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

Strong Plea for National Control Of
Quarantine.
SUPERINTENDENT AGEE, OF THE
SOUTHERN EXPRESS COMPANY,
WRITES AN ABLE PAPER UPON
THE LEADING TOPIC TO THE
MEMPHIS SCIMITAR.
To the Editor of the Scimitar.


The subject of national quarantine
law is just now gaining widespread at,
tention and is of vital interest to the peo-
pie of every section of the country, and the
need of Federal legislation in the matter
has been aburdantly demonstrated dur.
ing the current year.
The appear auce of yellow fever in Sep.
TEN bei last at Ocean Springs, Mississippi,
and its subsequent spread to nearly al
the towns in Mississippi, on the Gulf
coast, also TO Mobile, New Orleans, Mont.
gonery, Memphis, AID other cities of the
South, gave hut only ample evidence of
the inadequacy OF local quarantine laws,
but resulted in blockading, for many
weeks, almost the entire commerce OF the
South, and, in great part, the business of
the entire country was INSTRUCTED, impos-
ing burdens upon industries of every
character and entaling the loss of mill
ions OF dollars, to say nothing of tie
needless sacrifice of human lives.
There are many persons who, in good
faith, believe that Federal LEGISLATION,
placing the whole quarantine system in
the hands of the national government,
would he subversivc of States rights, an
interference with home rule and an IN
warranted assumption of power on the
part of the general government.
Let ns view the situation, however,
from practical standpoint.
The appearance or yellow fever Oh the
Gulf coast in mississippi, in September
last. made il necessary, under our pres
ent system of local Quarantnes, for every
State, and nearly every city, municipal
ity and township in the South to establish
local guarantees against infected lCcaii-
ties.
There are eleven States in the so called
yellow fever zoue, having a population,
approximately, Ct twenty five million
people, and this area is traversed by
about one hundred thousand miles of rail
ways and navigable waterways.
With the spread of the fever, ''fear,
which is an endemic latent in every
human heart" soon arose into an epi-
demic, and thus quarantine was piled
upon quarantine, like "Pelion -unon
Ossa,h till every city, hamlet and town
ship situated upon any highway OF travel,
within the eleven States aforesaid, had on
duty vast horde of quarantine inspect.
ors which outnumbered, dare say, the
standing army of the United States.
Nov, it is physical impossibility to
prevent all this network of railways and
waterways from becoming vehicles of in
fiction except by absolute Lon inter
course. Obviously it is impossible for
twenty five millions of people to cease all
traffic and desist from all communication
with each other; ana yet, ii particular
locality he infected it is entirely possible
to isolate and quarantine the city, or vii
lage, AS the case may be, against every
other part OF the country.
And now We come to the question. is
this important function municipal State
or national duty?
1t will readily be conceded that when
yellow fever appeared at Ocean Springs.
Miss, it was not incumbent upon that
State to protect the whole South against
the invasion of the scourge; clearly it vas
the special province of the.general COVER
nment.
And herein lies the great defect of the
present Fedora, laws, X. S., Act 1893:
ARTICLE 3 Of the act referred TO directs
that the supervising surgeon general OF
the Marine Hospital Service shall, imme-
diately after this &C. takes effect, exam
inc the quarantine regulations of all the
State and municipal boards of health,
and shall. under the direction of the Sec.
rotary of the Treasury, cooperate with
and nd State and municipal boards OF