The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-11-03
National Quarantine.


Ihrre 's every probability that a
the coming session Of Congress. l.,
convene in December proximo. tn,
matter Of the establishment ufanAI
ionai SYST, m Of quarantine IL going II
receive seriou' attention, aud the
chances are that some sort OF measure
bearing upon the important question
IS going TO be enacted The subject
Is one that is engros.lug widespread
interest, not only in the Southern
States, that lie within the "yellow
fever zone" but along the entire At
lantic coast which has commercia al
and trade relations with those South
ern countries TO which the disease Is
Indigenous. Tho members nf the
Marine Hospital service Of the Federal
! government are row giving some
thought aud attention 10 the subject,
and perhaps Congress will be govern.
ed TO very gre.i extent in It's action
! by what is reported from this souree
The service Is e@dcavorfng TO do all
the good that it can during the pres.
cut epidemic in all infected towns aud
appears to be acting with grea judg-
ment and discretion, notWithstanding
that one OF its representatives, DR..
Guitcras, has met with many rebuffs
and much rdicule IN the discharge of
his duties.
In the premises we should not like
to see Congress go rurthern any ell
aCtments it may make on the subject
than to provide for a strict quaran
tine a!oug the coast lines. II II does
this, it will have done all that is me-
cclsary. The fever does not originate
IN any of the Southern States, but is
always imported from Cnba or some
Of the South American countries
Cuba being our greatest danger point,
If the coast lines are rigidly guarded
there is very little likelihood of the
plague finding its way Into the
United States, or of gaining n foot
hold theron. If itsh5u'd elude the
vigilance of Federal quarantine, how.
ever, and invade our shores, tien we
believe as we have said upon previous
occasions, that the various States, aud
even communities, should be left to
deal with the emergency as the exi.
gencies and conditions seem to re-
qure. 1t would be impossible to have
any uniform legislation IN the prem
ises, aud If Congress should attempt
that it would be enCroschiug upon
State and individual rights with
which it has nothing TO do Whal
would suit New Orleans would not
suit Natchez and other outlying
cities contiguous, as can be judged by
the frantic efforts of the business men
aud newspapers of that city, in the
face of the existence aud spread OF
the plague itself, to break down the
quarantines elsewhere in the interest
of trade and commerce. And 80 would
it be all through the South wherever
the fever eau getInits deadly WORK.
We believe, however, If the ques-
ton is left to the Marine Hospital |
service, 10 frame, or suggest the fran
ing, of measure on the subject, it |
will coutent itself with looking after
the guarding of the coast lines only,
and will recommend that each city, |
community or State be left to take
care of itself in :he time of danger,
make and enforce whatever regua /
tions or RESTRICTIONS the exigen.
cies seem to require or demand, and
endorse whatever they may DO, Sena-
tor Caffrey of Louisiana has annoanc-
ed that he proposes to introduce a
bill upon this subject in Congress,
when 1t meets, but if he does we sin
cerely trust that he will not permit
the opinions and sentiments of the
New Orleans business community TO
usutrol its proViHoDa, or III that event |
that Congress will sit down upon ii.
New Orleans would sacrifice the pub.
lie health of every city within RS
dius of thousand miles TO Oil her cof-
fers simply by reason of the fact that |
the people down there have little or
no fear of yellow jack because
most of them consider themselves |
"immunes. s."-Natchez Democrat.