The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-12
THE QUARANTINE QUESTION.
REASONS WHY THE CITY SHOULD
CONTROL QUARANTINE.

Importance to the Nit3.
Editor Morning News: Again I wish to
sound a note Of warning to the people of
Savannah. and to the officials who are
supposed to be the servants of the people
concerning the turning over of our quaran-
tine 10 the marine hospital service, l may
saw irrevocably. In connection and as
reason. l call attenuin to an article by I.
J.. Kinsey, page 3, to-day's paper, an old
humber merchant of Savannah, and who
evidently has a warm place in his heart,
and a friendly interest for her future. Al
one time he was the largest shipper of
lumber from this port in connection with
his brother now superintendent Of our wa
ter works, and IS a competent person TO de-
eide as TO the merits of the two systems
having lived under both. If the msrrine
service gets hold Of our quarantine, they
Will proceed 10 adopt the five days deten-
ton rule, for ali vessels south of certain
parallels of latitude while our own rule
was three days after dsinfection, If all
were wen on board and the vessel clean
and in good condition. We thus gain two
days by our system. our smallest vessels
claim S25 per day for demurrage, while our
large steamers would claim from 500 to
$l6O per day, or about cents per ton,
which would make the extra
two days detention of vessels cost
their owners for $50 for smallest. up TO
$500 for the largest. l feel certain that
the owners would pay willingly even more
than that for such dispatch and We have
the authority of such eminent New Or
nh 9
ideut OF the New orleans State Board of
Health; DR.. Holt and DIR. Wilkinson, the
IDEAL quarantine officer at the New Or
leans station, that three days are ample.
If they are not authority on yellow fever
! do not know where to look for informa-
tion. 1t is admitted by all that certain
conditions must exist before an epidemic
of yellow fever can begin. One of the
principal of which is that the conditions
must be ripe for 1t. Without such condi-
tons, even though the food for it were
there. and the spark TO create 1t were
brought in, no harm could come from il.
Does anyone believe seriously that such
conditions could exist in Savannah, after
we complete our present system of house
drainage, and perfect our county drain
age? And if so would it be thought pos
sible for that spark to escape after effec-
tive fumigaton and the three days deten-
ton after such disinfectiOn?
We ought to be in a position to take eV-
cry advantage we can safely take. 1t
seems to ME that sanitary regulations, in
Guiding quarantine, was trust delegated
TO the Mayor aud aldermen of the city of
savannah, by the citizens, and were one
of the number, l should hesitate 20 take
such a radical and far-reaching step. as
TO put ii out of the hands of the citizens.
/ have no doubt of the honesty of the
n n
change. OF course, 1t will relieve them
of work, care, and Immediate responsible
ity.
BY the way. the Mayor in his publish
ed interview on water meters i'm to-days
News (and l fully agree with him on that
subject, SAYS; Il fully realize that the
lack of metropolitan push on the part of
some of our better citizens will have to
be overcome -
With New York. Boston, Baltimore, Nor
folk. Charleston, Jacksonville, Mobile, and
New Orleans, together with Savannah,
outside of the marine hospital service it
seems with all due respect to his honor,
that we are leaving the metropolitan
push when We follow Brunswick. That
we only adopted the marine hospital ser
vice" as Mayor Dunwoody says, because
IL was expensive to the city, and to relieve
the port of excessive charges" We all
know the unfortunate condition of Bruins
wick's finances, even before the epidemic
and some OF us will not soon forget It,
Surely we are in no such condition. If
this city has no money let them issue
notes, has been done I'm the past. and
put the station in good order, and il needs
be increase the taxes next year to pay
those notes, though I believe the ship
owners would willingly pay all that our
quarantine costs for quick dispatch and
prompt release from quarantine
savannah has taken a wonderful start
In the past eight years, since we dis
pensed with the long detention formerly
used at quarantine We give promise tf
being equal to Norfolk; with wise and safe
quarantine rules there can be no doubt OF
IL II we keep on as We have been doing
the past few years. No one will criticize
or question any reasonable budget for pur-
poses of improving the commerce of our
port, which is all we have in a business
way worth talking about. Is ii prudent.
Is il business like TO jeopardize il by a
change. even for two years. whereby we
loose all control of the station. and with
Al our brilliant future that promises so
much? Let good practical men together
with our best physicians form our sani-
tary board, the larger interests they have
in the city the more efficient will their eff
forts be. They together with a good
health officer will give US a quarantine
worthy Of the name. and that would re-
fleet more credit on the city government
than anything else they could do Let
our quarantine be carried out on same
lines as is the New Orleans. That city
has a large tropical commerce, and her
quarantine has been an admitted success.
We hope for business with Cuba and
Porto Rico, and there is chance for q
large business after the government is es.
tablished fully, if we avail ourselves OF
the advantages We have, and il can bt
done with safety so far as yellow fever /,
concerned. The protest of the sixty-thret
sgners TO a petition against the chang,
should have weight with Council Tbos,
names We're obtained In about three hours
and among them are some OF the heavies
taxpayers in Savannah, and l think the lis
could be trebled. If vote of the paonL
could be taken / have no doubt il yyonl,
be largely in favor of the present systen
as against government control by The ma
ilne hospital service II. p Smart.
Savannah, Ga, April II, 1899.
Che resolution requiring only three dsv
detention after disinfection was mani
It-