Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-19
Negligence of the Authorities
Alleged To Be Responsible
for the Plague.
INCREASE IN NUMBER OF CASES
Nearly Hundred Cases of Bubonic
plague Reported From That State
and Thirty -four Persons Have Died
Cinnamon Carry the Disease About
and 1t Is Liable to Affect Other Sec
tons.
snecial TO Times-Republlean

I
Washington. D. c.. Nov. 19.-The
whole country is deeply interested IN
the plague situation in California, for
not only is this dread disease liable
to be spread thruout the length and
breadth OF the land by wandering
Cinnamon but San Francisco is really
threatened with an epidemic among
her own people, and is likely to suffer
tho inconvenience of general quaran-
tine, if something is not speedily
done
IJp to October nth there had been
reported IS cases of bubonic plague IN
California Since May 18th the dis-
ease has increased alarmingly, no less
than "a fatal cases having been re-
ported to Surgeon General Wyman OF
the Marine Hospital service. More
than a year ago there was trouble pc
tween the state officials and the Marine
Hospital service officials, and the ac-
ton of the state and provincial boards
of health at New Haven, on October
20. has served to call the attention OF
eminent again to this subject, and
am told heye that there are Indications
that the authorities in San Francisco
and California are becoming alarmed
and are no longer defying public IN
telligence and the recommendations OF
the Marine Hospital service.
1t was confidently expected and ten
tative preparations We're made two
weeks ago for the taking over the
measures for the prevention OF further
spread of the disease by Maine Hos
pital service under authority of the
president, but the election of DR.. Par
dee, who is everywhere highly spoken
of as a man and a physician, as gov
ernor of California has determined the
administration to delay taking any
radical actions until it can be seer
what the new governor will do.
That he will have some opportunity
to show his professional caliber IS evil
dent from the plague statistics. As
physician he can not close his eyes
to the scandal that has arisen in San
Francisco over that disease, and as,
an executive officer he can not ignore
his plain duty to put an end to that
same scandal.
The surgeon general of the Maine
Hospital service confidently hopes and
expects that the election of Dr. Pardee
will be. an earnest that the disgrace.
full regime in California that has con-
cealed and denied the truth, will soon
be at end. Dr. Pardee is face to face
with a grave responsibility, and his
character as a man and as a physician
is about to be put to the test.
We believe it to be fortunate, indeed,
for the country at this crisis that
physician is to occupy the gubernator-
ial chair in California. The opportun-
ity is great, and we trust the man is 1T
hand. It will be an honor to the med
ical profession. no less than a GROWING
service to the country at large, -
have this abominable situation changed
by the conscientious and fearless ac-
lion of a medical man. Unfortunately
too many medical men in California
have sinned against the light. DR.. Par.
dee can do much not only to redeem
his state, but also to reconstruct some
members OF his profession.
The action of the authorities and
the people, as well as of some physi-
clans, in California, will remain for all
time as an example both of short
sighted policy and of dereliction from
public duty. The country has been
treated to a series Of denials, SCOTS
and jeers at the expense of the properly
accredited scientists, both of the Mar
inc Hospital service and others, who
demonstrated beyond peradventur,.
that bubonic plague existed in San
~ y,cic <>f
;ticians and newspapers have been the
answer to the demonstrations of sci
ence. Was ever such spectacle pre-
sented before in a civilized state?
1t seems now that California must
face her own humiliation. The situa-
ton from being a public peril has be-
come public nuisance. San Francisco
may have to face quarantine as well
as the opporbrium of this situation. If
lit is necessary to save the whole coun-
try, the general government should act
We are well informed that most of
the best men in the medical profession
in California have had no sympathy
with the policy of denial. 1t has been
popular madness, and one which UNI
fortunately has swept some weak
kneed individuals off their feet, but /
am assured that change must and
will be made soon either by the new
state government or by the federal au-
thoritieS.
The federal government has reconsid-
cred it's action authorizing the destruc-
ton of old public records of the GUS
toms service at the New York customs
house, and has taken steps to preserve
the more valuable of the documents. W.
G. Ford, representing the librarian of
congress, has been sent to the barge
office to make a personal examination
of the papers and books that were con-
demned and sold by the treasury de-
partment.
the records will be culled for perma-
nent preservation in Washington No
records dating after 1880 are to be de-
stroyed, their classification value and
location having been properly MAIN
tanned. The records between 1896 and
1880 were found to have been shame
fully kept, and the government officials
say that 1t would cost thousands of dol
lars and the work of many clerks to
sort and properly classify them. This
Is given as the reason for the sale of
the records.
The records, which embrace all the
chief transactions in the shipping line
at New York for nearly 100 years, were
kept In the dome Of the barge office.
They were slowed away in boxes.
Among them are declarations without
number made by the grandfathers Of