Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1911-09-07
The Vaccination Question,
DELAYED For Want OF Space

tested itself against compulsory vac
ciaation when our Common Council
enacted an ordinance to that effect
during the short smallpox siege we
had the forepart of this year, it seems
bat right and proper that the voters
should have an opportunity to ex-
press themselves on this important
question at the coming election.
To compel people to be vaccina-
ted whether they want to or not, is
not only contrary to the spirit OF a
true democratic government, but a
downright insult to their intelligence.
1t is like saying to them: You are
not competent to judge as to what
is best for the health and welfare OF
yourselves and your children; and
we-the duly constituted authori-
ties, must decide this for you" Now
if there were no question as to the
alleged advantages of vaccination
that is, if there were no two sides
to it. if the whole medical profession
were agreed that it is really what is
claimed for it, namely, an absolute
preventive of smallpox, compulsory
vaccination laws would be alright
and not a voice would ever be heard
against them.
But what are the facts in the
case? Many of our most eminent
physicians and scientists not only
claim that it does NOT render per
son immune against an attack Of
this disease Ono matter how often
and how successfully he or she has
been vaccinated) but it also makes
him susceptible to many other dis
eases, because the injection of pus
from man or beast is bound to Vi
tate and impoverish his blood and
consequently his whole system.
Thus Prof. Alfred r. Wallace, the
noted English scientist, has proved
by statistics that more successfully
vaccinated persons take the small
pox in its most virulent form, than
unvaccinated ones, and that in
cities where they had the least vacci-
nation because the people were OPP
posed to it, they had the fewest
cases of that disease. Never having
been vaccinated, their systems were
naturally in condition to resist its
encroachments. Outer disregard
of the laws of health will, of course
render any one subject to this as
we'll as to any other disease.) Dr.
Alexander Wilder, editor of the
New York Medical Times, claims
that consumption (tuberculosis)
can be as unequivocally traced
to vaccination as effect follows
cause, and that after such pollution
of the blood, one can never hope
to regain his former health" Dr.
r. SWinburne Clymer, PHI M. D.,
member of the American Medical
Union and vice-PreSident of the
Anti-Vaccination Society of Ameri-
ca, refers to the so-called Boards of
Health as making compulsory vacci-
nation laws for the Jenner-ation of
disease.
AS for the legal aspects of the
case. H. Weinberger, a prominent
New York attorney, says: When
the doctor comes to your houS
with a big, burlv policeman to vacci-
nate you or your family, the law,
which places a high value upon the
life and limbs of a human being,
would pardon even homicide if COM
mitted in their defense"
These few statements show that
there are two sides to the practice of
vaccination, and that every individ-
ual should be at liberty to decide
as to which one he prefers. For
this reason compulsory vaccination
laws should be abolished as a men,
ace to the welfare of the people,
but as they are still in force, it
should be left to each town or city
as to whether they want them en-
forced in their community or not,
and this can only be done by max
ing this question an issue at NUM-
cipal elections.
In view of which | would suggest
- z~-I;Io&oe f~r %hn ~ vNrro0oI,snd