The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-24
THE KIND OF QUARANTINE


Southern Ports.
Editor Morning News: A couple of Sun
days ago an editorial appeared in your
valuable paper. in which you recommend
the placing Of the management of our
quarantine in the hands of the general
government. This l must say, was a great
surprise 60 me. Your readers know full
well that ever since 1882 the management
Of yellow fever epidemics has been eXer-
cised by the marine hospital service, first
at Brownsville and the RIO Grande in
Texas. then at Pensacola, Brewton, Biloxi
Tampa, Jacksonville. Brunswick. and that
at this very moment their authority is
badly mixed up with that of the states. 1t
is very evident that this mixture does not
give the same satisfactory results that 1t
did, when the management and responsi-
bility rested entirely with the state or
municipal authorities and then yellow fe-
yer was at its worst, the mortality uooS)
reaching upwards of 10000 in one single
season-while now it rarely comes to 200.
That some change is necessary, there Is
not the shadow of doubt-for as things
are now managed it is only a matter of a
few years before the commerce of our
southern coast will be all driven to few
favored ports and that our cotton and ma
val store business be transferred to the
lucky bidders. There is reason IN every
thing-and il is about time Tor our people
to realize that they are imposed upon.
The insensate fear of a disease, which
these latter years. has killed fewer per-
sons than any other upon the list Of our
cOmmonest ailments, Tvs chliureh uIeu
from measles in New YORK IN 1882 'f IN
1850, has led states ana communities TO
quarantine against each other otteh mere
ly upon the rumor of suspicious case
Then the marine hospital service steps m
sensational kilograms are published an
over the land spreading terror wherever II
goes. Bulletins are issued, mails, baggage
cars and every other thing Iumlsateu
Camps are established, people are detained
travel is impeded and commercial rela-
tons paralyzed. Our people are Kept In
awe, at the power of Uncle sam, ana all
the diminutlve health authorities!
Quarantine i'm connection with yellow
fever is not "a new thing under the sun.
For the past 300 years it has been used by
municipal and other authorities as means
of quoting the fears of the people, who
have been made to believe, that rigid quar-
antine by land and water. VIII prevent
the Introduction and the spread OF vel
low DEATH just as our ancestors did, the
three hundred years preceding TO prevent
the ravages of the plague or black
death" But history shows that neither
their rigid and most brutal quarantine did
not prevent the recurrence of that dread
ed disease, millions upon millions perish
ing at each of its frequent visits. The
great change in the construction of houses,
in the width of street, which was inaugu-
rated after the great hre In London, 1000,
and the greater attention to municipal
cleanliness put a stop 70 the plague In
that great metropolis. 1t was the start
OF the great sanitary works that were in
stltuted in France and Western Eu-
rope, and gradually extended
eastWard-the plague disappearing at
once wherever these measures had been
introduced. Turkey and Eastern Russia
SLOW TO give up thelr medieval habits, sur
fered until recent years. There quaran-
tine measures were at first relaxed, then
abolished in Northern Europe. Spain and
Turkey Cwhose ports are renowned for
flthiness) alone retained guarantees and
larZarettos.
America has gone pretty well over the
same ground with her yellow plague.
Boston, where yellow feVer-by that
name-was first recognized 1893, was the
first to institute quarantine and 1t was
kept up in all its rightly for 100 years
But as It did not prevent the return eot
the enemy yankee ingenuity came to the
rescue. The low marshy LANDS surround
ing that city were drained and transform
&c ,nto gardens, nurseries, truck farm and