Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-02-02

away any Of the powers conferred by
/ law upon our health boards. Nor does
1t prevent The operation Of quarantine
and sanitary regulations, however
stringent. FOR the check and suppression
Of epidemics. We have replied to some
of the salleut objections offered against
it, Really there was nothing in them
when compared with the actual purport
Of the bill
one point raised We did not notice,
because IT seemed too puerle for re-
ply. but It Is still urged, Il Is this;
II the bin becomes a law, quarantine
against Utah my be declared BY other
stutes. and thus no one would be able
to leave the state for any purpose Is
II possible that any intelligent person
really entortans such notion serious
~? II so Il must be from lack Of
understanding both NJ the measure and
OF the situation.
The schools are already thrown open,
The Vaccination rule Is not enforced.
Healthy children who have not been
exposed 20 q contagious disease are
freely attending They win probably
do so, even II the bin does not become
a law. True. steps have been taken,
in the face Of the action Of the Legis-
laturo, to prosecute the President Of the
Latter-day Saints college, for admit
ting pupils against whom nothing can
be objected except that they have not
been vacclnated. Few If any. believe
conviction can be had which Will
stand the test Of judicial review. For
every point which in a civil suit was
admitted for arguments sake win be-
contested This win probably take a
long time. Meanwhile the schools Will
go on unless suppressed by very un-
likely action of the courts
But whatever may be the
final result. does any sane
person claim that whether our
children are allowed to 20 to school or
not, the health conditions Of the whole
State viii be such as to cause It 10 be
quarantined? Why should 1t be- DO
school children travel into other parts
Of the country IL Wyoming or Idaho.
or Arizona. or Colorado In any danger
from healthy school children in Utah?
The schools here themselves are not in
danger except from the attendance Of
the diseased and they are barred out,
anyhow The bill aplles solely and en-
tirely to children attending school. And
1t does not prevent their being vaccin-
ated. 1t only stops the force sought to
be applied 70 them alone.
II there Is any danger to surrounding
regions, II can only be from persons
who travel, and this bin does not affect
them. There Is no law, or any pretence
Of law, to compel adults or any children
but those attending school TO be yaccl-
mated. There IL a law to prevent per-
sons having a contagious disease. Of
any kind travelling from place to place,
and TO remove infected persons and
goods from ears and other conveyances.
That law is not touched by this bill.
II the health laws of the State were en-
forced by the health officers who have
ceptered their efforts on one bit Of force
resented by the public. there would be
no such trouble as that which has been
raised,
The pretext put forth TO excuse oppo-
sltlon 70 the Mcmillan bill. II looked
at in the light Of reason and of the
facts. will be seen to have not even the
shadow Of foundation. It is in line with
other insubstantal pretences, Keep in
mind the real provisions Of the bill;
think on the facts that no III results
came from the opening Of the schools
year ago. that they are already open
again, and that most of the alleged
cases OF smallpox in the State are Of
persons above school age. and then con-
template the folly Of exercising force
upon the class from whom there Is the
least danger and letting all the others
go scot free,
In most parts Of the State there Is no
smallpox, In others there are some
mild cases. unlike the genuine malady.
There are probably few real small
pox patients. But be that as II may, the
al hau1th f,YAHat1c In.
censed at orders TO close their schools
against children carrying no contagion.
and they demand the right to conduct
their educational affairs. free from the
force sought to be fosted upon thom,
And where contagious disorders exist,
the people are willing to submit TO
every lawful quarantine regulation. But
they resent the exclusion Of healthy
children from the schools while all 9TH
er public assemblies are unrestricted.
This Is not a question Of the value Of
vaccination, 1t Is a matter Of personal
liberty. No one argues that the public
welfare Is not above individual free
dom. But there are limits to official au-
thority. Every child should be ex-
cluded from school II diseased, Every
child and adult should be quarantined
IL liable TO spread contagion. That Is
altogether different to shutting out
healthy children from educational
rights. Let common sense prevail. and
let the voice of the people rule or else
proclaim an autocracy.
CHRISTIA\ UNITY