The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-01-12

burn does not see why houses adjacent
10 those where plague has appeared
should be- destroyed, nor does Doc m-
derstand the need OF keeping the sites
OF such structures uncovered for 800
long time as o year u We under
stand him Alright he thinks % enough
to burn the plaruc-smitten houses
alone and. after disinfectIng the soil
to permit immediate rebuilding the
main reliance against the spreading Of
the bubonic scourge being put in per
fected quarantine.
We do not blame Mr. Colburn for
thinking as he does for no man, unless
he Is born philosopher can take an
impartial view OF any measure likely to
cut off his income for the sake of doing
the greatest good to the greatest num-
Der. Most men are not built that way.
Yet the facts remain that nothing can
from pestilence; and that 1t would be
an absolutely indefensible piece of
favoritism to spare place from the
torch which has had a good chance to
pleasing an individual or corporation
when the concession may menace the
health of all individuals and finally ar
rest the business of all corporations.
To meet Mr. Colburn's specific objec-
tons we will say first that the burning
of blocks where infection has shown
itself is desirable because the people
living in such blocks constantly inter
mingle and may easily have spread the
plague throughout. By putting every
suspected place 10 the torch we use the
ounce of prevention which is proven
bially better than the pound of cure.
Again, by leaving the sites uncovered
for a year we give natures disinfect-
ants. the sunshine and rain, a chance
to do their work after the chemist,
with his artificial disinfectants, has
done his. 1t needs a year of exposure
to purify a piece of infected ground
In some Asiatic places three years is
the time insisted on.
Mr.. Colburn cannot be serious when
he suggests stricter quarantine in
place of fire. There can be no quaran-
tine Of men against the microbe. The
plague bacillus does not answer a SELL
try's challenge to halt Even if it did,
would We call it fair to the poor people
of Chinatown whom Mr.. Colburn pro-
poses to confiDe there, in their rented
homes, TO leave them to the mercy of
the pestilence? Would it be fair to the
community as a whole to permit the
plague or the suspicion of the plague
to stay anywhere in its midst?
Our correspondent speaks of the loss
TO Chinatown property-owners. We
know that this has been and would be
great, but what about the loss to every
body, Chinatown property-owners in
Guided If the plague should be permit
ted to shoulder and break forth at
will? For mark one thing: if the
plague is not stamped out soon our
cargoes of sugar will be stopped abroad
as surely as We're those cargoes of sus-
pected Brazilian coffee at New York a
few days ago; the freight now import
ed by Chinatown merchants will be
either refused admission here or half
ruined by the process of fumigation;
our tourist trade will lapse and our
gain in white population be checked.
The suspicion throughout the city and
the islands touching danger from Ash
attic merchandise would bring China
towns business to a standstill and the
rents Mr.. Colburn now thinks about
could be paid no longer. So where
does the advantage come in of trying
half. way measures? Assuredly it is
better that some be hurt than all he
ruined.
One more matter remains to be con-
sidered Mr.. Colburn says, as an ad-
ditional reason why the torch should
not be applied to blocks in Chinatown
or to Chinatown as a whole, that the
destruction Of wooden shacks in GER
tain portions of the district would COM
pei lHc p"HtlS Oh the realty, IT they
rebuild, to go to the expense of putting
up fire proof structures. This is be-
cause the localities are now within fire
limits. We regard that as a strong
argument in favor OF a general China
town conhagration; for if owners are
compelled to build decent houses, the
danger from infection and from acct
dental fires in future will be CORES
pondingly lessened.
The argument is all against the Chi
natown owner. The truth is that he is
maintaining death-dealing nuisance
and for the good of the whole people OF
Honolulu and of the Hawaiian Islands
the nuisance must be extirpated. Hence
the unanswerable logic of the torch,
-
AFTERMATH OF THE WAR.
The views expressed about the re-
suits likely IN fnllow the Anglo Ropr