The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-17

in accord and conformity as hereafter enacted. We furthermore urge the Governors of the said several States with the above object specifically in view to call the attention of tho Legislatures of their respective States to the wisdom and policy of this course.
 Hesltating While Disease Does Its Work. Just why a convention of Southern men, in view of conditions as they exist and of laws regulating transmission of | disease by cattle and horses should hesitate about asking for positive in-
 terstate control in quarantining dis eases that come through our ports and
 cause vast destruction of human life and shrinkage in property, is not easily understood The lines above which
 Texas cattle, for instance, cannot go
 at certain periods of the year, are ab-
 solutely fixed by United States laws and
 regulations are strictly enforced. The
 statesmen who haggle over Federal
 control of interstate quarantine laws,
 seem to have no opposition to the same
 principle when applied to property, but cannot consent for national control of
 quarantine to be the means of saving
 the lives of men, women and children. New Orleans, by virtue of its location, must be the greatest port of the South. It's importance will grow with each year and especially will this be the case after the completion of the Panama Canal. Yet strange to say you can hear the cry of invasion of State Rights from prominent people of that city when 1t is suggested that Federal laws be en- acted governing and regulating quaran- tine not only at the ports but for the whole country. If New Orleans and Louisiana health authorities had been as vigilant, as suggested by Governor Jelks, as they should have been, yellow fever would not have spread in that city the past summer. So fragrant was the conduct of the State and city health officers that demand was made for their removal and certainly it Is to the best interest of all the States along the Gulf that such men be not allowed to hold in their hands the question of life and death for millions of people. They have been denounced for not making known the existence of the fever weeks before they did They have been held responsible for it's spread over the city of New Orleans, because of failure to give warning. They have been held up as acting in bad faith with the author ities of other States who are under solemn agreement one with the other to give notice of tho first approach of dan ger.
 Not Keeping Faith.
 Dr. Joseph Holt was for a number of years Health Officer of Louisiana. He would not be controlled by the pol iticians nor allow his position to be a mere machine and it's policy dictated by outsiders. He gave up the place sev- eral years ago and resumed his prac- tice He always advocated the utmost publicity and denounced all attempts to conceal the presence of yellow fever in New Orleans. He is one of the re- cognized great physicians of the coun- try. In d recent open letter, under date of October 4th. concerning the situa- tion in New Orleans this year, he gave startling instances of official negli- gence. to use no harsher terms, on the rart of the President of the State Board of Health of Louisiana and the Health Officer of New Orleans. He charged them with knowledge of ex- yellow fever in New Orleans and with