The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-28

Italian authorities as a protection against
the plague have bound the energies of
the modern commercial world until the
last twelve months. Upon the motion Of
Or. Stevens those shackles have been
cast off. Commerce now stands free and
Independent of all unnecessary restrictions
and, for one, consider the action of this
convention in regard to the interests
of commerce and the welfare of mankind,
as only second to the declaration of in
dependence. in Philadelphia, nearly a
hundred years ago. 1t was declaration
| of independence for commerce against I'M
wise, unnecessary and unjust restriction"
DR.. r. d. Arnold of Savannah was hon
ored at this meeting, being elected first
vice president.
A very few months after this meeting
the war in vindication of states rights
was begun. During the four years of this
civil war and for eleven years thereafter,
there was 40 enforcement of Quarantine
anywhere in the country in regard to yell
low fever, it was nominal only.
AS mentioned before, the Norfolk cpl
demic of 1855, was the last one of gen
uine monoparoxismal yellow fever" Dur
ing the war, while our ports were block
AIDED by the enemy's squadrons, and there
was so to say, no communication with
the outside world, yellow fever continued
to recur along the coast as ever before;
| there were several outbreaks, at Whining
| ton and Beaufort, ". c.; Charleston, S. c.,
| Savannah and many other ports further
| SOUTH upon the Atlantic and Gulf coast !;
but being modified in form, mixed with
malarial fever and doing but little dam
| age, these outbreaks were not bruited
about or dignifed with the name of cpl
denies. 1t was during this interval,
shortly after the war, while north and
| south were still bitter one against the
| other, and when the bloody shirt, drip
ping with gore" was Haunted by rabd
politicians, and when the southern ports
were just recovering their wanted CONNER
| cial relations with the West Indies and
South America, which the northern ports
wished to retain, that representative poll
| ticians, knowing that they could divert
| that commerce to northern ports by the
| detention in quarantine Of vessels, coming
| to southern ports, succeeded in passing
| through both branches of congress, the
| following resolution: Joint resolution pro-
vidng for a more effective system of
| quarantine on the southern and Atlantic
| coast"
Resolved, That the Secretary of War be,
and is hereby directed to detail one or
more medical officers of the regular army,
who shall, during the coming season, visit
| each town or port on the Gulf of Mexico,
and tho Atlantic coast, which is subject or
| liable TO invasions of yellow fever, and
shall confer with the authorities of such
ports or towns with reference to the estab-
| lishment of a more uniform and effective
| system of quarantine, and who shall as
certain all facts having reference to the
| outbreaks of this disease in such ports or
| towns, and whether any system of quaran-
| tine is likely to be effective in preventing
| invasions of yellow fever, and If so what
system will least interfere with the inter-
| ests of commerce at said ports; and shall
| make, also, a detailed report on this sub
| ject to the Secretary of War, through the
surgeon general on or before the assem-
bling of the third session of the Forty-sec-
ond congress- in December, 1892 Approved
| June 6, 1872. The Secretary of War w. w.
| RellSnBp, Appointed Assistant Surgeon
! Harvey +. Brown for this purpose who
made very lengthy report to the Secre-
| tary of War through the surgeon general
United States Army on December 2, 1872.
He summarizes the result OF his work as
follows;
/. That in the vast majority OF epidem-
| les. II not all that have occurred in the
United States, the germinal principles of
the disease was imported from elsewhere,
and was not due to local causes.
| 2. That a system of quarantine can be
/ organized which will prove effective In
preventing invasions of yellow fever.
3. That a properly organized system, so
/ far from Interfering with the interests of
commerce. will prove really beneficial TO
commercial prosperity of ports where es-
| tablished
That the present guarantees at the
south. being established by either state
or municipal authority. lack that uniform
/ ity which is absolutely necessary 10 their
efficiency. are not founded on national
views OF the pathology of the disease %,
/ and are generally defective in their adj
] mlnisIration, and that consequently a sys-