The Opelousas courier., 1900-02-03
State Commissioner of Health.

The State Agricultural Societ,
at it's last session in Arcadia
adopted a series of resolutions
covering every question thai
/ might be of benefit to the farm
ers, and none more in1portan1
than the following:
Eve earnestly urge the Legis.
llature to create a Commissioners
of Public Health with an annual
appropriation sufficiently large te
inaAgurate series of sanitary in.
stitutes throughout the State fol
| the purpose of instructing the
masses in the true nature Of con
tagious and infectious diseases
and the prevention of those ills
which daily lay their blight on
home and farm, and the removal
ef those senseless, unscientific in
terstate and parish quarantines
which, while impeding commerce,
afferd d doubtful and insecure pro-
Z.
lection.
The Times-Demecrat in an able
editorial on the subject, says
tt can be seen at once how
this matter affects the farmers Of
the State, since the guarantees
that have prevailed for the
past three summers proved very
injurious to our agriculture by
preventing the shipment Of farm
products to market. The sug-
gesti0n contained in the resolu-
tions is timely and excellent one.
as is indeed any proposition that
will have tendency to end the
senseless and useless quarantines
that afford ne protection, yet dis
courage business Of all kinds.
The COURIER when it first pub
lished the charter of the Louisi-
ana Sanitary Association took
stand editerially on the neces-
|sity Of instructing the people in
sanitary matters, In order to se-
cure their cooperation III the ex-
ecution of sanitary laws that
without this cooperation the law
would be dead letter, and better
BE off the statute boek. At the
instance Of. that distinguished
jurist, Judgs Pugh, Of Red River,
this resolution was incorporated
I'M the platform in d discussion
which followed the reading of DR..
Mayors paper on Dieteties the
Judge spoke Of conditions santa
IN as they existed on the farm
and settlement where he was
reared, and that it was the high
est duty Of tbs State to bring q.
knowledge Of sanitary truths to the
home and By the firesides, to the
end that by education the masses
would be prepared to aid the
sanitary authorities in carrying
out reasonable steps for the sup
prsssion of epidemic visitations
which fer the past three years.
had swept ever the State inra-
ding hoInes, paralysing commerce
Ssssa engendering i'll between adj
jacent States aud communities to
the detranent Of all
We urge upon the Legislature
the advisability Of creating this
department, separate and distinct
from the State Beard ef Health
and not conflicting With It's au-.
thority, making the department
scientific aud educational like the.
Farmers Institutes to do this and
make 1t effective. d liberal appro-
priation should be made and the
machinery Of The Institutes set IN.
operation before the adjourn
ment ef the Legislature III order
to prevent i possible Tenetitioa
ef the yearly panic and uallinging
af business. 10 carry into exc
cutian the idea DE the Louisiana
Sanitary Association, an officer of
the Government: is neeessar i, and
bis salary should be conanlensu-
rate with the dignity and import
ance of the work Il medical man,
and one skilled san iitationH
should be selected regar less Of
politics to carry ola this work and
given an appropriation large
81 rY{S,s = L, 81 III, III -, fTays 5,sss4