Waterbury Democrat., 1902-04-22
HE MAY NOT COME,
French People Did Not Vote to
 Send For Specialist
MERELY APPOINTED COMMITTEE


 of the State Board of Health--H. J.
 Lapalme Also of the Opinion That
 No Good Would Come from Going
 to the Expense of Bringing in q
 Specialist.
 The certificate issued by Dr Lindslcy and Dr Townsend of the state board of health relative to the smallpox sitn- ation ill Waterbury has done much to- wards satisfying parties who had been led to believe that we have no small- pox here, and it is likely that if this had been done last week the indigna- ton meeting of last Sunday would not have been held. 1t ought to be said that the doubt about the disease belns smallpox was not confined entirely to the French people; many others were somewhat suspicious as to whether the diagnoses were right or not and wers anxious to see the question passed upon by some one outside of Water bury. The decision of the state board has done much in this direction, but it cannot be denied that nothing short of the opinion of the specialist rom Montreal will please some folks.
 George Panneton, the well known carriage maker, painter and black smith, whose plant is situs sd on Jef- ferson street, was appointed member of the committee at the meeting he.I Sunday to raise funds to defray the expense of bringing a specialist here from Canada to examine patients at the isolation hospital. MT Panneton has been in this country over fortys years, twenty-five of which has been spent in Waterbury. He is a man of sound Judgment and stands well in the estimation of his fellow citizens of all classes. So much has been said with reference to the smallpox question and the alleged discrimination against the French, the Democrat thought it would not be bad idea to let the public know what a Frenchman like Mir Pan- neton had to ssay on the question. A Democrat reporter found him at his factory chatting with Edward l.. Fris- bic. one of Waterbury's grand old men. and Thomas Kelly, the baker-farmer of this city and Aiddlebury.
 MT Panneton said he wasn't at the meeting last Sunday and had not met the other members of the committee. He was not in favor of bringing man here from Canada. If anything ike that should be done, he would prefer to have man from New York or some other place in this country, some nan of whom nearly all the people have Knowledge of his skill in the profcs- sion. Some time ago." he said. "I was ill favor of an examination Dy a specialist of few of the patients, but l am not now. There never was any doubt in my mind as to the existence of smallpox ill Waterbury. don't seh how there could have been in any body's. But I do think that it is lilite probable that people have been quar- antined that didn't have the disease. This is why so much was being said about it, but after hearing Dr Linds- ley's statement that in time of eni- denies such as We are passing through in order to be on the safe side 1t x well to quarantine all suspicious cases. things began to look a little different and with the decision as rendered yes terday l don't see any use in going fur ther. When the state board of health says 1t is smallpox that ought to be sufficient.
 You cannot blame people for feeling sore over these things. If some doctor should call at your house and take away one of your children, your wife. or both, and send them to the pest house, and you believed that they did not have the disease, and this opinion was strengthened by the counsel of your family physician, you'd say chat you hadn't been treated right and would feel in duty bound to protest against it. There may have been little discrimination against tile French, but even so. I don't think it wise to stir it up too much. Maybe what has been regarded as discrimirla- tion was nothing more than extreme, Drecaution such as Dr Lindsley state Il is highly desirable during smallpox epidemic. But I have it on excellent authority that people have been quar- antined because they had little rash on them that didn't deevlop anything dangerous If this is true, it wasn't right"
 Surely, this is a conservative opiil- ion and. no doubt, comes pretty near what most citizens think of the whole matter. It was given by MT Panneton in calm, collected manner accom- panied by a remark to the effect that he should prefer to say nothing fer publication, but in the interest of all. the French in common with others, it would in our judgment, De a pity not to give such views as much publicity as possible.
 H. J. Lapalme, of the Lapalme- Hoff'- mann Co, man who has resided in Waterbury for the past eighteen or twenty years. and is well and favora bly, known in the community. was seen on the matter and stated that it was mistake to say that the French meeting held last Sunday had voted to bring q specialist here. A committee of three was appointed with instruc- tions to inquire into the situation and do what i'll their judgment was for tho best interest of the French people and the public i'll general.
 A. J. Anger. E. & Baribault and George Panneton are the members of the committee appointed to look into the advisability of bringing the special ist to town.
 AZ WHIT r0NrE pAIN