Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-09
rzBAppggaEsDED SMALLPOX EPIDEMIC

"quent occurrence, whilst in various
"places throughout the State and the
neighboTing region cases spring up from
time to time. Numbers OF these are
g trcceable to importation by rail from
Chicago and tie East, while the origin
"of others is obscure. For a year or two
"pass there has existed extensively over
"the United States and Canada an epidemic
diathesis tending to fcrtilize the germ
"of this dangerous pest. But for vacci-
nation, the mortality from varioia In our
country would at this moment be record
"ed bv tens and hundreds of thousands, in
stead of the scattered units which have
tracked it's paths. OF course, however,
mere warnings are OF no use in case of
this kind. If the small pox is being
brought into the State by immigrants.
the people Of California must very quickly
make up their minds as to what shall be
done, orit will be too late to do anything
for with people travelling all over the State
looking for land the disease would be dis
tributed as thoroughly as if pains had been
taken to disseminate it everywhere.
But unfortunately there has never been
any legislation locking to such a con-
tingency as the present. The only qusran-
tine law relates solely to protection from
the seaward side of the State. Ample
provisions have been made TO prevent dis
ease from being imported through the
Golden Gate, but there is literally nothing
to hinder it crossing the Sierras or stealing
in over the Colorado river. This, then,
is the embarrassment of the situation.
The State Board of Health is prepared to
guard the public, but it has no authority
to do anything. In this emergency it has
addressed itself to the Governor, stating
the facts, representing the gravity of the
danger, and appealing to him to exercise
that latent power which, in the absence
OF statutory provisions, always is available
to protect the commonwealth. The Gov
ernor has replied that he is willing to ac-
eept the responsibility, and to authorize
the necessary measures, and ne desires the
Board to proceed at once with the precau-
tions 1t considers most necessary, and to
use for this purpose the State appropria-
ton as far as it will go. When it is ex-
hausted, he says, he will furnish funds
from some other available source. We
doubt whether either the small fund appro-
priated to the use of the State Board of
Health, or the remnant of the Governors
Contingent Fund, will be found sufficient
to meet the expenses required to be under
taken. But in Gaze of this kind expense
is the last thing to be considered, and
there can be no doubt that the Legislature
will indemnify the Board for all its pro-
ceedings.
The Board agrees with the RECORD
UNION that tits useless to establish quar-
antine station anywhere but at the State
line. The Governor recommends the ap.
pointment of an Inspector for the southern
| frontier, as well as one for the northern,
but since there is no reason to suppose
that any disease has been introduced by
way of the Southern Pacific hitherto, it
will perhaps be best to bestow all the
available vigilance where it is known to be
needed. The Board points out the neces-
sity Of quarantiuing all the immigrants
from Chicago, since merely to hold such
as were evidently infected would not keep
out the disease, for the reason that the
period of incubation might not have been
advanced far enough in many others to
indicate their infection, and so they would
be allowed to come on and communicate
the contsgion. The only way to meet this
difficulty is by holding all the passengers
until the period of incubation, counting
from the date they left Chicago, has passed.
If they then exhibit no symptoms of in
fection they may safely be allowed to
proceed on their journey. Of course this
measure involves considerable expense.
Buildings must be erected, nurses must be
engaged, stock of drugs must be pur.
chased, provisions on considerable scale
must be provided, and in fact very ssri.
Gus expenditure must be faced.
1t is, however, the only means of protec-
tion that can be adopted, aud in the opin-
ion of our most trustworthy physicians it
is absolutely necessary that it should be
adopted at once. It is believed that there
are at present atmospheric conditions pre-
vaiiing which quicken and facilitate the
communication of infection, and this
makes it the more important that precau-
tions should be taken. The State Board of
Health is composed of veteran medical
men, none of whom would sanction SEN
sstional or baseless alarm. It's action,
therefore, points TO the imminence of the
danger, and should satisfy the public that
it has not spoken before it believed it
necessary to do so. The Governor has met
the propositions of the Board with
promptness which shows that he will lot
allow the commonwealth to take harm
from any red-tape obstacles when the ex-
ercise OF little peremptory common sense
can save the situation. There remains
then nothing but to carry out the recon.
mendations of the Board as to the institu-
tion of State-line Quarantine Station as
speedily as possible, and the Board, being
vested with the needful authority, can
proceed at once and in full accord with its
own conclusions as TO what are the best
methods. OF course the next Legislature
will have to supply the hiatus in our stat
utes, and provide for quarantine on land as
well as at sea.
sHERMaNis REPORT ON TIE ARMY.
General Sherman has shown the need of
more men in the army, but perhaps be-
cause he fears the parsimony of Congress
rather than because he thinks the number
sufficient, he only asks that the active force
be raised to little over 50, 600, and that