The Viral Panic of 1924
Washington State launches a defensive campaign against a hoof-and-mouth outbreak in California, warning citizens to watch for 'disease bootleggers' and misinformation.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The livestock industry in Washington, valued at $70,000,000, faces an existential threat from the foot-and-mouth disease currently prevalent in California. Director of Agriculture E. L. French has implemented rigid quarantine regulations to protect the state's stake, including the dairy industry worth $27,000,000. A Vigilance Committee has been formed to combat 'disease bootleggers'—tourist campers attempting to bypass fumigation—and to counter propaganda from California Chambers of Commerce, which seek to minimize the crisis. The state warns residents to report suspected cases immediately and to avoid purchasing unverified cures, which are merely scams targeting the unwary.
“An infection of one dairy herd in the State of Washington would wipe this State off the map as an industrial factor.”
This 1924 agricultural crisis reflects the same anxiety surrounding the movement of people and goods that characterized the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 'disease bootleggers' narrative mirrors modern debates over travel restrictions, public health mandates, and the tension between state-level economic protectionism and national commerce.
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