New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-05
GovERyoE FLoWkR md QULRINTIyE.


Governor Flower statom,n, that the " chOl-
era did no, get beyond the gates Of orr harbor
because Of the efficiency OF our state and|lGcai
quarantine was made for the purpose OF de
feaiing the proposed legislation Of Congress
giving the supreme control OF quarantine al
mni.ttatiln 10 the National Government. To
entertain that purpose Is not ml'deineanor,
especially in one whose Office imposes on HIM
the duty of being wa;chiul and jealous OF ali
suggc ti,ns looking i the cntlllment oil state
authority II is natural and proper that the
GoycrnLr should consider all such suggestions
critically. Exposing their weakness wherever he
can find it, and Offering Whatever arguments
there may be for leaving the matters involved
in the hands If local authorities But after
such investigation, int, the conduct Of Health
Officer Jenkins as have been made by the
Chamber Of Commerce. the committee presided
over by President Low and the associated cJEl-
mit'ce IF physicians. and in the face Of the
facts set forth in their reports, il is absurd 10
say that the local quarantine was efficient o.
even reasonably well conducted. Just 9s, III
tho IcappJintment OF Maynard, Governor
Flower shut his eyes and eais 10 public pro-
test claiming that letter in MaynardS favor
from lawyer who has been fifty characterized
u, patticcps crminis. and from another lawyer
who is member Of Senator Hills firm i'll
Elmiia ii sufficient offset To the memorial
OF the Bar Association, So now, in dealing with
the quarantine subject, hc shuts himself away
from tho overwhelming manifestations Of pub
lie displcasure and anxiety, and puts forward
the assertions Of Tammany politicians rs II
sufficient answer to the demonstrated facts re-
ported by the Chamber Of Commerce.
II he had not chosen to make Ibis character
islic exhibition Of his willingness, to subord-
nate public interests 10 the schemes Of the
politicians in whose company and service he
is always found, we should willingly consider
Governor Flowers argument i'll favor OF the
" Jeifersonian idea" Of the reserved rights Of
the States. 1t is an old idea. older by good
many years than Jcfersons statement of it.
And it is an excellent idea. The interests of
the States being so generally common TO all,
and being so much more etiicaciously and
cheapy conserved by Il single machine directed
by single head than by forty -four different
machines, run in foriy-four different ways. the
temptation u hand things over 10 the Federal
Government is always strong. The people are
no longer frightened by the bugaboo of Il
strong, centralized power" They perfectly
understand that talk Of that sort is relic of
the days when the public thought Of Il Coy
eminent as thing apart from themselves, and
when kings and dictators were moro or less
actual menace. They understand that it is
only brought forward nowadays to conceal an
Interior purpose or a want Of original thought.
The Government, whether State or National, is
tho creature Of the people, and no law abiding
rcrson is afraid of it. But the reasons for
making sharp distinctions between State and
National jurisdiction are still as numerous and
as strong as they were when the Constitution
was framed and H. indicate them, in view of
the tendency we have mentioned, is always to
do public service.
But Governor Flower does not Indicate these
distinctions Ills talk about the protection Of
the public health being State affair is simply
ctniu,ng When tho quarantine administra
ton Of the great ports has been assumed by
the Federal authorities, the State Board Of
Health will still have quite enough to do. The
right of Congress to lcgisaa on this subject
cannot be Observation-Disclosures Governor Flow
or, without actually saving u; much, talks
as If il might be-and the argument in favor OF
Congra. sOnal acton and Federal control is con-
dusty. The cniio Nation, from end 1, end
is concerned in seeing t. it that neither per
soss nor merchandise infected with contagious