The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-01-09
]. WEEKS
ANSWERS QUERH
QUESTIONS ASKED AS TO
WHAT IS "A BOARD OF
HEALTH.

county during these perlllOuS
times when even a small gath
ering may spread or renew the
prevalence Of Spanish Influenza,
that dread disease that is more
sure, more deadly than Hun bull
lets. A short time ago the Co.
Board Of Health published a set
Of rules in every paper, in the
county which was supposed to be
law and the guide or gauge un-
der which we common folks were
to live, move and have our be-
ing. But the ink was hardly dry
on the "set of rules when the
def was given the Board by the
COURAGEOUS" young people of the
city of Bottineau, the abiding
place of at least two members of
the board who had dared at
tempt to abridge their personal
liberty privileges ,and a public
dance was held in She county
capital. Some of the ''brave ex-
Founders of personal liberty" of
this city attended that dance and
came back with the positive as
surance that the formidable pro-
nouncements of the Board of
Health were nothing but Beau
tiful Sunshine that would only
tend to intensity the pleasures
of the dance. This piece Of news
was seemingly corborated by no
action being taken to stop the
dance at the time nor any pro-
ceedings started since (that we
have heard of) to punish the
guilty parties. This encourag-
ed the more courageous" spir-
its in this city to also defy the
mandates of the Health Board,
but in order to protect them
selves they made it an invita-
ton" dance, by inviting by word
OF mouth everybody to come to
the dance on New Years eve and
everyone was there who cared
to go, Except, Of course, Old
Man Flu) who was. not invited,
even many of the high school
scholars of the city schools went
to the Odd Fellows Hall to look
on for "a little while" Some are
asking whose place it is to en-.
force the rules of a Board OF
Health when they promulgate a
set of rules which they deem ne
cessary to properly safeguard
the public health; some are ask
ing what punishment, if any, can
beymeted out to those who de-
liberately violate the rulings OF
d Board Of Health in their en-
deavor to control and stamp out
a deadly epidemic: some want to
know what punishment can be
0iven to officers of the law who
fail to enforce the rulings Of the
Board Of Health; some want TO
know whose duty it is to enforce
such rulings and some want to
know .sWhy is a Board Of Health
Anyway" And never having
studied law in our younger days
we are unable to answer these
questions which seem to be ma
tural ones under the circum-
stances, so we simply pass them
IN. IN q way we sympathlze
with the young people Of this
county, but they should be vii
ling to forgo the pleasures OF the
dance for q few weeks or months
as the case may be, when they
consider the deadly nature Of the
disease the Board Of Health IS
trying to stamp out and realize
that the health and welfare Of
4 community takes precedence
over their own personal pleasur-
es. likes or dislikes or even their
own personal liberties. # they, J
alone. were to suffer the con-
sequences Of their disobe edence
% law, rules and regulations we
would say well and good, but no
laws sc man or nature, were ev-
Ier yet broken without the inno-
cent suffering injury at the same
time The dance held n this
city "a New Years eve was 2 mis-
take and irnperiled the health
ana wellbeing Of q whole COM
Inunity.
Answer. &
Bottineal, N. y. 1 8, 19.
Editor. North Dakota Eagle,
Villow City, II u.
a your i1sss :