Milford chronicle., 1920-01-23
MARYLAND MAY
QUARANTINE SUSSEX
IF THE AUTHORITY OF THE DELAWARE
BOARD OF HEALTH is NOT REC
OGNIZED THERE.
MAY INCLUDE WHOLE STATE
REPORT THAI A DELAWARE MAN WAS
DISCOVERED WITH SMALLPOX IN
PHILADELPHIA SATURDAY.

~. Yed the following item on MopdaS
K5yning:
A quarantine of Sussex county by
the Maryland health authorities is the
most urgent question that is being
considered ct the headquarters of me
Maryland State Board of Health al
Baltimore today. Early today DR.
John S. Fulton, secretary of the Mary
land board got into telephone COM
municatiOn with the Delaware state
health officials to learn the true status
of affairs relative TO the refusal OF
some Sussex county citizens to be
vaccinated, in defiance OF resolution
and order of the Delaware State
Board of Health.
DR.. Fulton said he had heard from
several Of the health officials of the
Eastern Short counties and that these
officials were uneasy about conditions.
Some of them were Matching trains
for Sussex county travellers, their ap-
prehension being increased because of
the fact that Delaware man was dis
covered with smallpox in Philadelphia
on Saturday.
I'VE don't want to quarantine Sus-
sex citizens because the job is almost
impossible" said DR.. Fulton, But we
don't like the looks of things there. If
any community is allowed to make its
own laws in opposition to State laws,
then we will have to proceed prompt
ly. If it should become more serious
the United States Public Health Ser
vice would be called upon and the
entire State quarantined."
State Health Commissioner Chester
M. Wells came here today to confer
with DR.. L. S. Conwell, secretary of
the State Board of Health, relative to
future action in the Georgetown mat
ter
Standing of State Board
Both DR.. Conwell and Mr. Wells ad-
mited that the situation at Georgetown
had resolved itself into a question of
whether the State Board of Health
really was an agency of the State or if
it amounted to nothing. According to
attorneys, under the laws of Delaware,
the State Board has the power to step
in at all times where there is a belief
that any local board has been careless
or trifing in its duty or unable to
cope with an emergency, and take
steps that primarily belong to the
local board of health.
That is the situation at Georgetown.
The State Board claims the right to
proceed there with compulsory vac
cination because the local board failed
to enforce its vaccination order. At
hearing Saturday morning Justice
Stewart ruled that until the local
was proved negligent or careless the
State Board could not intervene.
At a hearing in the afternoon, At
torney General Reinhardt, through
the testimony of Frank M. Jones, pres
ident of the Georgetown Board OF
Health, proved to Mr.. Reinhardts sat
isfaction that while a vaccination or
der had been issued by the local
board, it had not been pushed When
Mr.. Reinhardt asked for a ruling on
this Justice Stewart said that it did
not matter, even if Mr.. Jones consid- |
cred he and the local board had been
or negligent; that in his mind /
Justice Stewart's) the local board /
had not been careless and he dismiss /
ed the case.
The State health officials deplore |
the attitude of the few in Georgetown |
who refuse to be vaccinated. The |
have complied and if quar-
antine is put on the county by the
State or by the Maryland authorities,
4 great number of innocent people will
suffer because of others. This quar-
antine will not merely consist of elm
nation of train service, but guards
would be put at all roads leading to
The town and no one would be allowed
20 enter or leave except at the author
zation of the State health board.
The State Board of Health members
ire desirous of having the atmosphere
cleared insofar as their powers go.
at is not a question of whether
Georgetown citizens are vaccinated or
lot" said a member today. "The big
question at issue is the power of the
State Board of Health. We must know
where we stand. If Georgetown can
lefy us on smallpox, it or other com
nunities can defy us in any contin-
,ency-we would be useless. So that
decision from the courts may be
to establish a status.
This is what the attorney general
5 working upon now. 1 am not law
-er and do not know what steps he
an and will take to bring about a
lear understanding.