The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-26
AN IMPORTANT CASE.
The Whole State Interested i'm the Anti
Vaccination Trial.


The above are the first two lines over
your account this morning of the Terre
Haute trial now going on. and as they
state the matter correctly I am anxious
to correct two misapprehensions contained
in your dispatch. as they were also pub
lshed in the Terre Haute papers, and teie-
graphed to the press of the entire country.
First, as to the statement that Professor
Pickering, the London expert who testified
against vaccination, was "only clerk in
a freight office" This is not and never
was, he being connected with the London
office Of the great American Equitable Life
Insurance Company. His titles are F. r.
G. s. and T. s. s., and, although he is not
practicing medicine, he was educated as
physician. He is recognized as an expert
on the subject of vaccination, commencing
its study forty years ago, and has writ
ten upon it largely. He has recently been
the recipient of distinguished consideration
in Providence and Boston, and passed
through this city yesterday on his way to
those cities to fulfill important engagements
before the legislatures Of Massachusetts, and
Rhode Island. Counsel for the Terre Haute
Board of Health personally told me that
they admired him greatly, and they shook
hands with him warmly on his departure
The other statement i wish to correct Is
the ridiculous one that 'Dr. Clarke testified
that If the practice of vaccination had been
abandoned years ago the human family
would know of no smallpox to-day" The
StenOgrapher's notes will show no such
statement What 1 said was that vaccin-
ating during an epidemic time tended to
spread smallpox, not that there was af-
but because anything that made people
sick or lowered the tone of their health,
as does vaccination, would render them far
more likely to contract smallpox when it
was prevalent.
This case being, as you admit, such an
it may not be considered irrelevant or 1 une
interesting, especially as they. can have
no influence on the case itself. which is
almost certain to be taken to the Supreme
Court, however decided now. William Cob
bett, p. said that compulsory vaccination
people are not vassals or slaves" It tram
pies upon human personal rights II there
Is anything a man owns in this world it is
ms own blood. And to inject anything into
it. be it good or bad, against his will, even
under the form of law, is a grievous OUT
rage upon sacred personal rights as ancient
sDonSible for the blood of his child The
Board Of Health acted in this matter with
more power than the Legislature had con-
ferred upon ii, more power than the Leg
islature itself posss ssed TO confer upon it,
or even Congress itself has. / say unreal
sonably, because there was not case Of
smallpox in the whole county. and none
nearer than Muncie. And even after the
board found that there was no emer-
gency, and even declares that there is not
a case of smallpox in the whole State, it
serenely pursues its tactics of pestiferous
and revengeful obstinacy and still refuses
the unvaccinated children their rightful
privileges of education in the public schools.
1t seems to me that If the people Of the
State fully understood this case of despot-
ism they would at once rise in their might
and render it's continuance impossible Ii
1T were necessary for the public good there
might be a little warrant for such action
but can such obstinate trampling upon hui
man rights, physical and mental, longer be
tamely endured or even be considered nee
essary for the public health, especially as
not a scintilla of proof can be adduced that
vaccination protects from smallpox, but
oceans TO the contrary? There is but one
place in the State where this despotism is
dren are affected. If II is right in one why
is not the board enforcing it in all? The
secretary of the State Board of Health tes-
titled that vaccination, and reVaccina ton,
and revaccination might prevent from
smallpox" Then why does not the Board
believing that revaccination is necessa nv
order 1t. instead of confining. it's Machiavei-
Ian work TO the weak and helpless children?
Shoeing the colts, but letting the mares &c
bare The original contention was that vac
cination prevented smallpox. and hence
ton has been abandoned by the vaccina.
tionists themselves, and the claim now is
for ,revaccination. and that it modihes
smallpox. This subterfuge is simply the
writings and last gasp of the deiuson
| advanced by the profession as a cloak tC
| hide its chagrin at the swindle put upOr
It. and to prolOng the inevitable end OF tn;
| fetish when it's exposure before the world
| will be general and complete. In concll.
| sion, the Terre Haute case can only expost
| little of the rottenness, as by the rulings
| of the court the literature Of the subisc
cannot be drawn upon, but only the abso
| lutte personal knowledge Of the few inter
ested can be testified TO.
INDIANAPOLIS March o.