Arizona republican., 1903-01-24
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, JAN. 24, 1903
SeattIe's Unfair Blow at San
 Francisco.

The formal declaration made by the
 conference of health authorities of
 several states at Washington few
 days ago, to the effect that the bubonic
 plague exists in San Francisco, should
 not scare the country. In the first place. if the plague does exist in that
 city-and it is still an open question an experience of three years has demonstrated that there is no occasion whatever for Americans to be alarmed. The disease, whatever it is, has been confined to Chinese, in the Chinese quarter of the city, and an insignifi- cant number of them have been at tackled. In the second place, there is grave reason to suspect the motives which prompted the resolution.
 It appears that there were nineteen states represented at the conference, and undoubtedly the resolutions ex- pressed the honest judgment of ma
 jority of those who voted for them. But it seems evident that most of the delegates who agreed to view with alarm the situation at San Francisco were worked" by smooth gentlemen who were there to play strong card in favor of Seattle. For many weeks. CT ever since the government an nounced that it proposed to abandon its own transport service and rely mainly upon private steamship lines for the transportation of troops and supplies to and from the Philippines, there has been a keen rivalry for the business between San Francisco and Seattle The claims of Seattle have been supported by MT. James J. Hill. who controls the Great Northern and Northern Pacific, and of course the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific wish to see the business remain at San Fran cisco. It is charged that MT. Hill and the warm advocates of Seattle were not slow to see the advantage which would accrue to them if the war de partment could be frightened by Authoritative" statements of the plaques existence in the metropolis of California. The motives of the Seattle people were clearly disclosed, as matter of fact, by resolution offered proposing that the secretary of war be advised that there is danger i'll bringing troops through the city of San Francisco" Another resolution, no less radical, proposed that an er- bargo be placed on the railroads leading out of California unless cer- tain steps were taken by the health authorities toward the suppression of the plague"
 It is unfortunate that some of the health authorities" of the states are too much inclined to "go off half cooked" They are in a position to do infinite harm to the business of the country by spreading needless alarm. As an instance in point, it is recalled that some three years ago, when the so-called plague first appeared at San Francisco, the health officer of Texas lost his head, declared a quarantine against California, and excitedly tele- graphed the governor of Arizona to join Texas in placing an embargo on all travel and traffic from California. The writer, in the governors absence, replied that there appeared to be nOth- an4 advised the Texas officials, in effect that the officials of Arizona knew how to attend to their own duties and did not propose to cripple the business in terests of California without ample cause. The Texas officials were SO offended by the refusal of Arizona to cooperate with them in the foolish quarantine that the official relations between the two commonwealths were quite strained for time. But public ridicule quickly caused the health officer of Texas to recede from his heroic position, and affairs resumed their normal tenor. And from that day to this. there has never been occa- sion for the public to be alarmed by the plague situation" at San Fran cisco. The health officers of that city and state are thoroughly competent to deal with the disease, whatever it may be.
 The national conference of health officials would, however, have done public service had they directed public to the necessity of closely the Mexican border. As we have pointed out before, Americans have practically nothing to fear from the plague, but should the pestilence he introduced from Mexico the business of the entire southwest would be seri- ously disturbed, through the ensuing fright.