The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-09-30
THE sOuTHs HANDLING OF THE
FEVER.

The Washington Post. far from the vel
low fever belt and with no direct interest
In quarantines In the South. is vet about
'he most indignant journal to be found any
where ut what it is pleased to term the
barbarons methods of handling the fever
In the Gulf States
our Washington contemporary IL n strong
advocate of taking away from the people
who are chiefly concerned the right to meet
ms frequently recurring danger, and OF
putting the authority in Federal hands. IA
is the case generally with those who Wow
the battle from afar. the Washington cham
pion OF centralized government in the
promises thinks IT ltnow3 just how the
campaign should be conducted, and wakes
eloquent In its donunclations O, the gross
sins OF omission and Of commission OF those
VINO are in the presence " the dread enemy
and have had an extended experience in
hghting him. That the Washington POST Is
painfully ignorant OF the real conditions
and Is talking through heated imagina-
tlon, is very clearly shown in the following
excerpt from recent editorial IN its col
As Is her enlightened Christian custom. At
lnnta has lung Wide her gates TO the victims
OF the inhumGn persecution which travels
nnnd In hand With yellow fever throuchout
inc South but Mississippi, louisiana Texns.
Alabama and. no doubt Florida. ara estab.
lishing tho Gordon and cvery shooting iron IN
the innd Is cooked. multitude Of little
rural doctors arc Immersed In mrid diagnosis.
and village boards Of health are stamping
out enemy of tho origin aud nature Of
which they are as ignorant as Hottcntots.
Ono would imagine from this lurldly
drawn picture that the Southern towns were
surrounded by desperate. pauc-s stricken
army Of guards loaded down with shotguns
and big revolvers and popping away at
everything living that might come within
range! As matter of fact the shotgun
quarantine" is largely n myth-certanly 80
unlcss an epidemic becomes widespread ana
vrulent The guarantees In tho South this
year, except in one or two instances, have
been established by State and local authori.
ties only after mature dclIberation and In
most Instances on information OF "sus-
plcious eases" or pronounced cases. fur
nished by Hhe marine hospital service or ns
special fever "eNpen,s." There has been
proper discrimination as to the localities Ia
be quarantined, and the restraint has been
exercised with discretion and due regard 10
the ''ccmmercial intcrests.' There has net
In all likelihood been q Shotgun" In sight
during the summer nor other than an in
telrigent guard or Inspector on duty along
the usual route Of travel
The Washington paper shows It's igno-
rance OF the situation in nothing, however,
SO much as In its fancy that "a multitude
OF htile rural doctors are immersed In
lurid diagnosis, (" Tho gentlemen who are
the first 10 scent danger and give a hasty
| and lurid alarm are not the local doctors
but the little" marine hospital attaches.
From their rtcklsssness or want OF expert
encc the South has suffered on dozen
occasions that could be named 20 the Pest,
Quarantines are bad enough and the 10 al
authorities knowing this fact are s.oy 10
resort to them rather than hasty IN lh,ir
adoption. But Il is the South's bu9ihets
that 10 affected the South's health that is
jeopariizod. and the South's right 10 harals
the situation as " sees proper all as A
large experience has taught II, is wise. Ana
II would be diffruN to convince really
Intelligent man that the State and local
health boards Of the Gulf States lid not
know more IN a minute about diagnosing
and stamping out yellow fever than the
Washington Post ever knew or evor will
know.
In tho death Of Thomas r. Bayard there
pesssd sway one Of m older type Of ststes-