Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-02-23
Mistllaueuus Radina.
MEDICAL INSPECTION BILL.

MEDICAL INSPECTION BILL.
Governor BIease Sent It Back to House
y With Red Hot Veto.
| Governor Blease has vetoed the bill
providing for the medical inspection of
the children of the public schools. The
veto message, which Is hot one. went
to the house last Saturday night, and
instead Of acting upon 1t at once. the
Usage back to the committee on medi-
cal affairs. thus avoiding an immediate
vote on the question Of sustaining or
Overriding the veto.
Governor Blease, in his veto mes
sage, says the board of school trus-
tees referred to Is vague and indefinite.
Then Governor Blease continues by
quoting from the bill: Every school
physician shall make a prompt exam
ination and diagnosis Of all school
children, students, teachers, ETC."
Now, gentlemen, this in my opinion,
Is taking from the parents Of the chill
dren the right to attend to the physi-
cal condition of their own children.
have no children, but IL had a girl
and she had some deformity, or she
had some disease by inheritance by
which she could not by association
communicate to any other children.
and which could not injure any other
child by her being its schoolmate,
would consider 1t a most outrageous
intrusion upon my family affairs to
have any physician examine that child
and expose It's deformity or its condi-
tion to the world. All, gentlemen, more
than that, would not permit 1t. un-
less was paralyzed and unable to use
my powers which God Almighty has
given me, and I cannot see why you
want to place such an imposition upon
the little children of this state.
1Do you not think that every man
In this state Is able and has love
enough for his children to care for
and protect them? 1t Is my rule in
life to pity and endeavor to help those
who are afflicted, and not endeavor to
hold their afflictions up to the public
gaze. Pass a law, II you please, pro-
hibiting any child with tuberculosis. a
disease which may be transmitted to
others (but, from your present hosiery
mill condition, you seem to have lit
tie concern as to this terrible disease),
from attending any public school OF
this state, or any child which has any
disease that may be transmitted to the
other children by attendance upon a
public school, but I cannot approve Of
the publishing in the records Of your
state and from the house tops Of your
schools that a certain child has a GER
tain disease, thus holding 1t up to
ridicule and scandal to the humilia-
ton Of the child, for something for
which, possibly. its parents are to
blame, done In an unguarded or un-
thoughtful moment.
People have a right to control their
own children; therefore, why so much
legislation? Have all the people, and
all the classes of people become imbe-
Giles and children that the legislature
at>every turn must pass acts creating
guardianships, or do you wish to es-
tablish an anarchy and force every
poor man to bow down to the whims
of all professions? Now, your provi-
sion as to smallpox, diphtheria, scarlet
fever, measles, chickenpox, whooping
cough or mumps is all right and, as I
have said, carry It further: make 1t
apply to tuberculosis, scrofula, and
the disease that causes scrofula, II
you please, but do not say that every
young girl in this state from IL years
old and up, without her consent, must
be forced to be examined and her
physical condition certified by her
physicians to some school teacher. to
be heralded around as public property.
Section of your bill provides that
a third person shall be present, II 30
requested by the said school child.
student, teacher or tanitor. Why not
child, the father or mother? Why do
you take from the father and mother
their God given privilege and put 1t
In the hands Of somebody else?
Amend you bill and say at the request
Of the father or mother. or guardian,
II the father and mother be dead, but
here you absolutely take from the con-
troll of the father and mother the
physical child and put II in the hands
Of the child itself, the student. the
teacher or janitor. What negro janitor
has got a right to request that my
child or any other white mans child
shall be examined as provided Tor In
your act, section So
II have promised on the stump to
veto all bills creating useless offices.
This bill creates the position Of school
physician and says which shall be paid
in the school district in which the
service Is performed out Of the school
funds Thereof. Now, gentlemen, / am
opposed to that. This money Is voted
and appropriated for the education OF
the child and for the development Of
its brain, and YOU have no right to
take 1t to pay doctors bills or for hav-
ing children examined at the instance
of some crank. II some people are so
afraid that their children will catch
a disease, let them be more careful OF
their own personal actions and let
them first examine themselves before
they marry to see that they will not
cause the transmission Of disease.
Il cannot approve your bill, for l
think 1t both iniquitous and outrage
GUS, and II a child refuses to submit
to being thus examined / believe that
its parents should get mandamus
from the courts compelling the receipt
Of the child in the school for which
he has been taxed to run. I hope that
enough of tn, members Of your body
will so respect the girl children of this
state as to kill the bill. If not, / be-
lieve that 1t will be a dead letter, for
II do not believe that the people of this
state will submit their children to any
such outrageous examination and ex-
posal."
Tho Other Side.