The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1915-03-18

rural locality, run on to a switch
and compelled to stand still for two
weeks without allowing any passen-
gers TO leave. This interference
with the right of the passenger, and
their imprisonment, was justified
under a public necessity to prevent
the spread of yellow fever.
Anothe rearly occurran ce happen
ed few years ago when in the city
of Philadelphia officers of the law
went to the home of a prominent
citizen, and informed him they
were ordered to convey his wife to
the pest-house because she was af-
f1icted with the smallpox. He did
not consent. claiming he had made
ample provision for her care and the
prevention of any public hazard on
account Of her disease. Regardless
of his resistance, his wife was TAX
en- out of bed by force, and carried
away to the pest hospital. The
husband followed the ambulance to
the door of the hospital and asked
to be admitted, that he might be
with his wife in her sickness, but he
was refused. That mans wife died
he never knew when-and was
buried--he never knew where. If
there is any right among men more
sacred than all others. it is the right
to be with and care for members of
their own families in time of sick
ness, to stand by them in their hour
of death. and to bury them in
place selected by them for that pur-
pose, where their last resting place
may be marked and visited. Yet
that most sacred of all rights had not
feathers weight when it came in
conflict with the law of public ne
cessity.
A citizen of Indianapolis, Ind.
years ago. who possessed all the pri-
vileges and rights that any other
citizen in the city posse ssed, was
suddenly arrested, tried convicted,
condemned. and on a day fixed for
that purpose was compelled to as
cend the scaffold, a rope being
placed about his neck the trap was
sprung and he was strangled to
death. While the lifeless body of
this man hung suspended, an op-
portunity was offered to philoso-
phize on the rights of an individual.
An execution was issued upon the
judgment rendered in his case, for
costs, and every dollars worth of
property he had in the world was
sold, and the proceeds applied to
pay the expenses of the judicial pro-
ceedings that ended with the taking
Of his life. He had been deprived
of all rights of property, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness, and
of life itself. All this because he
violated law of public necessity,
made in the interests and for the
protection of society. 1t is true
this proceeding was under statute,
but such proceeding would have
been lawful if there had been no
statute, being authorized by the
common law, and existed in the
day when Haman was hanged by
the order of Ahasuerus.
The officers of the law may enter
a mans house and analyze the water
in the we'll, and say to him that the
water has germs of disease, he must
not use it-neither himself nor his
family-nor permit anyone else to
use it. He may answer: This is
my property; l had that we'll dug;
we have used that water for twelve
years, / like it and this is free
country" Nevertheless, if he dis
regards the injunction. he may be
arrested and fined. and imprisoned,
and the well-that poison fountain
filled to the brim to prevent the
spread of disease, and he may be
compelled to pay the expense of all
these proceedings. They may ex-