The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-12-05

health in the execution and enforcement
OF the rules and regulations made by the
Secretary of the Treasury to prevent the
inti oduction of contagious or infectious
diseases into the United States from for
efgn countries, and from one State or ter
ritory into another, etc; aud when said
rules and regulations have heen made
they shall he promulgated by the Secre
tary OF the Treasury,an enforced by the
sanitary authorities of the States and
municipalities, where the State or mu-
nicipal health authorities will undertake
to execute and enforce Them But if the
State or municipal authorities shall fail
or refuse to enforce the ss id rules and
regulations the President shall execute
and enforce the same, and shall adopt
measures as in his Judgment may be nee
essary to prevent the introduction and
spread of such diseases, and may detail
or appoint officers for that purpose"
Thus it will be seen, strange AS it may
appear, that the Federal law &C tually i'm
poses upon State the burden of prevent
ing 1.-THE introduction of contagious dis.
eases into the United States from foreign
countries, and from one. State or Terri
tory into aIfother.'
The Federal power is merely auxiliary
70 the local authorities and promises aid
and cooperation and, in u laissez iairer
fashion, says to the State: "lf you don't,
] will prevent the introduction of conta-
gious diseases into the United States, OR
from one State or Territory into another 1"
This is a grant of power to the State
and the imposition of burden upon it
not contem plated by the Constitution.
The State should ai3, aud cooperate
with the national government with re-
spect to this matter, and should be sub
ordinate thereto.
In these circumstances a Babel OF con-
fusion and disorder followed.
Whole sections of country, absolutely
free from any possible infection, Quaran-
tined against each other, eithe: through
lear, ignorance or motives Of commercial
rivalry. State boards of health were
melting out revenge upon each other and
lawlessness was the order of the day
Scores Of towns in Tennessee and Mis-
sissippi actually forbade trains from the
North aud East to stop within their cor.
pcrate limits. Jackson, Tenn, prohibi-
ted certain trains from passing through
Madison county,of which it is the county
seat. The people OF jackson, Miss, tore
up the tracks of the Queen x Crescent
railway to prevent the passage of trains
through that city. A body of Texans
forbade, in his first attempt, Dr Gut
teras, the government expert, to GO into
that State, and the Secretary of the
Treasury was compel ed &c intervene in
lis behalf.
These proceedings were, of course, rev.
olutionary. They were in violation of
the Constitution of the United States.
People. however, were governed by fear
AMI not by reason. There was entire lack
of confidence on the part OF the people in
the patchwork quarantine which obtain
ed, and hence each community naturally
acted for itself
Ut is idle to say that the present ma
tional quarantine law is all that is de-
sired The national board of health. cre-
ated by the act of 1879, was abolished be-
cause, after many years, it failed to re-
ceive any appropriation for salaries and
expenses.
The present law, placing the national
quarantine in charge Of the Marine Hos
pital service, is imperative, because there
is no: dollar appropriated for the en-
fortemeut of the law, independently of
the routine require nents of that service
Again, the law authorizes the Secretary
OF the Navy TO place "vessels CT hulks,
not rec uired for other causes, at the dis.
posal OF the quarantine authorities'.
Thus, instead of having weil-eouipped
quarantine squadron, as the exigencies of
the situation imperatively demand, the
only armament of our entire seacoast
against the Introduction of contagious
diseases is that of "vesses or hulks not
required for other uses.
Yellow fever is distinctly littoral or
seashore disease. Medical statistics
prove. beyond all controversy, that i5 is
not endemic in any latitude in the Uni
ted States. During the present century
it has appeared either ut Charleston, Pen.
sacola. Mobile, New Orleans or Calves
ton, fifty-seven times and. in some of
these years, at nearly al of these places.
The climate conditions of this country
are so we'll ordered that there is neither
birth of plaque nor "a mine within it's Dor.
ders. IL is, therefore, little short of Grim
inal negligence for the national govern
ment to fail in providing an ample de
Tense against yellow fever and other for.
a.oH al. l.