The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-10-22
THE SAME OLD BUzzARD.

Of the loglcian, to catch q period Of public
conservation and distress to spring some
quack remedy for the prevention Of re-
currence Of the existing evils. The public
memory Is lamentabiy defective. and all
former terriers fade In the presence or un-
der the promise Of future protection A
fellow may have seen a thousand men die
by the application to his tongue Of drop
OF prussia acid. Yet, affected with a belly
ache, he listens to the frst quack he meets
and. II assured It will relieve him. will
swallow pint OF the deadly drug.
1t Is this weakness OF our poor humanity
that the charlatan politicians. the taliow-
dip statesmen Of the day. who are advocat-
Ing National board Of health as a pre-
ventlon In the future of shotgun quaran-
tines, are playing upon. Our people have
forgotten that we had four years exper-
fence with we'll organized and thorough
ly equipped National board Of health; that
1t kept during Its whole existence the
country agitated with rumors OF yellow
fever, and expired under the weight OF It's
own obnoxiousness and gross corruption In
the handling OF the public money appro-
priated for Its noxious existence.
We we'll remember the eloquent and
startling exposure OF the corruption OF the
old National board OF health by the la
mented e, John Ellis of this State In
speech which we sincerely regret we can
not now lay our hands on Mr.. Ellis spsech
cooked the goose" for the National fraud;
II Settled the hash of its army OF quack
doctors. fat-headed scientists, germ hunt
ers and callow health inspectors. The dod
gasted old fraud is dead and rotten and
70 stirklng that even the buzzards would
not touch 1t. To do that 1t takes the stom-
ach OF centralist or populist or assistant
republican.
One Of the cutest little attempts al
argument we have seen In long time was
made a morning or two ago by very pre-
tentious contemporary. In discussing the
question the States had distinctly dis
claimed any purpose to argue the issue In
connection with politics But the con-
temporary referred to, which has a hatred
OF anything so genuinely democratic ae
States rights, lugged the issue into its
columns and sought thus to discredit the
main principle on which this Union is
founded When a pretentious and osten.
tatious newspaper gets into one OF its fool
moods, 1t Is the foolishest thing in the
world gigantic intellect that can not
differentiate the power and duty OF the
National government to defend It's terri
tories and liberties against armed invasion,
on the one hand, and the transference to
the central government Of the power over
the protection OF the local health and sani-
tatlon, taking 1t from the local boards OF
the several States where 1t belongs and
IA have hn, No., t.fs A.
and on the other hand, then alphabetically
seeks to combine the power of making war.
together with the duty OF resisting in
vasion and the entirely different and dis
tinct police power Of the States over health
and sanitation into one or the same power
Is n marvel In the field OF secular polemics
There Is positively no more resemblance
between the two than there Is between
the eagle and the pig.
But, to be brief. all this resolves itself
into what influence will a National board
OF health have in preventing the disor-
ganization Of business aud industry In the
South? That is the question that most
deeply interests us here. Will National
board of health quiet the terror q; the
people in the parishes and counties at the
idea of the fever. and thus prevent a
recurrence of the present unfortunate con-
dition OF affairs? Any man who knows
anything about human nature and about
tho history of the old National board
carcass knows that it will not. The peo-
pie In the country will call to mind the
utter unreliability Of that institution, II
the business men of New Orleans do not,
Leaf fait
dlctions and assurances than they have
In the State boards. The people who set
up their shotgun barricades are neither
towards nor brutes. They are men of
courage, thousands OF whom have faced
death on bloody battleaelds and would
willingly do so again for their own lib
critics and for the interests OF this city.
nut we must distinguish between the cour-
age that faces death at the cannon's
mouth. yet shrinks in abject terror before
ardice.
Don't let us make any mistake about
IL. The man who thinks that a National
board OF health, though backed by the
power OF the Federal government will
break up shotgun guarantees is badly de-
ceiving himself. Granting that such a
board might act fairly as between the
cities Of the gulf and those of the Atlantic
coast most violent superstition is 1t
reasonable to suppose that the country
people who are nov arrayed against us
VIII believe the reports and prognostica-
lions and assurances of doctors and in
spectors inexperienced In the treatment
and diagnosing OF yellow fever, when they
refuse to believe our own health officers.
our own press and our own people? But
tne business of the National board of health
VIII not be to establish confidence but.
on the contrary unconhdence As certain
as The sun shines. such board will be
under the domination of the capital and
influence OF the Eastern cries. and will
DC a terrible engine In the hands OF that
section TO crush out competition OF the
gull cities with those OF the East
NO doubt the National government is n
very powerful institution; but SO also
is human terror, and
Inc dove 10 fear will peck the estrldge."
win National board of health we
VIII have yellow fever scare every sum
mer together with its inevitable system
OF shctgun guarantees Under our own