The age-herald., 1897-11-25
NATIONAL QUARANTINEURG By Superintendent Agee of the
 Southern Express Co. PRESENT SYSTEM UNJUST To the Several States and Brings Hardshps on ihe Masses Present Remedy
 Worse Than the Disease.

G. W. Agee, superintendent of the Southern Express company, at Memphis, has written an article on the subject of national control of the quarantine to the Memphis Scimitar, in which he says:
 "The subject of national quarantine law is just now engaging widespread att tention, and is of vital interest 10 the people of every section of the country.
 "rhe appearance of yellow fever at Ocean Springs, Miss. and it's subsequent spread over such a large section of the gulf states, gave not only ample evidence of the inadequacy of the local quarantine laws, but resulted in a bloclcading of al- most the entire commerce of s'he south, materially affecting the business inter ests of the whole country and ertailing the loss of millions of dollars, 10 say nothing of the needless sacrifice of hu- man lives.
 INTERFERENCE WITH HOME RULE.
 "The main objecion to quara ntine by the government is that it would inter- fere wbsh home rule, and would be sub versive of states rights. Let us, how ever, look at this from practical stand point
 "The appearance of fever on the gulf coast made it necessary for every ely and town in the so-called yellow fever zone, having a population of about 25,- 000000 people and about 100000 mics of railways and waterways, ito quarantine against the infec ed eitiss, and eventual y against the world. The inspectors nec- essary to carry out this local quarantine outnumbered, dare say, the army of the Unhged States.
 'iNow, these vast railways and water ways must necessarily be the means of carrying infection, unless the town so in footed Is totally tgolslted. The question is, Is this a municipal, state or national duty?
 And herein lies the great defect of the present federal laws (R. S., Act 1S99). This act says that the supervising sur geon-generaa of lthe Marine Hospital Ser vice shall cooperate wi h and aid state and municipal boards of health in the execution and enforcement of the rules and regulations of such boards Thus 1t will be seen thalt the federal law actually imposes upon a s ate the burden of pre- venting the introduction of contagious. diseases into the United sGates- Spem for eign cour.sss4tressan r.sss4tress, and from one state or ter rltory into an1ther.' No such power as this was ever contemplated by the con- stitution.
 Whole sections of country absolutely free from fever actually forbade trains from the north and east to step in their towns. These proceedings wera, of course revolutionary and unconstitu- tlonal
 "Thle present Daw is Imperative, bs- cause the governms mt does not appropri- ate dollar for the enforcement of the law.
 '''The climatic conditions of ths coun- try are so we'll ordered that there is neither birth elf plague nor famine with in its borders. It is, therefore, little short of criminal negligence for the na- tional government to fail to provide an ample defense against ysllow fever and other foreign plaques. Yellow fever is tistinstly seaehcre disease, being brought to our ports from other coun- trfss We should protect our country from this foreign plague just the same as we would from the invasion of a for : eign army.
 "The chambers of commerce of the prominent southern cities should, act ing in concert, u-gs congress to revise the present quarantine laws at cnce, and to provide ample means to enforce a rigid sea coast quarantine. If csnta- zion should obtain a foothold, let the national government take held of the matter so vigorously as to inspire con fidence in its ability to prevent its spread. Human lives are far above all other considerations, and yet all con- vsnssant with the facts will agr:e that the local shotgun quarantines brought more suffering and disaster to the toii- dng mass S than the fever itself"