The true Democrat., 1900-03-24
Suppressil.g The Truth.

II You hdIit dIly l'A"AH'"l4"h ""
not look in the city newspapers,
they are afraid to print any.-Clin
tton Watchman. :
That is, about yellow fever. They
hrve whole columns of debasing
stuff about Noise and. about Capt.
Irvine aud his. mucl-marlied wife,
but not any rerort of the Kolhnkc
VS. McKowen libel suit, though the
evidence shows that Kohnke not
only said "d--n the law" but was
interested in setting its mandates
aside, in a matter more vital to the
people than the wrong doing Of
any one person or of a hundred per
sons, viz, the public health. 1t is
not from any lack of sympathy on
our part with the Watchman's cril.
sadie that we have refrained from
remarking upon its enterprise ii,
publishing in it's edition:two weeks
ago, four or fye columns Of ex7
cerpts from the recorded evidence
in the above named snit. We wish
we could reproduce it that our
readers might one and all see, how
determined an effort was made t6
suppress all information regarding
tile existence of yellow fever in
New Orleans iatfi80s. Not only
an indisposition was shown as to
giving certificates of death from
that disease, bnt great carelessness
and negligence i'll properly placard1
ing infected premises. All the evil
dence tends 10 show that q dp
termined effort was made, land is
still made by the press) to conceal
the facts: Aniall for the sake of!
tile -eaInmerce of New Orleans
God help Rs, that there can DE
men, who eenld endanger hannah
creatures lives for the mere mat
ter of greater business prosperity.
And of these, even physicians, who
of all men, Should, be most pitifully,
minded towards human ftfles&alNt
most set against the spread of di
seaSe. 80
The ilisingennonsness, not to say
the deceit shown, is what hurts and
offends the country, DR.. Oliphant'o
board was condemned mercilessly
for injuring the trade of New Or,
leans'by a policy of full reports Of
fever; but this latter policy will
breed far more distrust of New
Orleans, and consequently more
injury to its commerce as the facts
transpire.
A new fever season will shortly
he upon MS. Is the policy Of 1898
and 1899 to be continued +? If. SO,
| it is New Orleans who will most
feel the effects of such a course.
But if candor rule, and if it he one
case or a hundred, or none, the
city will find that if report of samc
be truthfully made, that the effect
will not he bad in any event, ,es
pecially since the country is becom
| ing more accustomed to the .sxis
tenGe of thGfever The public must
cultivate greater nerve as OWing:tt
the imperialistic regime of McKin:
ley, yellow fever and ieprosy anC
the bukonic plague are all liable t.
come in from our ''fofeigll' possess
IONS" Certainly Nuba's yellow
fever is a constant menace, and j
comes straight to New Orleans. l
would be wise to accept this as
fact. Let the health authorities
/ the press and the people face tn
; situation, with a disposition t
+, mitigate it's evils by perfect Cal
) dor one towards tho other and b.
J determined and united effort t
: stamp it out by sanitation and di'
I infection. With one acting agains
the other, city against country an
vice versa, concealment on tle on
hand and doubt and suspicion o
y the other, no good can come. I'll
s. country press-since tie city pres
: SeeMs otherwise committed shoul
q not delay, but begin at once. IL
agitation for a change Of policy.
nj II rs not Hoard. it is not DemOcrae
that catches the brunt of Republican j