The Grenada sentinel., 1898-11-19
THE QUARANTINE PROBLEM.
A Subject OF Vast Interest. to the Peo-
PIE OF the Sou h,

A Subject Of Vast Interest. to the Pee
PIE OF the soU'h.
In nearly all the Southern States no
discusaRaQf the question Of govern
mental Ftrol Of quarantiuss are nov
raging. The earnest advocates Of al
ultra "states-right" doctrine are vic
lently opposing any interference b!
government with the actions and sys
TENS OF the States, and affect to see II
the proposition not only a threatened
invasion OF the most sacred reserved
rights of the States, but dangerous ant
increased tendency towards centraliza
tion and imperialism.
There is certainly much in such pol
icy that apparently violates the abstrac
idea Of dominant states-rights in mat
ters of purely internal policy, but tht
suggestion unquestiozably has much
in it to recommend it. The SENTINEL
believes the safer and more expedien1
course lies between the two extremes
advocated on the one hand by the Ma
tionalists, and on the other by those
who favor purely State control. Ex-
elusive jurisdiction should not be vest.
ed in either State, county, town or ma
tional government. General jurisdic-
tion in quarantine matters should be
vested in the government, but there
should still be Left to communities the
right to declare the character Of per-
sons and property to be admitted in
time of epidemics to the particular To-
calities. This condition is now recog-
nized by our State law which provides
for the sovereignty Of the State Board
OF Health in all matters of travel and
commerce, except that local munic-
ipalties are supreme in fixing the quail
ifcations of people and things which
may be admitted into the particular
community.
The right OF individual communities
to protect themselves may as we'll be
recognized and admitted. II there be
no legal provision for such contin-
gency, 'might" will become fright ;"
and the people will defend themselves,
even to the burning Of bridges and
trestles in desperate emergencies, and
all the. United States army could not
avail against the determination.
Whenever yellow fever panic seizes
upon the people, the stalwart citizen
gathers up his little shotgun and
marches to the front to protect, as he
fancles, his home and loved ones from
pestilence and death. In such a condi-
tion as this, "all the kings horses land |
all the kings men" couldn't make him
lay it down again until he judges the
danger to be past. 1t is this fact |
against which argument breaks and |
falls to the ground. -1:-s1 s:sssi1 .syss{His @
But there are many reasons why the
jurisdiction of the national govern
ment should be greatly enlarged in
quarantine matters, and an effective CO.
operative system devised. Some of
these reasons, as they occur to the
are as follows:
First, The question of the control or
OF contagious and infect
lous plaques. is not one exclusively of
the internal policy OF the State. No
known procedure has been succe ssful
witbius in requiring yellow Jack to
respect State boundaries, Louisiana
suffers internally, and then quickly in
ectsiMississippi, then Tennessee, and
$ quarantined against as far north as
kentucky, Illinois and Ohio. An cpl
lemic Of yellow fever becomes even I
more than sectional i'll. 1t leaves |
he section and scatters wherever con- {
'enial conditions may be found. An ,
alf dozen states, of the fairest and |
nost populous in the Union, producing 1
vast proportion OF the wealth of the ,
ountry, and consuming immense ,
uantities OF the products of the North, t
last and West, are stricken with dread /
nd contagious disease, and in mo-
lent are thrown PROSTATE with every
nergy paral,zed and every pulse in !
he commercial body stilled. In al !
lost the twinkling OF an eye, CONNIE rec
eases, railways stop their wheels, the
ourts of the land are suspended, all
lans are disarranged, all routines ?
roken into, and sudden, unexpe Ct
and enormous expense imposed on =
communities, sections and r
tates. New YORK, Chicago, Philadel-
1ia, Boston, ST. Louis and other m Q. n,
opolitan centres feel the shock OF r
le announcement and the commercial =,
stem Of the land quivers in its re- :.
otest members. And yet, some say - -
lat the yellow fever OF Louisiana !,
I'd Mississippi belongs exclusively to !. .
and Mississippi! "
In the second place, If the national
,varnronf hoI oho nra ~ tbo ou, ~ n.