The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-21

city devastated by yellow fever or cholera?
When yellow fever in its virulent form
! takes possession of a town, there is but
one business left there. and that is the
business of making coffin and burying the
dead
rs il a slight matter for a community
which has passed through such a scourge
| as that, a community which for four or
| five months has seen nothing in the
streets but It's mourners and it's funeral
/ professions; is it a slight matter for a
| community which knows what il is not
only to have its business DESTROYED but a
large percentage of its population swept
away; Is It a slight thing for that COM
munity to have man sit up in Washing
ton and say 10 that community, There is
NO danger to you and you shall not quar-
autine against other communities Yet
II / read this bill right, that is the power
I which this man would have.
4 1T is true that the bill is to some ex-
tent limited to the question of the pas
sage between states. but it practically
amounts 10 the same thing. A cargo of
goods consigned from one state to a town
in the center of another state under that
construction is not to be stopped, al
though ii may come from a city in which
yellow fever or cholera is devastating the
community, and although 1t may be
known that TO allow the Introduction of
cargo of that kind is to subject that
community to the danger of the utter
devastation OF its population as well as
the destruction of Its business.
Does anybody suppose that in this
land-l care not how law-abidng the peo-
pie may be, / care not how free they
may be from anything like a disposition
TO lawlessness-does anybody suppose that
a regulation of that kind could be enforc-
ed? Does anybody suppose for instance
If in the city Of New Orleans yellow
fever were prevalent, and a carload of
woolens was shipped from New Orleans
to the city of Montgomery. which Is
known to be a city where yellow fever
can take good hold-does anybody sup
pose that If a treasury agent, or the Sec
rotary of the Treasury himself, should
Issue an order that there
was no danger in permitting that
carload of woolens to so from New Orleans
to Montgomery that the citizens of Mont
gomery would let II come In there? Ger
tainly not, Mr.. President. With every dis
position to obey the law, men win take
care of themselves. Self-preservation Is
the first law of nature. ana these commu-
mites are not going to permit commune
cation with infected localities Then why
shall we put such a law upon the statute
books?
Mr.. President ] do not wish to be I'M
derstood in any manner as depreciaring
the Importance Of general regulations If
they can be had. / am In favor of bill
which shall, as far as possible, enlist the
activities and the resources of the United
States government in keeping epidemic
diseases from our shores. / am In favor
of the government extending to interior
communities all possible aid which can
be given through the resources and
through the expert officers of the govern
ment in stamping out disease and in pre-
venting its spread. 1 am in favor of ev-
erything which can possibly be done
without taking away from states and COM
munities the rights of self-protection.
II am willing, Mr.. President, to go FUR
Their. l am willing, so far as IL can be
done constitutonally, that the United
States government shall have the right TO
lay its hand upon the government of peo-
pie, or vessels, and of cars, and stay them;
but / am not willing that the govern
ment shall have the right to
say that the state shall not do It, and that
the local communities shall not do It,
am not willing that the state and the local
communities shall be required TO admit
these people and vessels and cars at the
command of the Secretary of the Treasury
When the state or the community believes
that to do so Is to expose the people to a
devastating epidemic. / am willing that
the government, to the extent of it's pow
ers, may stop disease and stop that which
win spread disease, but / am not willing
that the government shall say that which
others may think will spread disease shall
not be stayed, but that 1t shall go on.
Il hope my distinction Is clearly under
STOOD / am willing to yield everything
which can possibly be claimed In favor
of the power Of the government to stay
disease. / am willing for the government
to erect it's guarantees and to be abso-
lutely In control of them; but l am not
willing, when a community Is threatened
with an epidemic disease which win not
only paralyze and destroy its business and
decimate its population-I am not willing
under those circumstances, that a COM
munity shall not be allowed to say: 1--WE
close our gates, if need be, against the
world until this danger has passed"