National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-03-24

sioner Of agriculture report Mt the end OF
their first years tenure Of office that they
were unable TO flud any contagious diseases
among tho cattle of the United States the
commissioner of agriculture would c r
tainly no longer require their SER
vices, aud they would be rcmitted
to private life and to other employment.
They will never make any such report; they
are looking for disease among cattle; they
will be greatly disappointed it they donot find
it. There will never ho an occasion when u
sick steer or number Of sick steers cannot
| be found in the stock yards Of this country,
and they may be found at the samo time and
from tho Same difficulty. All that is nocos-
sary for ono of tho twenty agents to do is to
characterize these diseases as contagious, aud
forthwith trade in live stock Is paralyzed,
and vast sums Of money at once lost to the
producer. As a matter of course, the chief of
this department is not n man expected to
make these investigations, nor is the COM
missioner of agriculture. Tho twenty per-
sons are the ones upon whom this power Ia
really finally lodged, aud the consideration of
this first section is, in my Judgment, enough
to place the passage Of this bill beyond q
possibility.
The second section Is also full of danger
The commissioner of agriculture is authorized
to appoint two competent agents who shall
be practical stock raisors or experienced bust
ness mon, familiar with questions pertaining
whose dnty il shalltbe, undor thelinstructions
of the commissioner of agriculture, to examine
and report upon the best methods OF treating,
transporting, and caring for animals and the
means to bo adopted for the suppression and
extirpation of contagious plcuro- -pncumons,
and to provide against the spread of other
contagious infections, and communicable
diseases.
Now, it will be observed that the duties
reposed in these two agents are so entirely
unlike in character that it will DO quite inn
possible that any two agents shall be found
sufficiently competent to cover tho whole
ground of the duties thus roposed in them.
The cattle raiser or tho stock raiser might
perhaps know the best method of treating
and caring for animals, possibly would be
somewhat familiar also with the methods of
transportation, but to place in the hands of
any two men in this whole country tho
power to make reports upon which the com.
missioner of agriculture would have tho
right to act as to the transportation of the
live stock of this country is, it seems to me,
uncomfortable. 1t needs no very strong effort
of the imagination to see clearly confronting
this great question of transportation what
might well occur to those interests, and to
the interests of the producer as we'll, If the
potent influences which might be brought
to bear upon these two gentlemen
by the great transporting interests of tho
tent business men, having settled the oues-
tions of treating, transporting, and caring
for animals, are at the same time to recon-
mend means to be adopted for the suppression
and extirpstion Of contagious pleur-pneumo-
mia. Is it to be supposed that these two
competent agents would be sufficiently com
petent to intelligently consider and report
upon the questions which l have already
considered, and would also possess such q
breadth Of general information as to Justify
them in entering upon these scientific and
professional questions, and make to the
commissioner of agriculture recommended
tions upon which II is supposed he would act,
else the recommendations would be idle as to
means for the suppression and extirpation of
contagious pleuro-pneumoni8. and also means
to provide against the spread of other con-
tagious diseases? The two agents who are
thus to cover, not only the largest fields OF
business enterprises, but determine the most
complex questions OF cattle raising and Of
transportation, who are TO recommend meth
DDS for the treatment and cure Of diseases
which have baffled at times the highest
science upon that subject, are to be paid at
the rate of $40 per diem. insist that agents
competent to cover this whole vast field Of
serious and complex duties cannot be hired
at any such rate;
The third section provides more specifically
for the duties Of the commissioner OF agricul-
ture and declares that il shall be his duty to
prepare such rules and regulations as he may
deem necessary, for the speedy and efectual
suppression and extirpatlon or SAID diseases,
and to certify such rules and regulations to
the executive authority Of each state and
territory, and invite said authorities to CO.
operate in the execution and enforcement of
this act. Now, it must be remembered for it
is inevitable, that these rules and regulations,
upon which SO much depends, are to be based
upon the reports of these two competent
n fwa
vided for by the first section. 1t can hardly
be supposed that the commissioner Of agricul-
ture, whoever he may be, will of himself
undertake, without investigation, to prepare
such rules and regulations, and the investi-
cations that he makes must be made through
those agents. The same section also pro-
vides that whenever a state or territory
in any section of which contagious or
infectious disease exists which the commits
sioner of agriculture has declared to be dan
gerous to the animal industries of the nation
fails to make provisions for its extinction, or
to cooperate with the plans of the commits
sioner Of agriculture for tho extenction of
the disease, the president of the United
States, on the presentation of the facts by the
commissioner of agriculture, shall be author
lied to declare the said state or territory, or
such part of said state or territory, as Is dan
gerous to the animal interests of the country
in quarantine, and to regulate or prohibit
tuC transportation VI CuIllc Oub Ot bblu otdIei
territory, or district.
This Is one of the most alarmin e features
Of this BILL and / deem it wort h while to
analyze it carefully. The openin SO ntence
declares that whenever state or territory in
any section of which q contagious or infec-
tious disease exists is worthy of note. Who
is to determine whether an infectious or con-
tagious disease exists in any state or terri
tory, or In any section of any state or terri
tory? Clearyly tho commissioner of agricul-
ture. How does he derive his knowledge
upon this subject2 Only through tho two
competent agents and tho twenty other per-
sons provided for by the first section. The
commissioner of agriculture may reach the
conclusion and hold US u fact that In cer-
tain state or territory or portion of Ii that
contagious disease exists from tho nero
statement Of one of these twenty persons
whom he is authorized to employ, and the
whole business of that state or territory or
section may be ruined by the report of this
one individual, who is responsible to nobody
under heaven. There is no officer OF tho
United States government holding power
nearly so dangerous as this. From this con-
clusion, which the com missioner of agricul-
ture reaches from tho statement of one cheap
agent, he proceeds to declare this unfortunate
state or district or territory dangerous to the
animal interests Of the nation, and then III the
unfortunate state or territory or section,
infinitely better posted as to its condition
than the agent who has made this report, and
upon which tho commissioner of agriculture
acts, declines peacefully to depreciate md
destroy the values of the property of It's own
citizens the President of tho United States
will, nolens volens be required, upon tho