The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-17


 of fever, interfered with interstate traflc and made abject towards or .housands of otherwise sensible people If State laws cannot prevent such ln- terrubtions to commerce ana uamc why has not the United States the same right to enact laws to provide rem ndy during the existence of contagious or' infectious diseases, that has been asserted in the transportation between states of freight and passengers on railroads and other common carriers.
 The proposition to act in co-opera- ,ion with the several State Boards Of Health might not work out as well as those who agreed to the Chattanooga resolution hoped for. There were some t.oards of health last summer which seemed beyond the reach of reason- able argument. It Is proper to say. however, that the most foolish things done were as a rule by towns and small communities. rather than by State di- rection The carrying out of the Chat tanooga resolutions would. in absence of a stronger enactment put the public health and marine hospital service in charge of quarantine at our ports; the quarantine system would be uniform; 1t would be proof against the annoy snces or cajolemeE:s of local commer- cial interests and their demands, and :he States would without much fric- ton acquiesce in the change. It would be an immense improvement over the way In which things havo been con- ducted in the past.
 This Congress should Act.
 There has been very general ern Congressman in favor of legislation by which more authority may be given to the Marine Hospital Service in time of epidemic at points in other countries, as we'll as in our own ports. A great many favor out and out national con- trol of quarantine, holding that the power under which Congress enacts interstate commerce laws has been properly claimed for control and dtrec- tion of interstate quarantine. Many extracts from public utterances or senators and Representatives on this line; could be given. but it would re- etlire too much space .o Fp so. shall not attempt any legal argument justi- lying a national quarantine, but emil neht lawyers are on record In aole articles and speeches in favor of It. The demand for such a law is grow insgy and it comes from widely sepa- rStsd portions of the country. The time to agitate for it is now. when we are absolutely free of diseases against which it is at times necessary to erect barriers The Congress now in session ought to enact such law and espe- cjally should Southern Congresmen urge it. There are some who will op- pose placing the regulation Of quaran- tine in the hands of the Government oh the ground that it will be an inter ference with the reserved rights or the States, but that is not tenable argu- ment. sThis same objection has been brought iin1e- and again against the Federal laws regulating interstate commerce. but we also know that such laws are now not only generally acqulesced in' but are endorsed by most people Who have had occasion to study them anu their workings To protect the health .,T millions of people against a deadly anidsmic is of vastly more importance tbun1 is the regulation of rail- road rates. Epidemics like yellow feynr are the common enemies ofz 4he American people. Inoash If is usually confined to the southern States of the Union, 1t has preVaileu in inc North and East with deadly e1- feet and it is not impossible that It nfay again reach much higher Iatitudes than it has of late years.
 real danger which threatens . large portion of the Union shoulo not he neglected because its control ana : .stIppression might be taken as an ln- truston on the rights of one or more or the States. There has never been an apidemic of yellow fever which has not hrought with it contention and confu- sion among the health officers and the other officials. Of the different States. It matters not how intelligent or efn- cient the State officers may pc IL IS i1npossible to maintain uniform sys- ttem of quarantine in all the cities and States which may be interested. Tn every instance there are differences Of sopinion, not only as to the disease It. self but as to how 1t shall be controlled eor suppressed, Some States and cities will have regulations which bear with unnecessary hardship on other commit nities, and there will always be quar- antine officers who either do not under stand their duty or who fail to exc cute it. If we had Federal 'quaran- tine system there, would be uniformity in the rules as well as in their enforce fnent We would be rid of some Of the drastic illogical and often unjust regu- lations which prevail in some places, and which are almost as objectionable as the disease is. ; Another great evil and danger which would be avoided under Federal super tvision would be the setting aside of To- cal considerations, When a case which is certainly known to be yellow fever is discovered it should at once be taken in charge and the public Informed of 1t. The experience of Montgomery in the Minhinnett case is conclusive evil dence that such policy is best, and that 1t is but fair and just to all the coun- try that might be endangered.
 If I could believe that any vital right of a State would be endangered by giv- ing the general Government the power to guard and pr1tt ct the health and the lives of the general public I might hesitate to advocate the policy of na- tional quarantine. but believing as do that Government officials can deal with the fever better than any State or local authorities can do am in favor of that solution of a very serious problem.
 The Distribution of Radium