The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-14

plague, when she should have been sup pressing the plague itself. That the dreaded Asiatic pest maintains it's foot hold there is due to the cowardice and dishonesty of the clique then in power, which constituted a scandal unparalleled in our history, a scandal that with the present growing enlightenment, can never be repeated.
 Early in 1900 the first case of the present bubonic plague onset appeared in San Francisco's Chinatown. I say pres ent' because I believe it has never wholly died out in the last eight yeafs. conference of the managing editors of the newspapers, known as the midnight meeting" was held, at which it was de- cided that no news should be printed admitting the plague The Chronicle started by announcing under big head lines Plague Fake Part of Plot to Plunder,' There Is No Bubonic Plague in San Francisco This was in the in terest of business Meantime the Chinese, aided by local politicians, were hiding their sick. Out of the first 100 cases, I believe only three were discovered other wise than by the finding of the dead bodies. Sick Chinamen were shipped away; venal doctors diagnosed the pest as chicken cholera, 'septemia hemor- rhagica, 'diphtheria,' and other known anu ullhIOWu dIlIltulS.
 'In May, 1900, came the blow. that ali San Francisco had dreaded: Texas and New Orleans quarantined against the city and business languished. At this time two men were in control of the plague situation: Dr. Williamson of the city board of health and Dr. J. J. Kinyoun of the marine hospital service. Dr. Will Hanson and Dr. Kinyoun both declared plague to be present in the city. The business interests represented in the Mer- chants association appealed to Kinyoun to suppress his reports to Washington. In return he invited them to read the law which compelled him to make reports. They then tackled pr. Williamson, who replied that he'd tell the truth as he found it, and if it was distasteful to them they needn't listen. They went to Mayor Phelan demanding Wiliamson's head on salver. Mayor Phelan stuck by his man. Governor Gage they found more amenable He issued proclamation de- claring that there was no plague. Gov ernor Gage is not a physician or a man of scientific attainment. There is noth- ing in his record to show that he could distinguish between plague bacillus and a potato bug. Nevertheless he spent con- siderable of the states money wiring positive and unauthorized statements to Washington. His state board of health refused to stand by him and he cut off their appropriations whereupon they re- signed, and he secured another and more servile board, remolded nearer to the hearts desire. Meantime the newspapers were strenuously denying all the real were strenueously denying all the real minating in the complete suppression of plague news.
 The newspapers so inflamed the public against Dr. Kinyoun that he was threat ened with lynching. After this Governor Gage and other state officials inaugu- rated a campaign of influence upon Pres ident Mckinley. MT. Adams continues.
 "Thus far the United States marine hos pital authorities had stood back of their men. Now they began to weaken. The findings of the federal commission were kept out of the weekly service reports, and data of the epidemic were edited out of the public health bulletins, in dsre- gard to the law. Even this subserviency did not satisfy the California delegation; they wanted Kinyoun out.
 And, on April 6. 1901, after a year'c brave fight in the face of public con tumey and constant physical danger, Dr. Kinyoun was kicked upstairs into a soft berth at Detroit. He resigned. So the M. H. & lost a brave, faithful and able public servant and for once black ened it's own fine record.
 There isn't space to give the crest of the plague history; how it cropped out ia other parts of California; how 1t was shipped to Matanzas Mexico, and all but ruined that town; how the hated local health board, in the face of the governor of the state and the federal authorities, stuck to their guns and won the fight, for San Francisco finally admitted the pres- ence of the plague. and asked for gov ernmental aid Rupert Blue. one of the best surgeons in the marine hospital ser vice. was assigned to the terrified city.