Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-12-23
NO. SO.

and Judge Geo. Z. Bryant, Secretary OF
the Wisconsin State Agricultural Socie
ty, was chosen secretary. Hon. t. c.
Jones, cf Ohio, addressed the meeting
at considerable length, going oyer the
whole ground, with which our readers
are already familiar, but which was
new to many of those present. After
remarks by several other gentlemen, a
committee of FIVE consisting of J. H
Sanders of the Journal, Hon I. c Jones.
of Delaware, Ohio, Hon. Emory Coob,
of Kankakee, Ills, and Messrs. Fort
and Hayes, members o. congress from
Illinois, were appointed committee
to report a series of resolutions ex-
! presslve of the sense of the meeting.
The committee reported the follow
ing preamble and resolutions, which
were adoptedafter further discussion,
participated in by several of the mem
bers of congress and others present.
WHEREAS, The contagious pleuro- -pneumonia
of cattle exists in several states of the union bor
dering on the Atlantic seaboard; and
WHEREAS, 1t is evident that so long as unre-
stricted traffic in live cattle is permitted between
these infected states and those not infected the
livestock interests of al sections of our country
are menaced by terrible danger; and,
WHEREAS, The state of things above indicated
has resulted in the adoption of regulations by the
British government which seriously interfere with
our export trade in cattle with that country
thereby entailing great damage to all cattle
raiSers and feeders in the United States; and,
WHEREAS, In view of the decision of state
and federal courts the states acting as such are
poweress to protect themselves from infection
from an adjoining state, and for the same reason
an infected state is powerless to stamp out the
nuOn tie hon i,ao
adjoining state; therefore,
ResOlred, That it Is the imperative duty of con-
gresS to enact such law as shall effectualy pre-
vent the spread to this disease into states not
already sinfected and shall result in its entire
determination at the earliest practicable period.
Res2lred, That, as an important preliminary
step, we heartily second the recommendation
made by Judge Jones, of Ohio, to the president
of the United States, for the appointment of one
or more veterinary inspectors who shall definite
ly ascertain and designate the infected regions.
ResotCed, That We recognize the bill introduced
into the house of representatives at its last ses-
sion, by Gen. keifer, of Ohio, as embodying the
essential features necessary to an intelligent and
efficient supervision of contagious and infectious
diseases of live stock generally the part of the
federal government, and that we heartily recon-
mend its passage, with an additional provision
which shall clothe the commission with authority
to prescribe rules and regulations under which the
live stock of any infected state territory or dis
trict may be transported or taken therefr0m and
under which live stock may be transported
through such infected state, district, or terri
tory, or, in their discretion, to prohibit abso-
lutely the transportion of live stock from or
through such infected district when, in their
opinion, the same shall be essential to the gen
eral safety
1t will, perhaps, be urged by some
that this bill, even with the additional
provision suggested, does not go far
enough-that it fails to provide for
stamping out the disease where it ex-
lists. To such we will say that the
meeting was of opinion that it would
be useless to press for anything beyond
what is covered by the foregoing rec
concentrations at. the coming session.
of congress. The members present
were quite generally of opinion that no
measure which assumed to provide
the machinery for stamping out pleuro-
pneumonia in the states where it exists,
by the general government, could COM
mand a vote large enough to insure its
passage In the present congress; and it
was the opinion of many of the best
among those present that it
is not expedient for the general gov
ernment to undertake this stamping
out business, even if there were no
question as to the constitutionality of
such a measure; and in this opinion
THE JOURNAL fully concurs. If con
gress will create the commission CON
by the Keifer Bill, with the
additional powers recommended in the
foregoing resolutions, such commits
sion, if composed OF intelligent, prae-
tical men, will at once adopt such regu-
lations as will efectually prevent the
of cattle from the infect
ed districts-they will effectually hedge
II the contagion; and it will then be
possible for each state to suppress it
promptly. The restrictions which this
commission will place upon the com
merce of infected states will make it
for these infected states to
stamp out the disease at once, and it
can be done much more cheaply and
by them than by any
means that the general government can
devise.
If, after having passed such a law as
recommended above, congress shall
make a liberal appropriation to each
of the infected states, to aid them in
the work of stamping out the disease,
it appears to us that the whole ground
viii have been covered. All this can
be done without the slightest violence
to the scruples of the strictest state
rights democrats, and without the least
surrender of the doctrine of national
on the part of the most rad
ical republican.
The Keifer bill which with the addi-
tional provision suggested in the third
resolution above, was. SO empbatically
endorsed by this meeting, is the only
m easure that has been proposed that
provides foT an intelligent and efficient
of the subject Of contagious
diseases of live stock generally, on the
part of our general government. All
the other measures proposed relate
solely to pleuro-pneumonia. The Kei-
fer bill, with the suggested amendment,
embraces the whole range of conta-
gious infections, and epizootic diseases
Of farm stock, including pleuro-pneu-
monia. Texas fever, hog cholera, rind
erpest, foot-and-mouth disease, etc,
and provides an advisory board, which,
from the very nature of its construc-
ton, will be able to give all the depart
ments Of our governmen advice that
may safely be followed in the case of
any outbreak O. threatened attack of
such diseases. The interest is so vast.
and the danger SO imminent, that we
cannot afford to have any trihing with
it by tyros and theorists. It must be
placed under the supervision of practi-
cal men, who understand the business
in all its details. The proposed law
provides for just such supervision as
a permanent feature of our govern