The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-03-25
DEPART MfNT OF
PUBLIC HEALTH
URGED By SENATOR OWEN, or
ok-AHoMA--MADE SPEECH
YESTERDAY.
MOST SERIOUS MAT TER
Demanding Immediate Intelligent At
tention - Conservation cf Life
Greater Than conse4yai
ton cs Resources. (,

| Washington, March "a In
lspeech today in favor Of the passage
lof bill introduced BY himself PROV
iyiling for the establishment of d de-
lpartment of public health, similar to
the nine other departments of Tie
federal government, Senator Owen,
Iof Oklahoma, declared that, while he
Was in favor or the conservation Of
the nat~ral resources or the nation,
''the conservation Of the life of onr
5lpeople Is of far greater Importance.
and the conservation Of the vitality
md efficiency Of orr people IL a
problem of the first, magnitude, de-
lmanding immediate intelligent attea-
ition."
4 He snckc against the bureau syg-
tenn Of looking out FOR the punIic
health, asserting that he question was
lof such great Importance t.sat II
could not be handled efficiently ex-
Icept By a separate department with
mowers as great as those now en-
i ioyed by any of the other depart
lments Of the government.
i "We have had bureaus for one hum
dred years" he said AThey are scat
tered in eight departments They
Ihave been disconnected and without
Ieoordmation They ever have been
Jealous Of each other. the one nulli-
lfying ana hampering the work Of the
lother. They have been without d
Irresponsible head because OF this sub
i .Idivision and because the chief of the
lmcst important Of these bureaus, the
\ gIsurwcor- generat of tle punlie heath
land marine hospital service. cannot
! | express an opinion or give iniorma-
tlon until he has consulted the secfe-
tary Of the treasury
The secretary of the treasury was
selected as cabinet officer he
added. mot becarse Of his EroMl-
edge Of the public health, but be-
cause he was an exnert on finance.
This government officer, he thought,
hould not direct government activ-
Eities in Fighting disease. He de-
clared that In the case Of certein re-
tports on the hubonic plague on the
Pacific coast the bureau dealing
with public health was easilg sup
pres ed by commercialism and its
supposed intere is. putting in
Jeopardy the national health. the
national interest end the national
truth in violation OK section OF the
quarantine laws
Under subordinate bureau. Co
operation in the fight against dis
eae is impracticable, he declared.
The bureau has not sufficient dignity
or power in an emergency, he con-
tinued 1t has no national standing.
1t cannot take the initiative, but mist
always stand subject to the orders Of
A secretary too greatly Influenced by
mere apparent commercial ana nscal
interest
The bill introduced hw Senator
Owen would coordinate into one
working body all Of the various
health agencies of the government.
! 1t proposes no new officers, except
the secretary ana his assistant, and
calls for no new appropriation asiar
from the salaries Of the secretaries.
lit will nrevide a number OF effi-
ciencies. said Senator Owen, by pre-
yenting duplication.
: A commercial nation, he sa' a.
I should not be uninIndful of the com
mercial value Of the saving of all life
and efficiency possible. which ~
worth s3.000000000 per annum. A
, humane nation will not fail to act
when ii is known that. we could save
the lives of C00.000 Of our people
Annually. prevent the sickness Of 81
100000 Of neonle pr annum, VINO
now suffer from preventable dis
eases"
The bill, he said, waa in accordance
with the earnest repeated desires OF
!, the American Medical Association,
which he declared was probably the
largest ani most honorable associa-
tipn OF physicians and surgeons In
the whole world
. Senator Owen qroted numerous
statistics In proof Of the arguments
which lie advanced ss TO the import
ance of the work that the depart
lment would be called on to dos HE
expressed the hope that action would
be taken on the matter at the pres
ent session.
, cAJlcc CxnErr rEnrN s~EM