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Show - ; , The Influenza Epidemic j The spread of influenza must be stopped. The epidemic has now dragged along for six weeks and the ', jltuation has swayed up and down, with a few deaths one day, more i he next, a decrease in the number of new cases one day, an in- j I f rease the next. Today the situation is no better than it was three ! ; weeks ago. : ; It will do no good at this time to attempt to place the blame ( : for the continuation of the epidemic. "It will accomplish no.imme-' no.imme-' ; iiate good to -say that one health official has done his duty while ! ;' another has failed. These are matters that can be loft to the future. ' ! The immediate need is to take whatever steps may be necessary to bring the epidemic under control. t ' j The business interests have risen to the situation. Some busi- j I tiess houses, such as the theatres, have suffered for weeks under the j closing order, and the owners of these houses have met the situa-' situa-' tion with a civic spirit worthy of emulation. They have lost many thousands of dollars, but they have not grumbled, because they realized the wisdom of the health board's edict. They were willing lo lose dollars if by so doing the lives of the people of the city "(might be protected. The new orders will affect certain other business interests. They are designed to prevent the assembling of crowds and will ' accumplrsh good in thirt wayi IwfluenM know to be a disease contractable, the inhaling by one person of germs expelled by another an-other person by breathing, coughing or sneezing. Therefore, if we jan keep people apart from each other, the contagion danger is - reduced to a minimum, ; If it U necessary to go still further, the health officials should tot hesitate. The health authorities should consider themselves all i powerful at this time and demand whatever is necessary to prevent ! the further sacrificing of lives. It Is a duty, a duty of life and L death, and there should be no hesitancy. ' j It Is far better that we lose a million -dollars of our wealth j than that we sacrifice one more life, The people of Salt Lake City look to the health authorities i io promulgate regulations that will bring an end to the influenza epidemic. And the people demand that these regulations be en-! en-! forced. The enforcement should be without fear or favor. If any ' business man violates the law he should be punished. If the streetcar street-car company Ignores the regulations, officials of that company should be dragged before the bar of justice. And if any physician falls to meet the full requirements, be it either the reporting of cases ;that come under his notice or the extending of the relief that humanity hu-manity demands from men of the medical profession, his guilt should 'be made known. We face this combination of facts: The influenza epidemic 'has continued here longer than in practically any other rity in the United States; the measures heretofore taken have not brought re- lief; the situation In Salt Lake City today is worse, probably, than in any other city of similar size In the country; people continue to .Contract the disease and the death list steadily grows. V And, realizing the existence of these facts, The Telegram, in behalf of the people of Salt Lake City, raises its voice in the demand that every measure, precautionary or preventive, that medical sci- ' ence knows and common sense can dictate, be taken to stamp out , the prevailing influenza epidemic. |