The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-08-22
QUARANTINE.
Important Conference Between Act
ing Governor Wilt and the
Board Of Health.
A Committee Of Seven Citizens Invited
to Meet the Board of Health
for Conference.

Yesterday at o'clock the members Of the
Board of Health, in accordance with the lnvl-
tation Of Acting Governor Wilt, repaired to
the Executive Office to confer In regard to the
subject Of quarantine. When the members OF
the board were seated (all being present ex-
cent DR.. Chopin and Major Hardee, who are
absent from the city,, Gov. Wiltz arose and
said:
Gentlemen. yesterday during the day 2
committee composed of fourteen or fifteen
.nerchants honorable gentlemen, citizens 81
this place, waited upon me ana presented he
with a petition very numerously signed. !
do not suppose there is any necessity 1or
having II read, as you doubtless lave seen II
In the papers together with the signatures.
You have also seen my answers mace 70 tnat
committee / took up each suolect COM
planned Of by the committee ~ ana my
pers. I stated to the gentlemen, however,
That / deemed 1t my duty to respectfully re-
quest your board to meet me no-uay 81
o'clock to lay before you their Petltlon aIu 20
If or any portion thereof. For this purpose
have called this meeting. @m
MR. MARKS
Mr.. President ] desire to make o lew r.
marks upon this subject l am very glaa ~
deed that this opportunity has presented u
self, that this petition OF citlzens mas peem
prepared and laid before your Exceliency, 1or
+ thinl tha time has arrived when the Board
of Health should be placed In It's proper llghJ
before this community. unfortunately IoI
those members who are conscle,ntlousiy ana
zaalously laboring for the public good, their
motives have been misrepresented, and they
have actually been placed In the position De-
fore the people Of this community as inc enc
mics Of the commerce OF New Orleans. nlle
they are laboring necessarily W pIeShIs " IIe
a;% int v.
inward attacks or outward attacks, ana while
thew have been laboring with all their lndus.
trv ~ preserve and protect the commerce OF
the city OF New Orleans, the grossesI In1sIep
to their action, and they SItiuu pclolo W ~
pie of this city to-day
THE BEST ABUSED SET OF MEN,
nrohably. who ever held public position IN
fhis cam munity, No regard 10 paid TO thelf
social position, no regard is paia Go o.til , ~
teerity as citizens. Those VINO nave aIIackeu !
them them have been forgetful OF the l .a
that there are among the members or the
hest Years of their lives to the public service,
ana their motives In the positions they nave
occupied have never been called Ia question.
IN the discussion of this question
II quarantine, the public mind has
been forced TO believe that the ma
tural stagnation OF business here II tne
midst OF sumH az ehe = Boa u Of Health Who il
t ~ eaae 81 nerfect health enforce the quaran
tine regulations existing under the laws 81 our
State.
ha antiraIv untrue No one knows this better
than the oririnators of the attacks upon This
ORGANIZATION; nay, more, they know that 10
the MIDST of summer we nave ~ iolelen -
mort trade to speak Of. Inat Win STOCK On
hand of 5000 bales OF cotton, there rs no use for
foreign vessels to come here except for the
rrain that may come down from the West for
Transportation to Europe. Every laborer
on the levee, and every, mercn ani
nnow s'oT we are upon the eve OF the
areat cotton season, and that It y imperative
that the preservation OF uninterrupted inter,
course with the great interior country around
and tributary to New orleans snuulu oe e pi I
served; and, sir, while the members OF the
Hoard of Health have been laborlng TO pre-
vent the importation OF foreign disease, they
have mt the same time been laboring to adj
vance the interests OF the port OF New Or
leans. And il is not SAYING zoo H ~ ta WEI
Of Health that the quarantine levied against
New Orleans BY the cities and towns OF this
and adjacent States, with the exception OF
that OF Galveston, have been raised. NOW, ~
ia time that this subject should be presented
to the people here in q proper light and De-
fore / conclude I shall move, Sir, that you De
authorized to select from among the sl9ners
of that petition committee, composed OF
THE MERCHANTS OF NEW ORLEANS,
to meet the board, in order 70 luTtner unaeI
stand how far the members 81 Inc boarl O.
Haalth. in the execution OF their sworn duties,
60 annda to the request OF demands OF these
The nhase OF the question Of quarantine
presented to the Governor IS puTely com
Of the haa Fl III not con- ene
sidered. Let u.s. then, look at y only 10 tnae
liuht win the general commerce 81 the CITY
be benefited by the withdrawal q qualanIl1s!
Which of the two avenues q JIaue leaulls -
RI our CITY is the most important in a com
mafcial and financial point Of view 10 pc Kept
oman md uninterrupted 1T this PERIOD OF the
Year. Which is the most valuable when
gives the largest employment GO ra Az
Steamboats,, vessels ana iaDoLens tronal ~ h mUs
meticaily close the other /? VIII not the llrst
s,nnortod ease of feuer heralded TO the sur
rounding country lmmedlaIely r nestoit e 81
Of the interior guarantees " nat tilen,
world be the use Of foreign lmportaIIllonis
with all of the outlets closeu - all''s 'l1oih
transmission anywhere! 49, s,;r,1r ,ro
The question has not been larry pre-
scented to the people. Just at me open,
ing OF the cotton season, T. "1 af ~ ~,
country tributary to New Orleans are about
heinp PASSED into it; just when the steam
boats and railroads will return laaen WIN i Cne
execution Of outward merchandise orders
which will imperil, possibly destroy. but GER
tainly suspend the entire interior trade until
November. Suspension will cause the loss OF
millions OF dollars to our city. DO we again
want, through the Introduction OF FEVER, tne
diyertion to other ports OF
10000 BALES OF COTTON,
and the important trade attached to the
value OF this cotton carried TO st. Louis, Sa-
yaunah and other cittes2 Will this result ben
cit the foreign export trade? How many
ships would there b. required to carry off this
cotton? How many stevedores and laborers
would have the profitable handling OF 1T.
Look at the toll paid ~ each bale Of cotton to
the cotton presses, the draymen, the commits
sion merchant, etc. Eacl, bale OF cotton leaves
in our city at least S.. Two hundred thous-
and bales adds S1,o0O.o00 to the capital Of the
city.
Ii the interior trade is again closed. this
result must inevitably follow. The cotton
will seek other channels. Supplies of mer-
chandise must be sought elsewhere. The
people of the cotton-growing region have to
itxya Nd fbpy cannot walt for the advent of