The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-13
DECLINE THE TEST
ti-Vaccinationists Will Not Ac-
cept DR.. Hall's Challenge.
A STATEMENT BY sEC'Y DoBBYN
He Says the Challenge Was Issued
Under Misrepresentation of
Antis' Platform.

The local characterization society will
refuse to be drawn into any such test
of its merits of vaccination as Health
Commissioner Hall proposed in Tues
days Journal. Speaking for his own
opinion, and later putting himself on
record for the society, w. R. Dobbyn, sec
rotary Of the organization, declares that
DR.. Halls proposition is not fair one,
that If accepted by the society the re-
suits would prove nothing conclusively,
and therefore the offer must be declined.
Mr.. Dobbyn stated the case for the So
ciety more at length as follows:
I have noted Health Commissioner Halls
challenge to the characterization society Of
this city. In reply would say:
DR.. Halls proposal on its very face is, in
effect, a Misrepresentation of the claims made
by those opposed to vaccination. He pro-
poses to do what? To have us place two per-
sons who have not been vaccinated and
who have not had the smallpox as helpers
at the smallpox detention hospital. To prove
what? That these two persons will take the
smallpox Who denies that they may take
the disease? Certainly those opposed to vac
cination do not.
DR.. Hall ignorantly or desgnedly tries to
make 1t appear that AUTHORIZATIONS claim
that smallpox is not contagious. They have
never claimed any such thing. What they
claim Is that vaccination does not always
tmmunize; that there does not live a man
who can prove that it does; that no physician
of authority in his profession will venture
the assertion that it does; that no man
knows when immunity from vaccination takes
place, If at all, nor when Immunity ends
after vaccination, if at all. They claim that
authority is divided on this question even in
the school of medicine to which DR.. Hall
belongs; that 1t is, under the more favorable
circumstances, fraught with danger to life to
inject the pus from a cow boil into the
Of heir hat IN do
against the will of the individual it an out
rageous violation of the rights of the indi-
vidual under the constitution Of the United
States. They claim that the fact that ten
people, vaccinated, have helped at the deten-
ton hospital and have not up to date con-
tracted the disease, is no valid reason for as
Stunning or predicating that they may not take
smallpox or that vaccination immunizes. Nor
any more is this a good reason for his as
sumption than it would be to claim that be-
cause in an epidemic of smallpox some people
do not contract the disease, it is therefore,
not contagious.
DR.. Halls so-called challenge is not only
a cheap way of begging the whole question,
but villif1cation of those who oppose his
methods.
When the member Of the Vaccination
Society returns to the city who has in his Gus
tody the chief data for this discussion, we
will see that Dr.. Hall has all he desires re-
garding true test in this case.
We seek only the truth in this matter; we
ask only for the opportunity to present the
truth as it appears to us and to plainly set
forth the reasons why we oppose vaccination
Law Invoked at Motley.
The school board of the village Of Motley
has refused to carry out the order Of the
state board of health to compel all school
Is children there to- be vaccinated and the state
board has asked the county attorney to take
measures to enforce Its order through the aid
of the courts The board claims the right to
enforce compulsory vaccination in the schools
when there is a smallpox epidemic in the
community.