Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-12
NO DANGER FROM CHOLERA
Need Of Simpler Interstate Quarantine
Regulations.

Regulations.
From the New York Herald
That the spread OF the cholera in Prus-
| sia IL creating concern in Official circles Is
| evident from the measures being taken, In
| GLIDING the erection Of temporary hospi-
| tails near Berlin In anticipation OF its reach
| ing that city. special cable dispatch
from Hamburg to this mornings Herald
| Is reassuFing Is to conditions in that quar-
ter. The detection ot the one infected Rus
sian emisrant is cited as evidence OF the
close inspection enforced.
No case has thus far developed among
the thousand emigrants who have now been
detained for four days on the steamship In
the Elbe. and 1t is expected that they will
be permitted to sail for New York this
week. 1t Is manifestiy to the pecuniary In
terest Of the company to avoid sending the
disease here with the risk OF having to
carry back q thousand passengers at its
own expense.
Even should 1t be brought to this port.
however. there would not be any danger
OF its reaching this city. Our port quar-
antine system does not admit OF any such
bungling as recently occurred inland In
connection with yellow fever. The recent
experiences In New Orleans have shown
very plainly that the real uses of Quaran-
tine should be better understood by the
public and should be more consistently ap-
plleQ Dy the sanitary IMAM mas
been the case heretofore. When both Of
these conditions were met there was an en-
tire change in the management Of the cpl
demic. All that was necessary was the
establishment of a proper system and the
thing was done.
The president OF the Louisiana Press AS
ISOLATION has voiced the general sentiment
by inviting discussion OF federal control
Of quarantine in future, thus making 1t i'm
possible for the dlsgraceful conflicts that
have occurred in the south during the last
months Vicksburg and Natchez have also
fallen in line. and the governor of Tennes-
see has called southern conference OF gov
ernors of states to discuss questions of i'm
migration and quarantine bearing on some
possible uniform system of epidemic preven-
ton, Such movements admit Of only
Interpretation. and the initiative thus taken
Is a movement in the proper direction. The
trouble has been. and now is, that each Of
the states has health laws Of It's own. and
Its purpose Is for the most part the MAIN
tenanCe OF state sovereignty at all haZ-
ards.
So far such regulations do not jeop-
ardize the safety of people in general it
Is right and proper to leave all special
government to the states themselves, but
the case is obviously different when a gen.
eral epidemic threatens and neighboring
commonwealth may suffer in consequence.
1t Is at such times more than necessary
that some common bond of protection
should guarantee safety to all. This is the
one strong reason why there should be
general UNDERSTANDING DIS " WHAT constr
tutes sensible quarantine and efficient pro-
lection against infection.
The establishment of a uniform stand
ard would be all sufficient. the only other
requisite being that each state should
pledge itself to maintain it by laws of it's
own. Nor is this at all difficult. Science
has row so simplified quarantine that abb
soNte protection can be obtained with the
least possible damage to commerce and the
smallest interruption to traffic.
In olden times the very name of quar-
antne was as much dreaded the pesti-
lence itself. The term then meant forty
days of detention. Now that we know the
incubatory periods of the different nfec-
tious diseases it is a matter of five or six
days.
The rules Of isolation and disinfection are
so sensible and easily understood there
should be no difficulty in applying them.
1t is only a question of enforcing them
properly. Why, then, on merely technical
grounds should any state interfere in any
scheme for general protection? The time
is certainly ripe for the fullest possible
discussion of the subject from such a stand
point, and it Is in every way becoming that
the south should lead public opinion in the
matter, especially in view of her recent
sad experiences