bOTH CONGRESS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIYES.

REPORT
1st Session. 5 No. 3526.

YELLOW-F-EVER REFUGEES.

OCTOBETR 8, 188.-ComImitted to the CoMinittee of the Whole Houise on the state

ofl he Union and ordered to be printed.

Air. WHEELER, froml thle Committee on Expenditures in the Treasury

Department, submitted the following
REPORT:
[To .iccomrpaluy bill H. R. 11530.]
The Commnittee on Expe7iditures i71 the Treasury Jepartmnent, to whoh wVas
preferred the bill (I. Ri. 11530) to establish camps of rejfugefor yellow-
fever refugees, havse had the Nam)ie under consideration and report:
The object to be accomplisheyll b the l)roposed bill is of the most
urgent an(d gravest importance to the whole people of the United States.
By a visitation of Divine Providence the yellow-fever scourge made its
appearance in a compl)aratively .small community in the State of Florida,
whence it. has spread to other localities, with the result of creating in
numerous other p)laces such dire apprehensions as to induce the estab-
lislhment. of rigid quarantine regulations so ruthlessly enforced ae to
expose miany of otur citizens to the charge of inhumanity.
Fromn the best sources of information available to your committee,
they find that for mny, year,;s last, and p)articullarly since the almost
literal decimation of the city of' Melmphi, Tenin., in 1878, by a yellow-
fever epidemic, the appearance. of this (drea(l disease in- any lart of the
country has invariably been followed by such rigorous quarantine and
other protective regulations as to effect. the l)ractical exclusion from all
other places of' persons flying from the stricken locality. And while
all generous minds must (lep)lore, few can be found so unreasonable as
to cen-sure these desperate methoto(ls ol protection against the plague.
Dread of an epidemic. is instinctive in all communities, and nothing can
be miiore natural than that the citizens of any given locality should re-
sort to extreme measures to shield their homes antd loved ones from the
pestilence that stalketh at noonday.
As a. consequence of these severe measures of precaution it must oc-
cur that, citizens of any locality where the yellow fever makes its ap-
pearanice n)ust be, exposed to great stifferings besides t-hose resulting
from the diseasee itself: Those not, afflicted, and possessed of thle neces-
sary mnealus, fly to other points only to finld the gates shut against their
entrance. The infected localities, being shut off from communication
with the rest. of the country, are exl)osed to almost incredible sufferiugs,
many of them being deprived of the opl)ortuIlity to purchased neceSary
provisions even when able to pay for themn.
The committee are clearly of the ol)inion that the bill under con-
sideration can not fail to mitigate the ills necessarily attendant upon
thep resence in the country of this dreadutil contagion. By establishing,
2 YELLOW-FEVER REFTJMEES.
tinder the direction andl supervisi0 Of' officerls assigned by the Presi-
dent to the (luty, caumps in wlhichi persolns Ileeing front1 theo s.ou1rge manIy
be collected and- poperly eared for while isolated from all otlhors who
have not beeni exposed to infection, thle spread of thle disease miust be
arreste(l, the siifleriings and p)rivationis of' the refugees themselves must
be, mitigate(l, and by p)rovi(ling that. all persons leaving such camps
slhall be furnished with p'rolper medical cCIi ificates, citizens of other lo-
calities may b)e protected(l against thle li(lesigiedl introduction of tIho
plhiguc.
The committee. are satisfied further that the alleviation of' Sufferiug
and lesseninii of 'the p)rivationis ini~el)al'able from providential visitations
of this character, and the p)rev.entioun of the spread of epidemic diseasess,
are subjects in which the entire, pCo)lC. of' tile country arel, interested
and that they are. matters of' public coIIce'i, and. therefore such aIction
by the General (Aovernincut as is proposC(d in thle bill under Collnsi(lcdra
tion will be entirely p)l'oper.
The first section of' the bill provides for the establishmie.nt of callmps
of refuge for lpexsonis flying from cities and districtss inlecte(l by or
threatened witlh yellow fever, in localities to he selected by tihe Presi-
(lent or l)y officers lie mayl detail to tatke chlairge ol' the caminps, thus
insuring that, tile canprs will be advantagcously and( judiciously phliced
with reference to both yellow-fever patients ain(l all other citizens.
Refugees will be admitted to the camps under regulations (lesignc(l to
prevent, imposition, and w'hmen t1le iniedical offers are satisfied that
patients can leave without (lanlger ot carrying the disease to uninfected.
localities, certificates of' health will be finishede( whlich will enable the
holders to travel where they desire.
The sic~k will, course, be cared for iu separate camlips.
The seconl(l section provides thaIt. tIme tent.Y, beds, camp equipage, pro-
visions, medical atteuidamice, medical stores. nurses, etc., to be use(l in
the caml) shall be. sulpl)ield by tlie (loveurniniet, A1i(l thus l)revent the
possibility of' tresl)pas on tIme prol)perty rights of' individuals when thle
articles use(l in tfle. causl)5 are (lestroyedl to p)reveit contagion.
The third section provides that the cammip shall be regulated and. gov.
erned by the officers detailed( l)y the President for that diluty, this plac-
ing thew under Government conItrol and Secuiring' that (discipline which
is essential to the proper mniangemeitt of all canips.
The fourth section provides 10or the total (lestruction of the tents, bed-
ding, etc., uased in the caninp~s, which (leStiuetioli is necessary to prevent
the spread of the couItagioII,anidl tlie fift I .section appropriates tlie money
to carry out the p)urp)oCses of the ineasnre.
The committee find that the fourth sect ion of' the bill i.si not so coin-
prehensive as they think it should be, and they l)ro)ose to amend thwart
section by inserting in line 1, after the word "'all," tile words ' tents,
bedding, and other materials used ill said, so that tHie section. will read:
That all tents, bedding, and other niaterials useed in said camps shall be destroyed
by fire after the epidemic shall havo dlisappoare(d.
The committee report the bill back anl(d recommends( its passage as
amended.
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