The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1883-04-12
The Sanitary CoanciIrof the MS
flNhl[ sissippI Valley, iH %

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The petition prepared and for
wardad Wednesday to President
Arthur by the Sanitary Council of
the Mississippi Valley, and which
contains the signatures OF represen-
tatives of the boarls of health or 9th.
or sanitary associations of the States
of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky.
Iowa, Tennessee, Missouri, Michi-
gan, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Arkan-
sas and Mississippi, calling on him
to place at the disposal of the Ma
tional Board of Health the fund of
500, goo set aside by Congress in
the event of the outbreak of yellow
fever or other epidemic disease on
our coast, shows the desires and
wishes of the people of the Missis-
sippi Valley. After mature con
sideration of this subject, the people
of this valley have come to the con-
clusion that they can best trust this
matter of the prevention of the IN
PRODUCTION of epidemic disease to
the National Board of Health.
Against so earnest and emphatic
an expression of opinion, made not
hastily, but after much delibcration
and thought, it is useless to continue
to argue the question that the State
Board of Health is the sole and ex.
elusive guardian of the sanitary in
terests of the Mississippi Valley.
Nine-tenths of the people of that
valley refuse to accept their guar
dianship as sufficient, and so earnest
and unanimous demand as that
made by the Sanitary Council Ger
tainly deserves the attention Of the
President.
New Orleans stands, it is true, at
the mouth of the Mississippi, and
enjoys in consequence large
and profitable trade; hut it is none
the less responsible, aad must attend
to the interests of the entire valley.
In other words, our position docs
not give US absolute control of the
whole river, without respect to or
consideration f'r the other States
above
When the question Of improving
the mouth Of the river came up, ten
years ago, it will be remembered
many of our people made just this
claim. This Improvement was in
the interests of New Orleans, they
said, and New Orleans exclusively
should decide this matter: and,
therefore, they protested against the
jetties, and demanded the construc-
ton Of the Fort St. Philip Canal.
Fortunately, Congress did not agree
to this doctrne-it thought St. Lou
is as much interested in deep water
to the Gulf as this city-and, against
the protests Of these same people who
now declare that Louisiana should
have sole and absolute control of
sanitary matters at the mouth of the
river, it passed the jetty bill. 1t
was right, dozen times over; right,
because the ietties were the best
plan presented; right, also, because
the States of Iowa, Missouri, Wis
consin, and others had the same au-
thority to decide on the improvement
of the passes, through which their
products went, as Louisiana.
Nine-tenths of the coffee. fruit
and other products, AMI four-iifths
of the people entering the Mississip-
pi river from the Gulf are destined
for the upper States. Has Louisi-
ana right to refuse the people of
those States some say in this quar-,
antine matter?
But aside from the abstract ques-
ton Of right, is the stubbon fact
that the States of the valley are un-
willing to leave the settlement of
this important matter to us. and, if
we insist upon it will place the most
effective embargoe on our commerce
in the shape of shot gun quaran-
tines.-NeW Orleans Times Demo-
crat .s#. h.t