Year: 1874

A bill has been prepared providing for
placing quarantine regulations, in some
degree, under national control. The bill
provides that the Secretary of the Treasury
may make regulations for the establish
ment IF United Sts:tes quarantine sys-
TEN; that in the preparation of such rules
the Secretary of the Treasury may convene
an advisory board of quarantine" consist
ing of five members, to be appointed by the
President, at least two of whom for the five
years preceding the date of their appoint
ment shall have resided south of the thirty
fifth parallel of north latitude, and all of
whom shall be chosen on account of their
knowledge OF sanitary science.


The Secretary of the Treasury is author
lied to use existing organizations in the
Treasury Department in executing quaran-
tine regulations, SO far as such Organiza-
tions may be applicable to the purpose.
Special provision is made to harmOnize
efficient existing local quarantine organza-
tions with the proposed national Organiza-
ton. To this end it is provided that the
Secretary of the Treasury may exempt
from the rules to be provided by this pro-
posed act any State or local quarantine in
existance at the time of the passage of the
act, such exemption to be based upon the
recommendation of the advisory board of
quarantine.


The basis OF this recommendation for
exemption shall be that such quarantine is
efficient and competent to secure the sub
stantial results sought by the proposed
national quarantine regulations. This pro-
vision, in port like New York, where the
quarantine is of recognized efficiency, would
enable the local authorities to cooperate
with the national authorities. This bill
does not contemplate the establishment of
another bureau with all the attendant ex-
pense. It is the belief of the framer that
the organization can be attached to existing
bureaus of the Treasury Department with
out any considerable increase in the expense
or additions to the working force.


The theory Of this bill is that quarantine
is for the benefit of the people, and not for
the exclusive benefit of shipping. The
existing local laws proceed upon the as
sumption that all quarantine expenses shall
be charge upon the shipping and not upon
the people. This bill proposes to relieve
the shipping interests of this expense, and
to equalize the tar among the people. Most
of the seamen, it appears, who are sent to
quarantine hospital, are seamen who are
entitled to relief from the general hospital
tax. Yellow fever has almost always been
introduced into this country through the
medium Of seamen, and not through passen
gers. This disease is almost the only one Of
which quarantine may take exclusive juris-
diction.


The efficiency of strict system of quar-
antine was shown by the administrative of
General Butler at New Orleans during the
war, and by the general successful efforts
OF the military authorities in the South to
prevent the spread OF the disease during
the rebellion. Properly to accomplish these
purposes it is maintained that the quaran-
tine system should be under one head. A
system so organized affords the only efficient
and certain remedy for protection against
the spread of the disease. Since quaran-
tine is essentially maritime matter it seems
fitting that the general quarantine organi-
cation should be connected with the Treas