The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1898-10-15
NE NJ ORLEANS IND
QUARANTINE.

can get mad and accuse the people
of the country parishes of being
crazy, but the fac: remains that
there isn't a man in the State who is
such fool as to give any credence
to the daily reports of the State
Board of Health. The striking
contrast in the reports from New
Orleans and the other infected To-
calities is clearly apparent to any
body with enough sense to seek
shelter when it is raining.
Wilson is small town of few
hundred souls, but its number of
new cases reported daily greatly
exceeds that of New Orleans, city
with population Of 900, 900.
The delightful nerve of the Board
in making the announcement that
call Guaranteed localities Except
ing Franklin and Wilson) are per-
mitted to hold communication with
New Orleans" is decidedly refresh
ing. 1t may be an adroit move on
the part of the Board to create the
II" tudt ANS" VI ASoAo - al
most free from infection, but it will
only serve to bring the health au-
thorities into public contempt
The Olliphant Board was threat
ened with mob violence for telling
the truth. The Souchon Board has
evidently made up its mind to es~
cape the fate of it's predecessor
Telling the truth is one of the
crimes it will never be charged with.
The New; Orleans papers, particu-
larly the much esteemed States, APP
pear to be Of the opinion that the
country parishes are unreasonable in
their quarantine regulations. The
parish and municipal Boards are
governed by the State Board and
in matters of quarantine they have
no auth rity to act without the ap~
probation of the State organization.
Only in matters of local santa
ton are they clothed with authority
to act. The people Of the rural
districts have all along shown a
disposition to be guided by reason
and have at no time been inclined
to resort to illegal and unreasonable
means to protect themselves. They
are to be commended for this,
rather than censured. 1t is an err
ror for the New Orleans papers to
think that the unsophisticated coun~
try folk are unduly alarmed over
the rapid spread of the disease.
They are not a bit more afraid Of it
than are the citizens of the Crescent
City. The people of this section of
the State were a little skittish last
year, but this season they have ac-
cepted the situation with becoming
grace. They did not stop dealing
with New Orleans merchants from
whom they are receiving goods
every day, and it is fact that non
infected country towns have been
more generous toward the city than
the city has been in it's dealings
with the infected localities, though
infected itself. .--..
The people of Lafayette parish,
and we believe those of the neigh
boring parishes, have nearly all made
up their minds not to worry over the
possibility of an epidemic of the
mild fever which prevails in New
Orleans and other points in the
State. They will do all in their
power to keep it out, but should it
come despite their efforts, they will
make the best of it. Judging from
the utterances of the New Orleans
papers the country people fall into
compton fits every time some one
says styellow fever" Thepeople of
the parishes have been tried before
and it is useless to refute such an,
imputation. Their record speaks
for itself. The glorious example of
-