The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1888-11-03
Why Florida Failed 20 Keep Out the
Yellow Fever.
Tlimes-Demoerat.l

1T toltud ltNtt ls ucaElhS ite emu.
II can, at the worst. linger but few
weeks longer in @1he Land Of FOwers.s :
With the unfortunate experience they
have had this year, and the great loss
and damage inflicted on their State by
the epidemic, the people of Florida
will we feel sure, take such action as
to render any future invasion of the
disease impossible, To legislate effect
ually and intelligently on this subject,
TO prevent the possibility of any fail
ure. they should study the sad expert
ence of the past two years, see where
they erred, and to what causes and
what persons they owe the failure to
organize a State Board of Health aud
an effective quarantine service. The
epidemic did not come without due
warning. Florida had already suffered
from the fever at Pensacola and Key
West in former years. The Louisiana
State Board of Health pointed out to
the Florida authorities the danger--in-
deed the certainty-of the fever get
ting in if the system then prevailing
was continued and petty boards of
health in each county and town, with
out any knowledge of the subject,
given full power and control over quar-
antine, without any State Board to
regulate them: and the Times-Demo-
crat earnestly backed up this appeal.
Nor were the people of Florida deaf
to it. A large majority of them appre-
ciated the situation and called for
some action on the part of the Legis-
lature that would protect them from
this threatened danger, and appealed
to the Governor to assemble that body
in extra session. Petition after petit
tlon poured into Gov. Perry asking
him to issue this call, but to all of
them he replied that the State had no
money for an extra session-(it could
have well paid for ten such sessions to
have escaped the fever)
The petitions having failed of effect,
Senator A. S, Mann, of Brooksville,
in the winter of 'S7, sent II circular ask
ing the members of the senate and
House whether they would serve free,
if the Governor called them in extra
session, to pass on quarantine and
health matters. To this circular, all
but five responded "Yes,' thus meet
ing the excuse of the Governor about
the lack of money. These facts were
presented to him, but he still persisted
in his refusal, with the same plea that
there was no money wherewith to pay
the Legislature. II was shown him
that there were other funds in the
treasury, and that the Legislature
would authorize their use for this pur-
pose, as as II was, above all, necessary
to frame legislation that would prevent
the introduction of yellow fever and
provide for the creation of State
Board of Health. Besides the numer-
Gus petitions sent TO him, prominent
citizens, among them Col. J.J. Daniels,
who died but few days ago at jack
sonville, called on the Governor and
personally urged him to yield to the
wishes Of the. people and call the Leg
islature together. Neither petitions
nor appeals had the slightest effect
The Governor refused to bulge from
his position, the Legislature never met
no laws was passed and the fever
broke into Florida and carried dosola-
ton to half dozen towns.
These are facts that cannot be over
looked, in considering the Florida cpl.
demic. They point cut where the
blame lies, where the mistake was
made, and they show the people Of
Florida what they must do if they wish
to avoid the possibility of another cpl
demic. The movement for the creation
of State Board of Health began in
Florida more than twelve months ago,
in ample time for action to be taken In
this matter. Col. Chas. S. Jones, be-
fore retiring from the Jacksonville
Times-U Union, called editorially in thai
paper for an extra session of the Legis
laturc, and Cassandra-like, predicted
what would follow, and what did fol-
low, If no State Board of Health was
created.
There was more than ample time fol
legislation on the suhject-but thu
Governors obstlnacy prevented it.
The people of Florida, with this expe-
rience, cannot begin at too early da!
to make known what are their wishe,