The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1892-09-08
CRIMINAL NEGLECT OF oUN.

The Pittsburg Dispatch is not the
only Republican newspaper that Is
criticising President Harrison and his
cabinet for their criminal neglect to
protect the American people from the
cholera scourge. Cholera of the most
virulent type has been raging in South
Russia for the past three months, and
ern for over two months In sections of
Germany, Austria and France. In the
mean time the President of the United
States has been almost constantly alb
sent from his post of duty in Washing
ton, and all Of his cabinet have been
sky y-larking about the country, with no
attention to public business, No
adequate quarantine regulations have
been established, and a ship load of
cholera infected passengers (22 having
died on the voyage across the Atlantic)
was allowed to land in New York.
Cholera is essentially filth disease,
depending upon unsanitary conditions
and the use of polluted water supply
for its propagation. This country
does not breed cholera. 1t comes to us
from the emigrants and imported
paupers from the old world.
Here let us quote the words of truth
and soberness uttered by the Pittsburg
Dispatch, on President IIarrison's
criminal neglect of duty.
"The net result of President Hsrrison's
consultation with his Cabinet yesterday
liz an order of fixed quarantine period OF
20 days for immigrants coming from in.
fected distrcts-and the issuance OF addi
tional instructions for strict disinfeCtion.
This is better than allowing the immi
srauts to step ashore upon transient
view, as was done ia the
case of La Touraine's pas
sengers early in the week, or than holding
them merely long enough to give them a
bath and steam their clothing and bags
gage. The twenty days interval will
prOlong the chance for medical examina-
tion. IL may give the germs, II they exist,
au opportunity to develop. But II Presi
dent Harrison supposes that the public
| will take this step as a full measure OF
what the occ lsion demands no is utterly
and wretchedly mistaken. Notwithstand
ing the soothing talk of Secretary Foster,
/ of the Treasury Department. who seems to
| regard this crisis from the point of view
| of revenue rather than hygiene-tbere ID
( no popular confidence whatever in the
| probability or possibility of continuously
excluding the disease by mere quaran
| tine. Notwithstanding all the boast
| ed preparations and multitudinoui
circulars from the Treasury Department
we have seen how easily the vessels from
infected ports got TO the docks of Pbils.
delphia and New York this week. Eye
witnesses have borne evidence of hasty
! and utterly worthless inspection OF hund.
reds of immigrants who came upon the
Touraine, even after full notice that the
port of departure, Havre, was plague
I stricken.
In hesitating still about applying the
! only safe and sure prevention against tbs
| invasion of the dread disease, the ad
ministrAtion Is simply SHINING away III
days of grace. Unless all sigma ant
human experience fall, it will hereafter
have terri le responsibility to face fo
its supineness and halting measure
Common sense dictates total temporar!
stoppaRe of immigration. With painful
soma early evidence at Washington of I
better perception by the administration o
its enormous responsibility in this mat
ter.n
| The above is harsh arraignment o
an imbecile Administration, but non,
Cholera is ten times wors
than war. While war kill
men, it does not kill so many, ant
it spares the women and children
Cholera not only kills more than war
but it kills eyerything-men, womel
and children and paralyzes and destroy
all business, in every locality where i
touches. If all the armies of Russia anC
France were on the Atlantic, in see
clad vessels, en- route to the United
States to make war on our commerce
burn our sea port cities and kill ou
armies, they could not, in one year, xii
mauyas men, and destroy as mucl
property as this cholera scOurge will
kill and destroy, if it obtains a firI
toothold upon our shores. Hence tn
long dalliance of the President hunting
for snipe at Loon Lake, in the awfu
presence of this terrible scrourge can
not be too severely condemned.