The Washington times., 1937-03-15


necticut::
I write you just to keep the
record straight.
Last evening under your col
umn headed NOV" and under the
name of columniSt Helen EsSary,
reference was made to the under
signed as being considering in
PRODUCING a bill in the House to
prohibit the importation into this
country of poisonous snakes" etc.
Further in this article it states
that my opinion is as follows, to
quote you again: Suppose, ne
says, a great fire or an earthquake
should strike community. Inc
snakes could easily escape from
their cages, and fatally poison
many persons"
Then you state the following:
"He wrote many letters to Con-
gressmen asking them to introduce
a bill prohibiting foreign varieties
Of poisonous creatures from pass
ing the Customs officers, ETC..
Now that Mr.. Phillips is himself
in Congress, he wants to introduce
the measure pesonally. But he is
afraid his efforts may be taken as
a Joke. But he is intensely
serious about his crusade
Now for. the facts! 1t has long
been my feeling that we were sub
iecting the people Of this contl-
nent to an unnecessary future
hazard in importing poisonous rep
tiles and allowing them to live in
North America. My feeling is that
in case Of earthquake, flood, war,
or other unforeseen disaster these
creatures might escape and breed
in their new habitat. Certainly IN
time of great and unexpected
disaster nobody is going to take
the trouble to go to the Zoo and
kill the snakes there! The fact
that they have never lived in the
North American continent does
not prove that they can't live here.
Furthermore it is entirely within
the realm Of possibility that II
poisonous reptiles were allowed to
escape during the summertime,
they might breed a race of success
Sors who could live here-eVen
though the parents or for that
matter, most of the offspring per-
ished because of our climate in
this part of the world.
Frequently we read newspaper
accounts of explorers bringing into
the United States of America the
most deadly species Of reptiles to
be exhibited in Zoos. Certainly
the educational purposes would as
well be served were they exhlb-
tied dead and stuffed as now alive!
However, 1 would not prohibit
the Importation of these creatures
were they to be used under strict
controls for the purpose of the
production of serum, from their
poison.
The above arguments also hold
true regarding the importation Of
poisonous insects into continental
North America, except the serum
aspect.
I did not write many letters to
congressman" on this subject. I
did in the past write Senator Lon
ergan from Connecticut, and pos
sibly one of the other members OF
Congress from my state.
I might add, while we are con-
Sidering this general subject that
I believe that humanity is now
vulnerable to decimation from an
other new Source-the spread OF
tropical diseases against which the
great masses of humanity in most
parts of the wrold have no: de-
veloped natural immunity over
generations.
I believe that the aeroplane
may very easily spread through
out the world the germs Of such
diseases against which those ma
tive to the tropics have developed
a certain natural immunity, but
against which the rest of man
kind has not. Thus were the
rest of us faced with combating
such infection in our own organ
isms, our fate might be that of
the American Indians and the
Eskimos with widespread fatality
resulting among them caused by
what we call the diseases of
childhood, such as measles, etc.
This fatality of course has been
caused by the fact that our an
cestorS over many generations in
the past have been exposed to
these diseases and developed and
transmitted to lis a certain i'm.
munity against them.
I might add tha' over the
years I have been in public life,
I have never paused in doing my
duty because I was afraid" OF
anything.
The fact is that I have been
busy with legislative study on
such pressing problems as Slum
clearance, minir working
hours, minimum wages, job in
Surance and assurance, neutral
ity, national defense, and other
important matters which have re-
quired nm ediate attention.
Therefore, I have not had much
time to give to the study Of legis-
lation covering the two subjects
discussed above. When have
such time and when I have such
legislation prepared for introduc-
tion, you can be assured that no
fear Of anything will deter me
from doing my duty as I see it,
and introducing it.
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