The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-14
QUARANTINE AND COMMERCE.
STATES CONTROL THEIR OWN IN
TERNAL AFFAIRS.

Mayor MeIdrim's Position on the
Subject of National Quarantine
Taken Before the Recent Conven-
ton at MobiIe-States' Rights Con-
troll in This Matter, He Says, nnd
Congress Has No Right to Under
take 10 Regulate the Internal Al
fairs of the States-The Action OF
the Convention BASED on This idea.
Railway Representatives wanted
National Quarantine.
Hon. p. w Aieldrim arrived yesterday
morning from Mobile where he attended
the Southern Quarantine Convention. He
returned by way of Atlanta, but did not
stop there long enough to get good grip
on the political situation. The SUBJECT
seemed to be uppermost in the minds of
most Atlantians. he met, however.
Mayor Meldrim discussed the quaran-
tine convention with interest. The con-
vention was largely attended" he said. 1t
was a distinguished body of men, the ma
5ortiy being prominent in the medical
world. The convention was in session
three days and discussed quarantine from
every point of view. Papers bearing up
on the legal aspect of quarantine We're
forced to the front, there being large
list on the programme to select from
Mayor Meldrim read the second paper
of this series, his subject being quaran-
tine and commerce from a legal stand
point No direct issue was made, Mayor
Meldrim said, between national quarantine
u h., limo
this was the chief topic of discussion in
its various phases. The discussion de
veioped that the majority of the conven-
tion was opposed to the national govern
ment taking charge of internal quaran-
tine. There were number present, how
ever, chiefly the representatives of the
transportation lines, who were very
strongly in favor of placing the entire
charge of quarantine in the hands of the
national government. The Atlanta dele
gates also advocated this view.
THE purpose of these delegatese," said
Mayor Meldrim, was evidently to recon-
mend the passage of bill to give the ma
tional government exclusive control of
quarantine both maritime and internal.
Had such a conclusion been arrived at
there would have been a division of SEN
tment as to where the control should be
placed, whether in a national board of
health, or with the marine hospital ser
vice. Mr.. Farrar of New Orleans who
also discussed this subject, and myself,
both took the position that quarantine reg
ulations belong to the police power of the
-.
ers except those that have been delegated
to it; that the police power OF the state
has never been delegated to Congress, and,
therefore, that Congress has no power to
pass quarantine laws. Congress has the
power to regulate foreign and interstate
commerce and may incidentally legislate
so as to make quarantine regulations, just
as the states may pass quarantine laws
that without regulating, may affect COM
merce. The resolutions adopted by the
convention sustain this view. Congress
has no power TO internal commerce of a
state and it has no power to pass
quarantine laws to regulate the health of
state. The matter of the health of a
state is exclusively within the legislative
control of the state.
There has gone abroad" said Mayor
Meldrim, ian erroneous idea that the re-
suit of the war between the states de-
stroyed the rights of the states, and that
the federal government, sometimes called
the nation, has become centralized gov
eminent absorbing the rights OF the
states. As a matter of constitutional law
no principle has been better settled than
that the federal government cannot by
legislation control the internal commerce
of a state, and the only power that Con-
gress has in the matter of quarantine is
that which is derived from the commerce
clause in the constitution"
Health Officer LeHardy, who also at
tended the convention, is expected back
this morning.