Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1897-11-02

against disease. This is marke,
step backward In our age of enlight
eminent aud it has bred number o
serious evils.
8. II has been the cause OF grea
suffering and gross inhumanty, many
instances OF which have been pub
lished ia The Times Democrat.
10. IL has already cost nearly d
million dollars TO fight the yellow
fever in the wild guerrilla manner
we are now engaged in, whereas an
expenditure of one quarter OF this
sun, used iutslligentD, would have
produced better results; aud we hear
10 day OF many towns and parisht s
which have run themselves seriously
into debt IN order to support an Ell.
tirely unnecessary standing army OF
quarantine guards, One town, Tyler,
Texas, proposes to pass the interest
on its municipal debt in order to
maintain shotgun quarantine.
H. The net result of this system
has been a failure to keep out the
fever, failure to prevent it's spread,
and rather an encouragement Of tue
spread, since this is direct bid to
the concealment OF cases, and finan
cial loss il the interruption of bust
ness mounting high up in the millions
We see the North and West sharing ia
the revival of business, but the South
shut out by fever and quarantine.
These objections, which could be
multiplied many times if we had
space, will, we feel satisfied, have
due weight with the people of the
South in the consideration OF this
problem, and they will not be fright
ened off by cry of socialism"
1t will not be forgotten that there
was very similar objection
when the State quarantine sys-
TEN was started. We were ttId
by the old doctors that quar-
autine was of no value whatever, that
we could not keep yellow fever out Of
this country; aud when, after the cpl
demic of 1878, which reduced the
population, wealth and business OF
New Orleans to their lowest, the PEG.
pie demanded better quarantine,
there were many persons and some
papers to protest against this restric-
ton on our business. "The quaran-
tine will not keep yellow fever out,
we were told, land even if it did, we
can not afford to drive the trade of
the tropics awaT from New Orleans
for fear of few hundred lives that
may be lost by that disease"
But popular sentiment did net
take to this brutal idea of sacrificing
lives to commerce, and insisted on a
better quarantine. Experience proved
that we could keep out yellow fever.
The State system at the mouth of the
Mississippi was great success and
has kept the fever out for nineteen
years, but we have discovered since
then that protecting the mouth of the
river is no protection to New Orleans,
unless we can compel the other Gulf
Statss to have an equally efficient
service. We can not do this. We
have no power of control outside the
lines of Louisiana. The United
States alone can do what is essential
for our protection.
We have learned, moreover, that
the State boards are powerless when
disease once gets footing here, and
and that the results are guarantees,
carrying with them business ruin and
chaos.
Ia 1878, when we saw the detects
OF the State quarantine service, we
went to work to improve it, and we
made great Improvement, We are
nov shown that The State system can
not give immunity from the yellow
fever and can not solve the confusion
of interstate quarantine. 1t lacks the
constitutional power The Federal
alone has the power to
secure the same quarantine pro
lection for all the States. We
en- afford to ask it to pro,
Lect our coasts against yellow fever
as we'll as against other enemies, and
to give it such control over interstate
luarantines as will prevent city or
town using the vuarantine as a means
If oppression and commercial ag
yrandizement. The government has
he necessary power, and there is no
la ger, hoNeve remote, TO tue rights
md privileges of the State, or to JEFF
,erson's ghost, in utilizing this power
% protect the country from yellow
ever and from the quaraptines, which
ire as injurious and destructive as
he disease itself.--New Orleans
Democrat Oct. Is, 81.
Judge Mitfio w. Gibbs, of Arkan-
,as Oua Of tba p,Ost t,ro,niuant colOrpd