The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-18
NO END OF GUARANTEES.
THE sENsELESS PANIC IN THE
SOUTH AND THE INJURY DOM

There Are \, aeirLCreatea Health noards
working without Legal Authority Ehe
Absurd Reeuiatiens-Even Food. naedieines'
ana Hronusro Shat ~ut-Chan CouninH.
New ORLEANS. Sept 1.-THE quarantine sit
untion, which has been causing 80 much trouble
in the Southwest over the yellow fever. shows
an Improvement to-day, duo partially to the
fact that the many guarantees now In torce
have aroused popular indignation and protest.
The greatest trouble has been the small boards
of health which have sprung up over the South
west In the past few days. which are without
legal authority, but are operating on the
Judge Lynch basis that might gives right. Be
tween 1000 and 200 such boards have recent
" sprung UP, most Of them incompetent to pass
on quarantine or sanitary matters, and wholly
without legal authority, being elected by mass
meetings. In some cases they are wholly SELF
constituted guardians of the public health.
These boards seem to vie with each other In
the radical and absurd character OF their quar-
antines. and the smaller the board the moro
power 1t has usurped. A score of towns has
| quarantined against the mails. and no New
Orleans or Mobile newspapers arc allowed to
enter Mississippi or Alabama.
This shutting out OF the mail and particularly
the newspapers has had q most unfortunate Of
feet in increasing the panic. Tho people arc
| left without the news OF the world, and arc .
prey to rumors and eXaggerations.
Tho height OF the folly was reached In Mis-
sissippi, where provisions from New Orleans for
Ocean Springs and other infected towns were
shut out by quarantine. the people being well
nigh reduced to starvation. In many places dis
infectants intended for sanitary purposes were
declared contraband.
In Louisiana as we'll as in Mississippi iron
ware was shut out. The farmers have been put
-, -..l 49,. n -D,A 40 Ian n ADFi.
cultural implements and machinery kept back.
In New Orleans the Fifteenth ward at a mass
meeting yesterday actually attempted to quar-
antine against the other sixteen wards OF the
city; but this was going a little further than the
people were prepared to stand, and this uuaran'
tine was promptly nullifed. The guarantees
have not been confined TO infected or suspected
places, and local spite and prejudice has played
a large part in many OF them.
Baton Rouge. Monroe, Opelousas, White Cas-
tie. Donaldsonville. NicksourR. and numerous
other healthy towns have been fenced OF BY
their neighborS on various p~reteItS. The result
dozen railroads TO suspend operations. thus
stopping the malls, shutting out the newspapers
from a great part OF the Southwest. and para
lying business. Schools and colleges have been
churches have been prohibited from opening,
eu M ! l n,Se enfSrce aar and 4eS inally liberty Of st"fn free
speech has been invaded, in Mobile and othel
towns. In these places 1t is a misdemeanor
subject TO fue and Imprisonment. to mentor
any rumor OF a suspicious case. except those 70
ported by the Board OF Health. There Is
markc Improvement to-day. A number OF ex
cellent notifications were made.
The quarantine against drugs and disinfect
ants was every where removed. and most OF thu
towns withdrew their quarantine against iron
ware and agricultural Alabama
on the protest OF the New Orleans Sanitary ant
Commercial Association, withdrew It's quaran
tine against Pullman cars passing through tn
State. Mississippi withdrew Its quarantine
against food stuifs and provisions for towns IL
need OF them.
Most Of the towns abolished their quarantine
against the mail, and now admit letters, an.
|, even newspapers, that have been disinfected
Many OF the Louisiana towns admitted all kind
OF goods that are properly disinfected and cert!
fed to as safe by the United States Marin
Hospital service.
On the other hand. Shreveport has stoppe'
+. nearly all trains running through that town
Meridian, Miss. yesterday slopped the Ais
hama and vicksburg Railroad from Vicksbur
3 and prohibited any OF the trains entering tn
, town. This shuts OF all central Mississippi
. from the north.
The Mississippi State Board Of Health is try
=. ing TO bring Meridian to Its senses. At Littl
) Rock and Hot Springs, Ark. all people register
ing from New Orleans have been compelled {
leave town in spite OF their protests.
out OF Jackson. had to apply TO the 9uarantin
authorities for permission to enter the capita
= and resume his duties. Scranton. Miss. has az
, pealed for aid.
. The Louisiana Board OF Health reports min
new cases OF yellow fever to-day in New Orlear
fever. three suspects, and one death. Ocea
Springs reports three new cases. Edwards n
ports fifteen cases OF fever.
. The nine cases reported in New Orleans to-dn
sixteen localities in which the disease is pr
I yallilg.