San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-10-14

but they felt it their duty to do as they
did. 1t has done nothing to retract.
We have not been appointed to pro-
tect the citys commercial interests,
but the health and lives of the citi-
zens. The board is superior to the
council and need not be commanded
by it. There is no way to tell if a sus-
picious case is yellow fever. No one,
not even DR.. Swearingen, is infallible
in diagnosis
Mayor Callaghan called him to or
der, stating that DR.. Swearingen was
our guest and he would not preside at
such a meeting. DR.. Paschal declar-
ed he was not out of order and ap-
pealed from the decision of the chair.
The chairman refused to put the mo-
ton, but DIR. Swearingen said 1t did
not matter. He was willing to near
what DR.. Paschal had to say and as
other members declared in the affirm
alive, Mayor Callaghan left the room.
DR.. Hadra was called to the chair and
DR.. Paschal resumed his speech and
said none of us are infallible and be-
cause Dr. Swearingen said it was not
a case of yellow fever does not make
it so. We had a spectacle yesterday
of an alderman saying we had forfeit
ed the confidence of the people and
ought to resign. Does the council
want a board of health who will state
what they don't believe? If so am
willing. Who authorized Mr.. Duerler
to speak for the people. San Antonio
is my birthplace and 1 have as much |
interest here as Mr.. Duerler or any |
other man.
Alderman Kilgore arose and said |
the council did not desire that kind of |
a board, but did believe the board had |
acted hastily and injudicious.
Paschal-We had no clandestine |
meeting. All were invited, and he de-
MED the assertion of haste very forcib-
ly.
Mr. Kilgore said the houses where |
Griffin lived could have been guarded. |
A discussion pro and con, between |
Kilgore and Paschal ensued, being |
finally declared out of order.
DR.. Paschal resumed, saying the |
board had been scandalized in this |
matter by the mayor and board of al
dermen. We have been brought up /
here like lot of school boys to meet |
people who had known the man Grif-
fin He also paid his respects to AL
derman Duerler for his remarks yes
terday, also to the Business Mems |
club for their resolution that yellow
fever did not exist here, and said that
Daily Light had added to their con-
-umely by ridiculing the board shame
fully. 81 will bet you that not sin
gle alderman would have poked his
nose in that infected district as the
board did yesterday. I will not serve
with such mayor and such a council.
will resign"
The mayor-I won't accept you res
gnation. I will rather have you fired
by the council.
Paschal-If there's any firing 1 can
10 some of that.
Mayor-And l want to apologize right
here to the people for my mistake in
appointing some of the members of
board.
Paschal Interrupted and called the
mayor to order. The mayor replied,
Il am not out of order and have
right like you, DR.. Paschal, to make a
TRADE"
DR.. Paschal, while the mayor was
speaking declared the meeting ad-
Iourned and started to leave the room,
but staid, the mayor saying you can
go as 1 did. / want to tell DR.. Pas
chal 1 have great respect for him and /
this board, but he has done greater /
injury to our city than a thousand |
cases of yellow fever would do. The
board was rasty in its action and |
should have well weighed the matter
before sending such news broadcast |
over the country. He realized the |
great injury that had been done and |
it was he, not the board who had in |
vited DR.. Swearingen to come and |
make an official investigation.
DR.. Hadra said nothing had been
known of the mans previous history |
at the time and Drs. Hines and AL |
beers, the former the mans family |
had led them to believe the |
man had not any other disease. We
all declared 1t a suspicious case at the |
time because we knew nothing of his |
previous history. We had better have
waited another day, and / am sorry
that 1 am in such a position. 1t is
the worst / was ever in and will soon
get out of it. l will resign but before
l do so 1 want to set myself right and
desire to state that the board did not
act hastily and by thebye, it has not |
yet been stated that it was not a case
of yellow fever. 1t is opinion against |
opinion, merely.
DR.. Swearingen arose and said you
might tender me an invitation to give
an expression of my views
This was acceded to and he said 1t
was only a matter of opinion as DR..
Hadra had said, but the symptoms
would classify it as a suspicious case,
My report is about as strong as my
command of English can put 1t. I
don't care to go into diagnosis of it
or into personalities. / am here as
the health officer of the state of Texas
and your estimate does not make any
Hiffnrnrnn q