Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-09-23
THE DUTY OF MUNICIPAL AND TOWN
AUTHORITIES.

There is no abatement of the cholera in
Spain; it is virulent in Rome; it has ap-
peared in Gibraltar; 10000 people have
fed from its presence at Palermo, the
shops of the city are closed, and the streets
are deserted save by dead-carts, and the
cholera plague increases with frightful
rapidity; the disease is epidemic in south
ern France, and is augmenting in proper
lions daily; the sanitary officials have
given up all hope of crushing it out and
in few days more it will, in all proba-
bility, reappear in Paris 1t prevails at
Shanghai and in many Chinese ports, and
is ravaging Nagasaki and other Japan
csc cities. Northern Europe, England
America and Australia, of civilized coun-
tries, alone are now exempt. But how
long this exemption will continue no man
can tell. In view of the steady spread of
the disease, and the known means of its
transmission, we are free from it only by
the mere chance of no ship departing
for America from a French, Spanish,
Italian, Chinese or japanese port having
on board the germs. Whoever estimates
chances must see that the probability of
such exemption continuing is very much
less than the liability of the incoming of
the pest. There are two things to do: To
enforce rigid quarantine against cholera
east and west of us, and yellow fever on
the south, and to put our cities and towns
IN the best possible sanitary condition.
The first we cannot expect, owing to the
great extent of our seaboard, the laxity of
official inspection, and the broad division
between sanitarians, physicians and scien-
lists as to the usefulness of quarantine de-
tention. Whenever a ship enters San
Francisco harbor with case of cholera ON
board, the news will be heralded of the
disease being in our midst, and the dam
age to the State will have already begun.
The right thing to do we will not
dc, because commerce has no bowels
of compassion for humanity. That
would be to cut off communication
with infected ports absolutely, and forbid
the entry of ships or passengers or mer.
chandise from them. While Spain en-
forced a similar regulation against Medi-
terranean and Egyptian ports, she was
effectually protected from the cholera; a:
soon as she withdrew the restriction the
pest entered. 1t is not likely that the
plague OF London was nearly so severe a.
the atfilction of cholera in Spain and Italy
to-day In the period of the plague tn,
terrors oil the people were the greater be
cause OF their total ignorance of il, tn,
limited knowledge of sanitary science. an,
the confessed incapaeity of the physician
to cope with the disease. We are blessee
with the knowledge of preventing disease
and favored with information how best :,
resist its assaults. If now we fail TO i'm
prove these advantages, and the pest shall
come upon us,we shall have only ourselve
TO blame if great suffering and mortal;t,
ensue, and almost irreparable damage /,
industrial and productive interests results
There should not be lost single hour il
carrying into effect the recent anxiousl
urgent appeal of the State Board of Healtl
to Immediately enforce house-to-house in
spection, the removal and destruction q
all filth, the cleansing of sewers, the dis
infection of filth pits, and the clearano
and purifying of cesspools and foul drains
Yet, though the Board has presented tn,
matter in the most forcible manner, anG