Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-02-28
QUARANTINE GROUNDS.
The following Is teIegraphed:

AhO ioAiOhlilS i lticSldpDcu
Representative Morrow called upon the SUI
pervising Surgeon Gene;al of the Marine Hos
pital service this morning. The Supervising
Surgeon IS authorized under the law TO render
assistance to local officers in charge of quaran-
tine stations in preventing the introduction OF
contagious diseases in the United States He
informed Mr.. Morrow that if the State Board OF
Health, through the Governor of California,
asked his assistance he would do all in his
power to enforce the quarantine. He is author
ized to detail officers III case of an emergency
and also TO provide temporary quarantine.
Mr.. Morrow IS OF the opinion that a national
quarantine Office should be established in San
Francisco, aud on Monday he proposes to intro
duce bill in the House similar to the one in
troduced in the Senate by Stanford. creating a.
national quarantine station at san Francisco.
That is well and we trust Mr.. Morrow
will succeed, but there is bit of history
connected with this matter that must not
be forgotten. 1t will be observed that the
Surgeon-General says he can provide a
temporary quarantine and can give local
authorities aid. He meant thereby to
have it distinctly understood that until
California acts in the proper manner no
permanent station is likely to be located.
Some six years ago the Federal Govern
ment was anxious to locate a permanent
quarantine station on San Francisco Bay.
The State Board of Health was even more
solicitous to have it done. The LegisIa-
ture authorized that body to act in an ad-
visory capacity with the Federal authori-
ties. Accordingly the Snrgeon-General
of the United States and the War and
Naval Departments-we believe-and the
California State Board of Health took steps
to secure a site, and, as we remember if. an
officer was sent here from Washington for
the purpose. Two sites were agreed upon
But when the State Board, four years AGO.
reported the selections to the Legislature.
and pointed out that ii was necessary for the
State Government to act promptly and in
connection with the Federal, the Legisla-
ture was set upon by the San Francisco
press and told that it must do nothing, and
1t obeyed. Two years ago the Board re-
newed its effort, and again the Legislature
refused to act, being influenced by the mis-
representations of the San Francisco Jour
mails. Thereupon the Federal authorities
withdrew in disgust, and reported to their
departments that California declined to act
with the Government, and expressed the
opinion that California was acting very
foolishly in the matter. The State and
Federal reports show these to be
the facts. The objection raised by
the San Francisco press to action
being taken and expenditure made,
was that quarantine station would be a
landing place for Chinese, and therefore Il
means for evasion of the Restriction Act.
This, and nothing more, was all that was
urged against the measure. Two Govern
ors of California in recent biennial messages
have called the attention of the Legislature
to the great need for quarantine grounds
and hospitals, and to the inhumanity
OF keeping passengers together upon in
fected ships, and the almost impossible
task of preventing the spread of conta-
gious diseases by such policy. The State
Board of Health has most emphatically,
and in language severe and industriously
urgent, presented the matter to the Legis-
lature, and still we have no quarantine
grounds, nor will we have any permanently
and properly appointed until ignorance in
San Francisco is 81 got under" by intelli-
gence. We recall the fact that when the
bills referred to were before the Legislature
appeals by the Board of Health to the
correspondents to properly represent the
matter and to urge them to advocate
quarantine establishment in their journals
received no attention or flat refusal The
Legislatures were too timid to act indie
pendently of the San Francisco delegation,
and that body was under COW of the San
Francisco press. 1t is for these reasons
that we have now no quarantine grounds
Probably the admirable grounds originally
selected by the Federal and State author
tiles cannot now be had, except at enormous
cost. Others must therefore, be selected,
but none equally as desirable can possibly
be secured, for at the time the authorities
searched the shore line of the ensre bay
for that desirable combination, good an
chorage, remotely located grounds and
sanitary advantages, and found but two
points of land embracing all, both of which
are now occupied by private industries.
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