Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-04-30
A LAST FIGHT FOR LIFE.
THE NATIONAL BOARD OF
HEALTH DYING HARD.


Government Aid for Pensacola-The
Civil Service Commission.
WASHINGTON, April 29.-If the present
antics of the National Board of Health
We're not so very frantic they would be
amusing. The National Board of Health
dies hard. 1t was a monumental fraud
when it was in full feather. But that is
an old story; it is thTice-told tale, the
details Of which are uninteresting. In
order, however. to get at full understand
ing of the present maneuyre of this truly
remarkable board, it is necessary to 20
back little. The House, at the last session,
in passing the sundry civil bill, refused to
make any appropriation whatever for the
boards continuance. 1t appropriated
100000 to be used under the direction of
the President in case of an epidemic or
threatened epidemic, and to maintain
quarantine where necessary. The board
went to the Senate and tiled its best to
get an appropriation .there. Senator
Harris was its only champion, The effort
to induce the Senate to appropriate a big
lump OF money was unsuccessful. FL
nally, at II O'Clock on the night of March
3D. last, Senator Harris, by a majority of
four, succeeded in getting an amendment
which $4,000 was appropriated for
the salaries and personal expenses
of the members of the board. The vote
which put this item in was - ayes to Is
nays. Thrty-SiX Senators did not vote.
1t was so near the close of the Congress
that the $4,000 staid in the bill in the
hurry of the conference committee of
the two houses which finally patched up
an agreement on that and the many other
disputed items. The National Board of
Health is thus provided for in salary and
personal expenses. But they had an OBJ
ject in view when failing to get an ap-
preparation for continuing their so-caIled
work, they went in for what they really
got. They had an eye upon that 100000
epidemic fund and they are frantically
WhOOplng themselves to get a hand on it
also. Their Secretary has been working
up "a boom among the medical societies and
state authorities. He wrote a circular
or round robin, to everybody. He asked
them to send petitions to the President
that the epidemic fund be placed under the
National Board of Health. Otherwise.
he Sagely asserted, that things would 90
TO the demnitiOn bOW-wOWs. or worse
Among other things it was asserted that
number of quarantine stations, among
them that at SapelO, would be discOn-
tinued on the lst of July next. These
frantic appeals on the part of the board
of the eyelids-that's the way they are
hanging-have had results. a number
OF petitions, praying that the eyelid crowd
be given control of the epidemic fund, have
reached the President. They formed
the basis of the recent Cabinet discussion
of the epidemic fund. A member of the
Cabinet said to-day to your correspondent
that he thought there was not the slightest
probability Of the eyelds being success
tul III their appeal. He said that Congress
had positively refused to vote money to
them, and i'll the face of that refusal he
did not see how the President could give
them the renewed grip that they ask for
The 100000 would, in his opinion, be en-
pended, or so much of it as was necessary
under the direction OF the Treasury De
partment. That means under the super
vision of the Marine Hospital Service. As
to the statement of the national eyelids
that the quarantine stations at SaDelO and
elsewhere will be discontinued unless
they get hold of the 100000, is nonsense.
The appropriation reads, ''and for main-
tanning quarantine at points of danger"
SapelO would be continued lust as soon
under the Treasury Department super
vision as it would under the blinks OF the
eyelids. 1t will be continued if it is neces-
sary, which it will be in all probability,
although no specific appropriation for
that purpose was made. The National
>.
hang around in the shape of eyelidS for
another year on $4,000 for compensation
and personal expenses of its members. 1t
will be before Congress next session, lNt
it will hardly get even that $4,000.
DR.. Hamilton, Supervising Surgeon
General of the Marine Hospital Service,
has made report to the Secretary of the
Treasury in regard to giving government
aid to Pensacola. In his report he favored |
the giving of aid by the government to
the local Board Of Health to enable it to
thoroughly overhaul the city, have old |
bedding destroyed and infectious lOcali- |
ties cleaned out, as might seem advisable |
after the experience with the yellow
fever there last year. The report at first |
met with approval, there being no
question as to the Vulnerabilitv of Pen |
sacOla as starting point for the dis |
ease; but on mature thought it was
seen that the question was too broad;
that government aid to the local Board of
Health at Pensacola might mean incalcu-
liable repetitiOns of the same for other
places; that it would be precedent fraught
with future possibilities of a difficult ma
ture, and so 1t is determined not to applv
the epidemic funds OF the government to
aiding the local board Of Pensacola to
guard against yellow fever. 1t was de-
termined to take charge of the quarantine
regulations at that port, but when this
offer was made it was declined bY the To-
cal authorities there.
Third Auditor Keightley, of the Treas
ury Department, who made a claim
against Georgia that she owed the gov
ernment 100000 from old continental
days, and should not be given the $35,555
appropriation, is satisfied that he was
wrong. He Will withdraw that claim. 1t
appears that in balancing the accounts of
the thirteen original States, 5000, 600 was
put on the books against Georgia. 1t is
not stated what this charge is for. Col,
Green, the agent of the State in the pres
ent case, has forwarded to Auditor Height
ley records certified by the Secretary of
the State of Georgia which contain proof
that after the commissioners appointed for
that purpose had audited the accounts
of the several States there was a balance
due Georgia of $4,000. This proof is
dated after the charge of 100000 was
placed ON the Treasury hooks, Said
Auditor Keightley to-day: 'EThis IS suf-
ticient evidence. | will withdraw the
claim / made.' This leaves the question
just where.it was before Mr.. KeIghtley put
in his charge. 1t is whether Georgia is
to get the $35,555 or whether it is to be /
put to her credit as a part offset to the
direct tax which she never paid. Said
Judge Lawrence, who has this question
under consideration, to-day to a fellow
/
can authorize that a warrant be ISSUED
to any State for money when there is, as
in the case of Georgia, an Indebtedness to !
the government on her part much larger
than the sum involved in the present
case"
1T is evident that the greatest trouble to
be had under the new tariff bill will be as
to how section : of that tumble shall be |
construed. This section relates to charges |
and commissions. All of the leading Off !
GERS of the New York custom house have !
been instructed to submit their views on /
the subject to the Secretary of the Treasu-
ry. There are thOusacd and one degrees
of difference in the questions which will |
have to be decided under section :. An
instance: 1t must be decided whether |
there shall be paid duty on imported ale |
alone or upon the whole value of the ale |
and the bottles containing it. Another /
instance: 1t must be decided whether |
the casks and the sugar in them shall pav |
duty, or the sugar alone. In the !
thousands of different articles |
annually imported you can readily see /
how these questions and similar ones will /
multiply, The formation Of q general /
governing policy to control them will be /
matter of no small difficulty,
A good deal of ridicule is being heaped |
upon the Civil Service Commission for the |
selection of ID. B. Keim as its chief ex- |
aminer. This is not the first nor the last |
time that the commission will be ridi- /
culed 1t seems to have been pre-Ordain- /
ed that such was to he large share of |
its experience. Keim is a Cameron |
henchman, He was Grant favOrite and |
is yet. He is a thorough machine man.
! have often heard him praise the [
beauties of the machine. He is not the
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