The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-04-09
'HALLSR REPORT
SUPPLEMENTED
Gen. Scott NotEntjreN Salts
isfied With Results of
First Probe.
CHARGES AGAINST STATE
Public Health Officials Reiter-
ate That Future Of ogle-
thorpe Is in DANGER.

ate That Future Of 0gle-
thorpe Is in Danger.
Washington. April s.--(Special.)-
War department officials declared to-
day that Tennessee is one Of the mos
backward states in the Union In tn,
vigorous and systematic campaign
now being waged against venerea
diseases. It was asserted that II Ten.
nessee remained inactive in the mat.
ter 1t would stand practically alone
as all the rest Of the states excep,
Nevada are taking advanced steps
with the federal government to sup
press and control the social evil.
1t was asserted that official : ON
the public health service at Ish-
ington would soon visit !. willie
and appear before the legis' s re for
the purpose of impressing : n that
body the Importance of q : Ing ef-
fective legislation to der 5 nth the
vice situation in the sts
The startling infqE tion was
given out that unless ( conditions
at Chattanooga are roved. the
logical. results would probably be
abandonment of Fort Oglethorpe. 1t
government to retain only those army
posts where local conditions are cas-
lily adjusted to suit the situation.
The recent reports made by Gen.
Scott to the war department on the
vice conditions at Chattanooga indi-
Gated that there are still some Sc
rious differences between the federal
government and the municipal au-
thorities of Chattanooga over. the
the proper way to handle the situa-
ton.
While at the war department 1t was
suggested that It would be inexpe-
dent to give out Gen. Scott's reports
and a request for those reports was
refused, enough was learned from Of
ficials to shed some light on the mat
ter and to show that the reports were
not very favorable to Chattanooga
Gen. Scott first made a report on
the result of an investigation con-
Quoted by Capt. Hall, who has since
been mustered out of the army. 1t
was intimated that the commanding
officer was not entirely satisfied with
Capt. Halls report. This was not
intended as a reflection, but It was
said that different men took different
viewpoints of such matters.
Gen. Scott subsequently delegated
another officer to make another in
vestigation, and on the result of this
the commanding officer has made
supplemental report which seems not
to be as favorable as the previous
one.
From information obtained from
war department officials II Is plain
the whole trouble lies in the fact that
carriers of venereal disease are
turned loose on the community in
direct opposition to the established
policy of the federal government, and
that this failure of reasonable CO.
operation with the federal authori-
ties has caused an adverse report, II
Is not mat Chatfanoaga IL any worse
than other cities in vice conditions,
except the failure OF the municipal
authorities TO do their part in carry
ing out established curative and pre-
ventive measures.
"It is not the policy OF the govern
ment to unnecessarily antagonize To-
cal communities in the work we are
doing to suppress vice. but we are
to secure full cooperation"
said Capt. Deloe Nook, sanitary corps,
U. S. army, who is assigned to the
law enforcement division of the COM
mission on training camp activities.
ut is not our policy to arbitrarily
force our rules on a community, but
rather to 1naugurate a, campaign of
alton so that those localities af-
fected may carry on the fight even
after the federal government shall
have relaxed its hold on the matter.
THE main point of difference be-
tween the federal government and
The municipal authorities in the fight
that Is being made to control the |
situation at Chattanooga is |
that carriers of the disease are being |
tui ned loose instead of being held |
until cured. Cases are thus turned |
oose prematurely and allowed to run
It large and are a menace to the SOL
Hers and to-the community. All we
ask is that they be held until cured. |
, 1T Is not my purpose to make a
threat. but to state what may prog
IDLY occur in the event Chattanooga |
'ails to meet the requirements of the |
government in it's cooperation in the
1ght to suppress vice in that city. |
have no hesitancy in saying that |
inless satisfactory action is taken by
he authorities of that place toward |
he control and suppression OF vice
I Is probable that Fort Oglethorpe
nay ultimately he abandoned as an
Irmy post. My conclusions in this
natter are logical.
The government is going to main
ain a limited number of permanent
rmy posts and It may be said with
degree of certainty that only those
'osts will be retained where local
onditions are favorable and where
here are no effective antagonistic
dement's.
THE truth Is. Tennessee Is behind
he rest Of the states in the enact
ncnt of legislation to cooperate with
he federal government in the sup
ression Of vice. Other states have
lready taken advantage of the lib-
raj offer of the federal government
o bear half of the expense In the
reat work. If Tennessee would en-
ct the right kind OF laws for the
reatment and suppression of vene-
cal diseases as other states have
one there would he available from
he federal treasury s23.755s1 when
by a similar sum from the
tate treasury. If Tennessee persists
4 remaining out of this march of
rogress she will he practically alone.
'nly Nevada and Tennessee will he
he laggards in the fight for the sup
ression of this social evil"
DID NOT EAIT DIVORCE