The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-27
Health Certificates.

u is a question whether the regulation
the sanitary board has adopted in re
spect to health certifGfres is not much
more stringent than is necessary 10
secure safety II amounts practically 10
shutting people out of this city While
whatever is necessary TO protect the city
against the introduction of fever from
Brunswick is approved, it is doubtful
whether such rigid health certificate
system is demanded If the system were
entirely reliable, much might be said in
its defense, but how can it be deter
mined whether or not a health certificate
states the facts concerning the person
who has it. Ii n person from the infected
district desired to come to Savannah he
would have but little difficulty, in all
probability, in getting a, health certiti-
cate that would enable him to do so. All
he would have to do would be TO go TO an
official in some of the small towns, or
even Atlanta, and state such facts as
would entitle him to certih-
cate The official issuing the Ger
tifcate would not have the means
of knowing whether or not the
statements on which the certificate was
based were true He would necessarily
have to accept the statement of the per
son asking for the certificate, and it is not
reasonable to suppose that officials in all
parts of the state are going to make a
searching examination of those asking
for certificates.
There is much more dependence to be
placed upon inspectors of good judgment
than upon certificates, though it would
not be advisable to abandon the certifi-
cate system. Inspectors and certificates
together ought to be sufficient to keep out
Brunswick refugees.
The rigid system of certificates thath has
been adopted is simply bottling up this
city. People viii not come here unless
compelled to do so by urgent business, be-
cause they will not go to the trouble and
expense of getting certificates. Even
Savannahians who are now returning
home-people who are known to the in
spectors or who can readily establish
their identity-are being put to great
deal of annoyance and expense.
AS a matter of fact there have been no
refugees from Brunswick for number of
days-not since the marine hospital ser
vice took charge of the town, and there
viii be no more unless they escape by
water, in which case they could get into
this city probably without great diff
Guilty. The people who leave Brunswick
now go to Camp Detention, and remain
there ten days. Some of those there now
will soon be discharged, and their certif-
Gates will admit them here.
1t is worthy of notice that there is COM
paratively little yellow fever in Bruins
wick, and that as far as known not one
of the refugees has been attacked by the
disease. That would seemeo show that
the fever is of mild type and that there
is not much reason to apprehend danger
from the refugees.
We do not wish to be- understood as
criticising the action taken by the sani-
tary board. We wish simply to submit
to it the question whether it is wise to
shut out of the city all persons who do
not carry health certifcates-persons
who can show that they are not from
Brunswick and those whom the inspec-
tors have good reason to know are Sa-
vannahians who have not been in the in
fected district