Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-04-21
A HUMILIATING POSITION

The State of California j. just now
placed in most humiliating position, due
to the inaction of the late Legislature.
That was due in turn to the asinine posi-
ton taken by the major portion of the San
Francisco press relative to State quaran-
tine against invasion by infectious or con-
tagious diseases. 4 simple statement of
the facts will demonstrate to the dullest
intelligence-to use phrase born of the
wordy enthusiasm of Indignation on the
part of our contemporary, the San Fran
cisco Arg0nam-what lot of "self-cock-
ing, reech-loading, double-barreled idiots"
the most of the San Francisco papers are.
1t is altogether probable that they have
sense enough left, however, to now realize
what a miserable mess they have made of
a public health matter, and to plead guilty
to the charge of objectionable stupidity.
These are the facts: Between three and
four years ago the State was threatened
with an invasion of smallpox by the rail
routes on the east, and of yellow fever by
rail routes on the south. YSe@hole State
was alarmed, and none were more clamor-
Gus for preventive measures to be
taken and enforced than the news
papers of San Francisco Governor
Perkins was appealed to by the State
Board of Health-a body admittedly Of
birb cboron+ar o,J tho roco.J sc ,,-L;,I :;
free from any shadow of selishness or po-
litical scheming-for power and means to
establish inland quarantine stations The
Governor replied that there was no fund
provided for such purpose but deeming
the occasion one of great danger, and the
necessity for action to rise superior to the
law, he issued a proclamation reciting the
facts, and authorizing the State Board TO
establish the stations, stop and examine in
coming passengers, and when it deemed the
public safety demanded it, to detain them
in quarantine. The expense of the pro-
eedure he pledged the State to pay as a
debt of honor; and the State did pay it
without word of demur The Central
and Southern Pacific Railroad Companies
rendered the State Board all possible
assistance, and recognized as valid the I'M
questionably invalid act of the Governor
But it was a case of great emergency, and
no one was disposed to apply red tape at
such n time. As result the State was
protected from the invasion.
The State Board of Health thereupon
resolved not to be again caught in such
plight, and managed the next year to save
enough from its annual appropriation,
coupled with some other aid, to establish
guard against yellow fever at the Mexican
line. Last winter the Board went before
the Legislature with the gubernatorial in
dorsement-the matter being specially re-
ferred to in Executive message-and asked
for sum to be set aside as an emergency
fund, to he used in case it be-
came necessary 10 establish quarantine
stations inland, As before, and with such
greater care As to make them thoroughly
effective. Thereupon certain newspaper
correspondents of San Francisco journals,
who are generally smart lot-in their
own estimation-discovered niger in
the fence," and post haste wrote to their re-
spective Journals that bill for the estab-
lishment Of a quarantine station was before
the House that would prove n loop-hole
for the unlimited admission of Chinese
coolies, despite the Restriction Act. As
they figured the matter, a shipload of
Chinese could be taken into quarantine.
landed at the station, and when the time
of danger had passed the Cinnamon would
be set free. The press of san Francisco
thereupon elaborated the suspicion. and
the Legislators were warned not to pass the
measure, or permit an item to that effect
to creep into the appropriation bill.
1t is not conieSsing too much to say that
the action'of the San Francisco press I'M
questionably determined the fate of the
appropriation. The Secretary of the State
Board of Health, in an open letter, ex-
planned that the sum and power asked was
for inland quarantine on interior State
borders only, and though the members of
the Board were dilligent in disabusing the |
legislative mind of the blunder made by
the correspondents those individuals
and their principals adhered to their I
absurd theory that the appropriation
might be used for water quarantine sta
ton, through which Chinese might escape
into the country. In other words, the