she
has been compelled during almost the entire
summer to submit to an embargo, the crush
Ing effect of which cannot be computed.
Every material interest In our city has SUI
ferod, aud some have been compelled TO seek
other fields, where com munities are governed
by reason and law, and not carried away by
ignOble panic and senseless fear, where cause-
less guarantees are not permitted and where
the rights Of cornmeree are not suhndnated
to the wild frenzy and insane fear Of d few In
dividuals. 5
Tho continuation Of this atrocious systsm
of quarantine will simply and effectualy an
initiate New Orleane and we must rs n COM
munity either unite to crush 1t out of exist
encs OF prepare to abandon our business and
our homes.
portance and absolutely dwarfs MI others SO
far as this great but threatened city is CON
cerned. To Its consideration and solution
should be given the most earnest and pro-
found consideration of our best minds, and
some plan must be evolved to protect lib In
tho future from the possibility of such diaas-
ter as we have suffered for two consecutive
years.
During the Inst session Of Congress bill
was introduced by the Committee on Epi-
damic Diseases having for It's object the crea-
ton Of q national quarantine, which should
have absolute control over the subject. This
bill, which WAS not passed, was advocated ny
Hon. II. IL. Gibson on the ground that the sub
iect was SO closely allied to commerce as to
be properly under the jurisdiction Of the Fed
eral government, and that Interstate quar-
anttnes II permitted to continue their system
Of embargoes, would inevitably lend to clash
ing Of commercial interests between the
States which, under the constitution, could
only be settled by Congress. rs no other
power has jurisdiction. We seem TO be placed
in the dilemma of submitting to absolute
commercial apnihlation, or of advocating
the remission and control OF the subject OF
quarantine, when 1t unnecessarily interferes
with commerce. to Congress The States
themselves, at least those adjacent to Lou
isiana. have shown their utter incapaclty to
exercise SO tremendous D power, and we have
been placed long enough at the mercy Of
people who seem to ba swayed by only two
motives avarice and fear; both unworthy of
the century. both gnoble and infinitely con-
temptible.
The vast interests Of this great emporium
Of the Mississippi valley mperatively de-
mand relief from the intolerable burden Of
senseless embargoes, and we call upon our
merchants and people generally to arouse
to action no,r..
Now. while the evidences OF losses and dis
aster arc easily procurable, aud while the
OF thu wrongs we have been called
upon to endure for two years are fresh In the
minds OF all. Our representatives In Con-
gress are prepared to act with promptness
and vigor, but they must be sustained by the
united support Of their constituents.
Our merchants, the representatives of all
our interests that have suffered, must meet
and formulate their grievances; they must
petition Congress for relief and show the
losses which have been inflicted
upon thcm, and demand that the commerce Of
his great valley shall be as free and IN
as that OF any other section Of the |
country. This Is battle for our very exist
,pce and no clifton can afford to be lukewarm
Il Tia matter Let another year roll round |
md no steps be taken for relief, and on the
irat report, true OF false, Of d case OF fever III
his city up VIII so all the barriers and New
Orleans will be again cut off from the world
Ind the process Of commercial strapgulatlon |
10 continued. Are our merchants prepared i
or this? Can they stand it2 What say our
owners of real estate? Does the prospect of
,ur business being annihlated and Of firms
moving to other cities excite In them no
alarm2
We must have relief In some shape. and
since 1t is idle to expect 1t from the wisdom
~ justice of our adjacent States, we are In
avor Of national quarantine which will pre- |
vent the inexcusable outrages which have
heretofore been perpetrated under the name
Il quarantine, and which have resulted In
such incalcuIable injury to New Orleans. All
We ask is that the subject shall be under intel |
igent and unbiased supervision, and that
power shall DO vested In a board composed OF
The ablest and most scientific mon in the
country to declare when quarantine ceases to
~ quarantine and becomes an embargo, and
to protect cities and States from the injury |
Inflicted by causeless panics.
We are earnest in this matter because We
Ieel deeply. Our interests are oil bound up
In New Orleans and Louisiana, and we ma
t,lrally feel deep concern for everything that
threatens the advancement and development
of either Relieved from the burden of quar-
antine, our people have bright prospect be
fore them, but, saddled with that incubus, all
their attempts will be as vain and hopeless as
those OF Sisyphus.
RANKING LAWS NEEDED