The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-16
AGAINST NATIONAL CONTROL.
HEALTH OFFICER LIE HARDY'S
TOUR OF INSPECTION.


Visited All the Main Centers of the
Yellow Fever Epidemic of Last
FalI-Their Unsanitary Condition
Responsible, He Says, for the Elk
istence of the Fever-Savannah
Needs 10 Guard Against This Point.
Reasons Why the National Gov
eminent Should Not Control Mari
time Quarantine.
Health officer LeHardy returned yester-
day after nearly weeks absence, having
attended the quarantine convention at
Mobile, and afterwards having visited the
main points in the district affected by the
yellow fever last summer. He was very
busy disposing of the accumulation of bus
mess when seen by Morning News re-
porter upon his trip.
My trip has been a very satisfactory
one" he said. land hope it viii be pro-
ductive of good results to our city.
visited Montgomery, Mobile, Biloxi, Ocean
Springs, Bay st. Louis, New Orleans, at
which points the yellow fever prevailed
last year, and examined into their sani-
tary condition. 1t is now my desire to
continue these Investigations by trip
along the Florida coast, where yellow
fever has occurred in recent years, and
to extend the trip to Havana, Vera Cruz
and other places, where the fever recurs
almost every year. to study the terrine
condition where 1 will be able to draw
conclusions of value to our people.
AS far as my Investigations have gone
l have found that in every place where
the yellow fever has been epidemic except
one, Montgomery, it had its start in low
undrained places where the soil is satu-
rated with water, and l am confident That
in Montgomery also the origin will be
traced to the low and wet grounds a short
distance from the house where l was told
the first case was reported. There is no
reason why Montgomery should ever suf-
fer from yellow fever. Her possibilities
for thorough system of drainage are of
the best. But there, like every other
southern city, municipal administrations
are so shortlived that cities and towns
look somewhat like crazy quilts, each ad-
ministration being DESTROYS TO insert a
special patch TO the quilt. One of these
may be found quite near the station the
outlet of a sewer.
The quarantine convention. where
had been invited by the executive COM
mittee, the Georgia and Alabama and
Louisville and Nashville railways having
kindly furnished transportation, termina-
TED more favorably than l had anticipat-
ed for the good of our Southern states.
Great efforts had been made by the repre-
sentattves of the marine hospital service
by the centralists and by the CORPORATIONS
which sustained losses by the late panic.
TO nave all quarantine, maritime state
ana interstate, placed under the complete
controt OF the marine hospital service
ana at one time il seemed as if the cur
rent drltted that way. Contending ele-
ments, however, and the good Judgment
OF the members Of the medical and legal
profession present, who were brought to
feahze the danger of such a step result
| ed in union upon the resolutions which
We're finally adopted. While in general
way, IL the resolutions be accepted and
acted upon by Congress, there can be no
discrimination in the national quarantine
between one port and another / think
IL would have been better for us had the
resolutions adopted by the convention
been more explicit. 1t is the general he
lief that under its present manaeeren+
by the marine hospital service the mar
lume quarantine operates equally as well
| Tor one port as for another Such is moi
| the case " -0'
our representative Hon. r. E. Lester
| mas now the documents to show that tbe
vessels with clean bills of health. hound
LOT savannah, are ordered by the Tinted
states consul at Rio to report at the ma
uoilHl quarantine station at Sapelo sound
before being allowed to come to our sta
'lon, eniaiing a loss of several DAYS time
ana considerable additional expenditure for
pllotage and towage, amounting in some
instances to several hundred dollars nor
vessel. AT other ports north of us are
not subject to this restriction. this alone
would be sufficient to drive commerce
away from our port. 1t is this. together
with other restrictions that have been
imposed upon the shipping coming to this
port ever since the maritime quarantine
has been meddled with by the national
government. that our trade in coffee
hides, sugar and mo,asses, once very
profitable, with South America and the
West Indies, has been completely ruined
and cannot possibly revive until we are
placed upon the same footing as all other
ports.
Therefore, the resolutions should have
stated that all vessels coming from infect
ed or suspected ports shall proceed to
the nearest national quarantine station
there to be treated in exactly the same
manner, dislnfected and detained accord
ing to the rules governing their o1aran-
tines, whether the destination of these
vessels be Galveston, New Orleans. sa-
vannah, New York or Boston"
DR.. LeHardy says that Mayor Meldrim
is deserving of especial credit for the
promptness with which he perceived the
intentions of the railroad attorneys ana
| representatives of the marine hospital SER
vice and for the facility with which he
headed them off