CONGRESS. (NATIONAL QUARANTINE.) 



219 



It pussed the House Fob. 23, and it was report- 

 ed in i In- Senate with an amendment substituting 

 ihc Semite measure on the same subject whu-h 

 Mail I" -i !! pa' '1 but not taken up in the House. 

 .Mr. Hill, <>f New York, said in opposition: 



I know the tendency nowadays is to apply to 

 the (ieneral Government for every sort of relief. 

 That tendency it is somewhat difficult to resist. 

 It has exhibited itself to a very great extent dur- 

 ing the past few months, and, indeed, ever since 

 the cholera scare of last summer. People who 

 knew very little about the subject and those who 

 knew considerable all came to the idea that there 

 muM lie a national quarantine, and this bill seems 

 to be the result of that public sentiment which 

 i- declared to exist. 



" In my judgment the bill is all proper enough 

 wherein it seeEs to supply a Federal quarantine 

 in those ports where the States do not provide the 

 facilities. In those States where there are no 

 quarantine regulations, or where the States de- 

 sire to surrender their privileges in maintaining 

 them, I have no objection to the General Gov- 

 ernment interfering. I do not believe in the 

 doctrine that the General Government should 

 for any period of time, unlimited as this bill is, 

 interfere with and supersede the State authori- 

 ties in the maintenance of quarantine. 



" I have examined somewhat the pending sub- 

 stitute. It seems to be framed substantially like 

 the act of 1879, whereby a national board of 

 health was created, except that this bill substi- 

 tutes the Marine Hospital Service instead of the 

 National Board of Health. 



" Mr. President, I do not like the tendency of 

 this sort of legislation. The State of New York 

 has always been willing to maintain quarantine 

 substantially at its own expense with such aid 

 as the General Government in emergencies has 

 seen fit to give it. It has satisfied the people of 

 New York State. There has been no substantial 

 complaint of it. Other States may desire the in- 

 terference of the General Government, but it 

 seems to me a proper amendment to the bill 

 would be a provision whereby it should be pro- 

 vided that the States which desire Government 

 interference might have it and the States that do 

 not desire it may dispense with it." 



Mr. Harris, of Tennessee, said in explanation: 



" There is not one word in this bill that pro- 

 poses to interfere with State quarantine or State 

 health officers, except to aid them in the execu- 

 tion of their own rules. Where, in the opinion 

 of the Federal authority, the rules and regula- 

 tions of the State board are not sufficient to pre- 

 vent the introduction of disease the Federal au 

 thority may make additional rules not to re- 

 peal, not to revoke, not to modify or interfere in 

 any way whatever with any existing rules. If 

 you have incorporated into your rules a dozen 

 requirements that a vessel which enters port shall 

 eoiiform to, and the Federal authority shall think 

 that all of them together are not quite equal to 

 prevent the introduction of disease, the Federal 

 authority may make an additional rule, but not 

 interfere with the rule of the State authority. It 

 does not repeal, modify, or change the State rule 

 in the least." 



The measure passed the Senate Feb. 6 without 

 a division, and was approved by the President 

 Feb. 15. It is as follows: 



Jle it enacted, etc., That it shall be unlawful for 



any men-limit ship or other vessel from any foreign 

 l"iit nr place to enter any port of the United State* 

 e\n-]>l in accordance with the provision* of this act 

 ami with such rules ami regulation* of State and mu- 

 nicipal health luithoritic.s as may be made in pursu- 

 anee >(', or consistent with, this act; and any such 

 ve.--.el uhieh shall enter, or attempt to enter, a port 

 of the United States in violation thereof shall forfeit 

 to the United States u Mini, to be awarded in the 

 discretion of the court, not exceeding $5,000, which 

 shall be a lien upon su'ul vcs.-el, to he recovered by 

 proceedings in the proper district court of the United 

 State*. In all such proceedings the United States 

 district attorney for such district shall appear on be- 

 half of the United States; and all such proceeding* 

 shall be conducted in accordance with the rules and 

 laws governing cases of seizure of vessels for viola- 

 tion of the revenue laws of the United States. 



SEC. 2. That any vessel at any foreign port clear- 

 ing for any port or place in the United States shall 

 be required to obtain from the consul, vice-consul, or 

 other consular officer of the United States at the port 

 of departure, or from the medical officer where such 

 officer has been detailed by the President for that 

 purpose, a bill of health, in duplicate, in the form 

 prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury, setting 

 forth the sanitary history and condition of said ves- 

 sel, and that it has in all respects complied with the 

 rules and regulations in such cases prescribed for 

 securing the best sanitary condition of the said vessel, 

 its cargo, passengers, and crew ; and said consular or 

 medical officer is required, before granting such du- 

 plicate bill of health, to be satisfied that the matters 

 and things stated therein are true : and for his serv- 

 ices in that behalf he shall be entitled to demand and 

 receive such fees as shall by lawful regulation be al- 

 lowed, to be accounted for as is required in other 

 cases. 



The President, in his discretion, is authorized to 

 detail any medical officer of the Government to serve 

 in the office of the consul at any foreign port for the 

 purpose of furnishing information and making the 

 inspection and giving the bills of health hereinbefore 

 mentioned. Any vessel clearing and sailing from 

 any such, port without such bill of health, and enter- 

 ing any port of the United States, shall forfeit to the 

 United States not more than $5,000, the amount to be 

 determined by the court, which shall be a lien on the 

 same, to be recovered by proceedings in the proper 

 district court of the United States. In all sucn pro- 

 ceedings the United States district attorney for such 

 district shall appear on behalf of the United States; 

 and all such proceedings shall be conducted in ac- 

 cordance with the rules and laws governing cases of 

 seizure of vessels for violation of the revenue laws of 

 the United States. 



SEC. 3. That the Supervising Surgeon-General of 

 the Marine-Hospital Service shall, immediately after 

 this act takes effect, examine the quarantine regula- 

 tions of all State and municipal ln>ards of health, and 

 shall, under the direction of the Secretary of the 

 Treasury, co-operate with and aid State and munici- 

 pal boards of nealth in the execution and enforce- 

 ment of the rules and regulations of such boards and 

 in the execution and enforcement of the rules and 

 regulations made by the Secretary of the Treasury to 

 prevent the introduction of contagious or infectious 

 diseases into the United States from foreign countries, 

 and into one State or Territory or the District of Co- 

 lumbia from another State or Territory or the Dis- 

 trict of Columbia; and all rules and regulations made 

 by the Secretary of the Treasury shall operate uni- 

 formly and in no manner discriminate against any 

 port or place; and at such ports and places within 

 the United States as have no quarantine regulations 

 under State or municipal authority, where such regu- 

 lations are, in the opinion of the Secretary of the 

 Treasury, necessary to prevent the introduction of 

 contagious or infectious diseases into the United 

 Stutis from foreign countries, or into one State or 



