Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1897-11-02
NATIONAL QUARANTINE
Yellow Fever Gives Added In.
terest to the Subject.

ton Post, Providence journal aud Z
large number of ulher leading ptper
OF tho country have given notice tha
the question Of quarantine will come
up before Congress at the wiuter SEES
sion; and that the South can secure d
n ,tional quarantine if it so desires
They suggest, with great delicacy
that the matter be left to the South
a 60 determine az the section most
deeply Interested The North is safe
Against infectious aud contagious
diseases of foreign origin. 1t is pro
tected against the yellow fever by the
Southern States; against plague and
cholera by Europe and the Atlantic
ocean. Once ia half century the
plague of cholera may find a lodging
in some European port; but even
when this occurs the three thousand
miles OF ocean aud the seven lays of
travel between that port and the
United States offer protection
against il. On the other hand, the
South is distant only few hours
from Cuba aud other West Iodian
islands, where yellow fever has ragged
for centuries The quarantine ques-
tion is, therefore, distinctively a
Southern one, say our Northern con-
temporaries, to be settled in accord
ance with the wishes of the Southern
people. There is no attempt to force
national quarantine GU us; it is not
scheme Of the Centralsts or the
North to attack States rights or op
press the Southern people. We are
simply asked il we want national
quarantine, and are assured that if we
do, we can get it.
Under these circumstances it would
seem that no subject lends itself more
to rational and intelligent discussion.
There is no politics in it; no sectional
ism; we have to determine simply
whether national quarantine is pre-
ferabe to the so called State quaran.
tine system now in operation.
1t is unfortunate that of late, espe-
cially since the last campaign, some
papers have got 10 discussing all
problems in semi hysterical way.
No question can come up now that
ashe ghost of socialism is not invoked,
and the skeleton of jefferson is
snatched from his grave and exposed
as gibbering wrath, as an argu-
ment against any proposed improve
ment. We do not think the people,
however, are disposed to discuss the
quarantine matter from these stand
points, but rather from the practical
standpoint of what system OF defense
will secure the surest immunity from
infectious disease, will prevent loss of
life, interruption Of business, de
struction Of property and the inhu
mainly and barbdrism which are now
incident TO the visitation Of yellow
fever
If there is anything undemocratic
IN d national quarantine the Consti
tuition of the United States would
have protected it, whereas it left
Congress full power TO act in this
matter, Whenever it Was deemed ex
4 client,
As for the socialist cry it is scarcely
worth consideration. The power
over quarantine resides in the central
government in all other countries,
monarchical and republican; and ex
perience has shown that this system
operates best IN keeping out disease.
We ourselves have recognized this
fact in our appeals TO the United !
States Marine Hospital Service, and
Ia our efforts to secure the uuion and !
co operation Of the several State |
boards. Realizing the advantages OF
union over disunlon, Of co operation
as opposed to internecine strife, the |
several State boards entered into a
compact lumber Of years ago to
keep each other informed as to the |
outbreak # any contagious or infect
lous disease and to work together in |
quarantine matters. Ii was an at |
tempt TO form a United States quar-
antlne service composed Of the fed
e~ated State boards OF health. Like |
the original confederation Of the
colonies, 1t proved a failure. The
bonds were too loose. The compact
was without the slightest constitu
tionaI backing or legal power-it
could bud no one; and the State
boards Of health have violated it
whenever it suited their convenience /
The Louisiana Board Of Health knows !
OF the existence Of yellow fever 10
day in Galveston and Houston only |
from the newspaper reports, for the |
Texas board has paid no attention 10 .
the compact and has given us no no
tice of the yellow fever outbreak |
there.
When the American coonsts found |
that the confederation Of States was
a failure, because the bonds were too
loose, they met again and framed "a
more perfect" aud a closer union /
our present Constitution. We are in
Chemically the same position to-day
as far as our quarantine is concerned
The quarantine has failed from lbs il
herent weakness, from the lack Of
power in The States, and we must get