The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-08-22
Federal Quarantine At New York
Success Public Health Service Fighting Disease
Strongholds
ny WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT

ress could be made But Gorgas got
rid of the mosquito.
Hookworm. In Porto Rico, Dr. Ash
discovered hookworm and with the public
| health service went through the business
of reducing the amount of that disease.
And then typhoid. There were 10000
men in the Spanish war of 1898, and 20000
cases of typhoid with mortality rate
of per cent. In 1911 we sent 1900 men
to the Texas border. Now, when I heard
the statement that I'm going to make to
you, | did not believe it myself, but went
over to the war department to learn the
truth and the reason. Here is the state
ment: The army had been inoculated with
| anti-toxin. The one case was a teamster
who had not been vaccinated.
An Army to Fight Disease
What am trying to establish by these
facts is that there are really in the gov
eminent service of this country persons
who are equal to the ia SIX of taking care
of the quarantine at New York harbor.
| think | have established the fact that
federal government has a corps of medi-
cal men in its army. navy and public
health service who, in point of experience,
in point of number. in point of backing
with funds and laboratories, Is equal to
any corps in the world for preventing
disease. The public health service con-
ducts so quarantine sta ons in this coun-
try at all large ports excepting New
York, now that the transfer of the Bos-
ton station has been accomplished 1t
has agents in every important and dan
gerous port in the world who constantly
report on health conditions and issue
warnings.
The quarantine at New York, however,
is Intimately our affair. Its conduct Is
now practically of national concern. 1t
grows out of and is part of foreign in
terstate commerce. Now, foreign and
interstate commerce are matters that the
states may, in some fields attend to
until Congress acts. In others they may
not sit at all and must abide congress
| sional action or inaction. Such, for in
| stance, the fixing of interstate rail-
road rates. But with respect to matters
| that have some local bearing states may
| affect foreign and interstate commerce
until Congress itself takes charge and
| then the state laws has no operation.
| That is the case with quarantine The
state may institute a quarantine, but it
| cannot do so If Congress says that it
| will take charge of that feature of for
| eign and interstate commerce, and it may
| exclude the state from maintaining such
| quarantine.
The Whole Country Involved
| Authority is given under the present
| law to any state government to turn over
| its quarantine property to the national
| government. The national government
| has authority to purchase this property.
| This is not simply a New York matter
| New York Is the biggest city we have
| and the quarantine station is one through
which the greatest number of people pass.
| But they do not stay in New York They
go ON to the rest of the country and,
| therefore, the whole country is interested
| that this service should be conducted by
a government which the country controls.
We are not criticising New York $
health department. 1t Is an admirable
department. The health laws of New
York is the best health law in the United
States. But under the conditions with
the system what it is, it cannot be so
good it cannot be So effective it could
If part of the national system. A ma
tional quarantine here would be under
the same head as the customs, immi-
grafton, internal revenue and the state
department, through whom they receive
the consular reports and by which they
can follow the conditions in other ports
I'm a strong states rights man.
believe 1t essential to rest on local self
government for matters of local appli
cation. and to relps on the national gov,
eminent for those things that in theii
: nature are national and that affect tn,
| whole country. On that basis a quaran
tine under the present conditions, facins
Europe as We do. with the possibility O
an increase of dangerous immigration a.
a nation or as divided system, one por
. here and another port there run under
different authorities. AS nation WE
have made treaties with foreign coun
tries with respect to the enforcement OF
quarantine. Ought we not to take ovel
, those instruments by which those treaties
are to be performed, into the nationa
, control so that the nation may represent
itself in the responsibilities under those
treaties?