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Show (DISEASE IS MORE DEADLY THAN WAR Within three short weeks Soanlsb Influenza has developed and spread so widely and rapidly that America's death roll here 'at home Is greater than that of all of her huge armies In Europe. Moreover, the number of prostrations from this dliease from day to day In America is probably pro-bably greater than the combtnod casualty lists of alt the fighting forces forc-es engaged In this great world war. The number of cases in New York City alone has Increased from a total of 47 eases and so deaths reported to and including September 20, lit 8. to 4,893 sew eases and 393 deaths in a single day. Moreover the statement state-ment is said to' hare been made 'jy prominent physician Dr. Ooldwat er that the actual number of cases la New York is about half a million. mil-lion. This is not intended as an alarmist alarm-ist statement bat Is simply a brief summary of facts currently imported import-ed la the dally press. White there la still ao reason for panic there Is rerr reason for swift action hi the erection of effective barriers against the spread of the malady. Only yesterday yes-terday the writer when about to attempt at-tempt to enter aa over crowded street tear, balked upon hearinng some one in the car execute an utterly ut-terly unsuppressed sneexe and decided decid-ed to walk; and, as he walked, he pondered over New oYrk's frightful congestion In surrace, Tubway and elevated cars; on wharves and ships; In stores, factories, sweatshops, hotels, ho-tels, restaurants and even in thd many thousands of othor places some times Improperly called homo whero the people novor really llvo but merely exist, and where thousands - 'of them are now being deprived, by, death, of oven that questionable 'privilege; and ns he t pondered he wondored whether, when the 'big I 'death roll of this epidemic Is finally counted, people will still think that Now York wlth-lts hugo waste of mechanical force, man power and ocn human lite Itself, due to Its monstrous congestion of humanity, .it a iolnt where there Is economic Justification foronlnn, small cLty is teally worth while. . , t. " Of course tho disease Is sprcnd.tng elsewhere, but only where there are overcrowded conditions, 'equlvalfnt to little New oYrk's are Its ravages of a deadly nature. ' In th Interest of national efficiency efficien-cy and safety tho Federal government govern-ment has recently extended Its ownership own-ership and control in a manner scarcely dreamed of by even the most radical. Perhaps this matter of government control has gone too far in some directions; but then Is obviously one direction In which It has fallen far short of the goal which It should reach In the interest of tho general welfare, and that is In the matter of providing for the security secur-ity of the public health. The fact that the happiness, strength and ev- en the very existence of the nation I depends absolutely upn tho main- . tennnce of the public health and tho ft preventln'of all conditions which : 1 menace it, Is by this epidemic being ft demonstrated more clearly than ev- or before"; and, terrlblj ai is tho kl deathr.011 ot this plague, If It awak- ens the American peoplj to a reall- zatlon ot the fact that the ixeso.-v,- " ' ,t!on ot the public health by a perpe- Bl ,tual warfare against disease Is as ,H , clearly and absolutely a f Unction oi i the general government as Is the H . control of the army and navy in this M great war for the preservation of H I democracy, the results will fully Jus- H Itlfy such cost ffl |