The first is. that under any management of quarantine which attempts to keep out disease and at the same time to conserve our commercial interests. epidemics will be an occasonal probability. until our sanitary conditions are brought to the highest state of perfection. then only can they be defied. The other fact to which I would direct your attention is. that it is only within the past decade that our people have studied the subject of maritime sanitation at all. and in that time we have not had an epidemic of any disease. save the one in this State. and that occurred before the creation of our State board of health. The Marine Hospital Service. acting as an advance guard to the coast defense. is a most valuable auxiliary to local quarantine measures. but I can see no good reason why it should be vestedwith powers higher thanthose it already possesses. and I believe it would be unwise to enlarge its authority save in foreign countries (at the largest seaports). where. in connection with our consular agents. its officers could personally superintend the immigrant or passenger and his effects. that they may not act as carriers of infective material. It occurs to me also that the usefulness of this branch of the Government might be increased by placing underits control the Revenue Marine Service. which could then. in conjunction with its present duties. act as a coast sanitary patrol. But I believe that our safety is best secured by a concert of action between the State and General Governmentin otherwords. just asthe system works todayso far as the right of authority is concerned. but let us go on and perfect both without destroying either or in any way impairing the usefulness of the one without the positive knowledge that the fullest measure of safety lies alone in the success of the other.
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immigrant