The Washington herald., 1911-01-20
MARINE HOSPITAL
BILL is OPPOSED
Physicians Argue Against
Increased Power.
MANN'S STATEMENT RECALLED
Arguments Presented When Serv.
ice Was Instituted Are Used
Pending in HOuse-Dr. MaEruder
Wants Present School Continued.

Representative Mann's own arguments,
made several years ago. were used
against his bill providing for increased
power for the Marine Hospital Service
"a the hearing before the House Com
mittee on Interstate and Foreign Com
merce yesterday. l.. E. Slack, of
Franklin. Ind, who appeared on behalf
of the National League for Medical
Freedom, argued against the pending
bill, maintaining that it was unwise to
give more power to the bureau and leave
the exercise of that power entirely to the
discretion of those in charge of the bu-
reau.
He referred to the Congressional
Record of 1902, and showed that at that
time Representative Mann objected to
the passage of the bill which established
the present Marine Hospital Service, on
the ground that it left too much to the
discretion of the head of the bureau.
The pending bill provides for the re-
enactment of the laws governing the
bureau. and therefore Mr. Slack con-
tended Mr.. Marn's arguments applied
against his own bill.
DR.. MaEruder Opposes Bill.
DIR. 6. Lloyd Magruder, of Washington,
opposed the bill on the ground that it
IS not broad enough. He said: THE
bill, as drawn, is not complete. Slight
amendments TO the oct of 1902 will afford
great additional benefits. The most i'm
pogtant step would be to appoint an
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
skilled in sanitary science; the meetings
of the advisory board should be manda-
tory at certain periods of each year
and they should be authorized to ad-
wise with the Surgeon General of the pub
lie health service upon public health mat
ters. the limit of ten days in any one
year should be abolished
The men composing the advisory
board are too distinguished to be ham
pered in any such way 1t seems to me
that II would be wise to pay these men
a handsome honorarium, so as to COM
mand their services whenever needed
Experience has taught that the govern
ment should avail itself of the assistance
of the experts within the service in other
departments as well as that of skilled
outsiders. The full benefits of the act
of 1902 have never yet been had The
work that has already been done with
these agencies. notably in the Washington
milk conference and the worldly wide in
terest that government publications on
1hat work have attracted, proves their
efficacy
" men asked by one of the committee
why he had gone over the head of Con-
gress to the President on occasions for
legislation, Dr.. Magruder pointed out
that he had gone to the President only
TO secure the publication of government
works on the milk conference and that
when he had wanted legislation he had
gone to Representatives, and Senators for
their aid and had secured it.
Mr. Slack, in his statement. argued for
State and municipal control of all public
health agencies affecting the individual
citizens directly, and maintained that the
Federal government has already gone too
Tar in the direction of invading this con-
troll. He said the Mann bill could not
become law without having the Federal
government interfere with the political
subdivisions just mentioned, usurping the
powers of these subdivisions and duplicat-
ing their work
Sees No Need of Act,
There is no necessity, he pointed out.
for an enabling act such as the Mann
bill, to permit the people of the J-n;tad