El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-22
QUARANTINE

Last fall the action Of the state
health officer in declaring rigid
quaranti tine against Louisiana on &C
coun. of the yellow fever scare did not
work any great hardship to Ell Paso,
althoug h it caused considerable incon-
venience to many travellers. But the
latest action of DR.. Blunt in absolutely
shutting off communication between
Texas and San Francisco on account of
fear of the bubonic plague has much
more direct effect on the interests Of
this city, and our protest ought not
be long in reaching the seat OF gov
eminent.
It Is not claimed that there have
the plague in San Francisco, all among
the lower class of Chinese, and there
are not now, according to the report Of
the health board, any living GASES. 1t
would seem as IL San Francisco for her
own protection, would carry on go
effective a canvass of the affected dis
trict, and practice so rigid q local
quarantine, that there would be l tile
or no chance for the dreaded disease
to spread. 1t is certainly significant
that not a single other state has MAD e
any move toward absolutely stopping
the wheels of commerce with the
Pacific coast. Texas cannot be the
only state .meuaced, nor ts 1t likely
that her state officers exercise Any
more loving care over her citizens
than do those of other states.
nv
very much as if DR.. Blunt is so anx-
ious to establish record for himself
as an efficient Cfficer that he ignores
the greater interests CT the state in
planning for his own exaltstion. No
body seriously believes that there is
any present danger to Texas because
of the alleged existence of bubonic
plague in San Francisco. DR.. Blunt
has presumably the same sources OF
infor 10 alton that have been open to
all, and yet there. has been no great
mani feststion of fear on the part OF
any private citizens. The HERALD be-
lieves in an efficient..quarantine where
commerce or local business
can compensate for the loss
OF lives or the misery caused
by plague OF any horrible dis
ease. But.as in local affairs there are
often occasions when extreme care in
ius pection and detention will avert seri
GUS trouble, so in this esse it seems to
cessary than to provide for the inspec
tien and, If necessary, the deten ton, OF
all persons or goods passing through
this port from San Francisco.
ALI Chinese passengers might be ab-
solutely debarred. 1t does not
appear necessary to interfere
with through traffic through Texas. II
this traffic Is for other states, it is GER
tainly not our province to interfere
with 1t, and it lie even an open question
whether 1t is not interfering with in
teresta.e commerce to a degree amen
able to the United s ates laws.
At any rate, the shutting off OF COM
merce over the Southern Pacific rail-
way through this port, il the embargo
Is con tinued any length of time, will
result not only In loss to the rail-
road of hundreds Of thousands of dol
lars, but it will seriously interfere with
our local business interests. Hundreds |
of railroad men will be laid off, at var
ious points along the line tributary to |
this city, and this alone will mean q |
great money loss The order
apparently involves more or
less complete stoppage of
oriental commerce through this !
port, and IS that constitutes
the largest movement of freight in
this direction from San Francisco it
will mean the loss to this community #