Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-03-07


prising cattle-growers of the west to improve
their herds. The disease is now confined for the
most part to the cities of New York, Baltimore
and Washington. and the adjacent regions
But let that disease be once carried from the
stables of the cities to the farmers of the great
west. where cattle are but little confined let 1t
extend to the cattle-growing states of Wisconsin,
Illinois Nebraska, and the loss which may be
inflicted thereby upon our people would be sim
ply incalculable.
We are told that when this disease found its
way upon the plains of Russia the loss which It
entailed was from forty to fifty millions OF dol
lars.
1t appears from the facts before us that Europe
counts her losses from this disease alone by hun
dreds of millions of dollars; that there the dan
gers Of the disease are well understood. European
governments have taken every precaution to stay
irs progress and we may well take lesson from
IL cir example In view of the losses which other
nations have suffered from the inroads OF this
disease, the agricultural community and the bust
ness interests of this country should look with
dread and alarm upon its approach TO those
states which rely so much upon the cattle indus
try. Petitions are before us from the west which
assert and with reason that this contagious dis
ease might any day be carried from the stables
of New York or Baltimore to the farms of Wis
cousin or Illinois. If that fear should be real
lied there is no to suppose that the losses
of our people would not assume equal proper
tions with those of the citizens of other lands
But this is not the only aspect which this prob
lem presents. The farmers and stock-growers OF
this country produce about so per cent OF all
the exports which find their way from this coun-
try to the markets of the world. 1t would be all
evil day for this country when the swelling sur
Mus of our American farms should be for any
long time debarred from the markets of Europe.
But their come to US complaints from our dis
tricts and through the press that our exports of
cattle and hogs are being denied entrance to
Germany and France; that already owing TO
these causes our exports of cattle have fallen OIL
some millions of dollars per year; that Great
Britain has made such regulations that our cattle
have to be slaughtered at her ports, thereby in
| hictng loss of SO or Sl2 in each instance, and
aud causing during the year by this regulation
| alone loss of a million dollars to the cattle
growing interest of this country.
The situation is so serious that we cannot en-
tirely overlook it if we would There are various
methods of dealing with the problem. 1t has
| become 20 pular to derounce the policy OF Ger
| many of France and of Great Britain. 1t seems
| to be the fashion to demand retaliation. From
many quarters we are asked to close our ports to
a portion of the products of those nations to
make war upon their commerce because 1t Is
fancied that they have made unnecessary war
upon ours Sir, We may be compelled to adopt
CHI MI I,.9
the last resort. 1t would be policy better adapted
! to the customs of four or five hundred years ago
than to the civilization of the nineteenth cen
tury. Such policy might indeed strike u blow
at the commerce OF other nations, but it would
infict far heavier blow upon the commerce of
| our own country
There is one other method of dealing with
these questions. That method believe, would
be fifty inaugurated by the passage of this bill.
That method is to eradicate this disease, if pos
sble 1t is to adopt every plan known to civil
lied nations to stay its further progress We
should have such quarantine law that the in
lection shall extend no further; that it shall
neither find further entrance from abroad nor
extend from state to state. We should have such
inspection laws that may know definitely its
limits; such laws and such enforcement of them
that we may know perfectly where the disease
exists and that may be able 10 state officially
and with authority whether diseased cattle are
exported from New York or other ports TO the
markets of the world. Then, if we must needs
enter upon the system of retaliation and restrlc-
ton, it canno: be charged that we entered upon
il i'll reckless haste; that we have failed to adopt
those safeguards and those precautions common
to the other commercial nations of the earth.
Now have not time in the ten minutes allow
ed ne to discuss at any length the constitutional
questions involved in this bill. l should not
even enter upon them but for the reason that
they have been discussed at length by the oppo-
neuts of the BILL and none of its friends have
discussed its constitutionality, except the gentle
man from Illinois, who has just taken his seat. II
seems to me that there can not well be clearer
warrant for legislation than we find i'll the con-
stitutional provision upon which this bill
would rest. | refer, of course, TO that pro
vision which gives to congress the power
TO regulate commerce among the states and
with foreign nations. That provision of the
constitution has long since had Interpretation,
the Interpretation of statesmen and jurists, Per
haps the best exposition it has ever received was
o
Webster whose arguments viii adorn for all time
the legal literature of our country. If there was
any man in his generation i'll this country or on
the globe who could give better Interpretation
it was the great Chief-Justice Marshal We have
his interpretation Of this constitutional provision
given more than fifty years ago, in the case of
Gibson against Ogden.
In that case the constitutionality OF such a law
as this was not in issue, ii is true, but the chief
Justice discussed with his usual vigor aud clear
ness the meaning of the clause have referred TO.
He by no means gave ii that narrow and stingy
Interpretation which is now claimed for it, and
which would rob ii of its dignity and It's mean
ing The court of the highest resort has ever
since followed that decision. Meanwhile the ex-
igencies of commerce have developed new legis-
lation, and new decisions. Within The past few
years the supreme court has given still broader
Interpretation TO that clause. The late deci-
sions which point out the limited powers of the
states to enact general quarantine laws all con
cede that power to congress are in line with the
Interpretation given TO tins clause more than
fifty years ago.
But the legislative branch of this government
had long given the same Interpretation to this
clause. In the early days Of this government
congress passed the famous embargo act That
was an act requiring for its support far more
liberal construction OF this clause than the bill
before us. That was not mere regulation of
commerce in narrow sense of the word, but for
the time being it was an absolute prohibition of
foreign commerce, to the end that it might BE
protected and in a large sense regulated and pre-
served. That broad exercise of power sus-
tanned by the courts as constitutional. 1 could
point to instances from that day to this where
congress by its legislation has given the same
liberal Interpretation to this clause Look at the
act OF 1879, designed to check the cholera and
the yellow fever. BY the provisions OF that act
the power was given to the board OF health, fed
eral officers to cooperate with the state authori
ties to stay the progress of contagious diseases.
In default of action by the state authorities the
board of health were given authority to make
regulations Of their own upon this subject; in
short to declare and enforce quarantine regula-
tons. Their power wss not confined by the law
10 ports of entry, but extended to every city and
village of the country where it might be neces-
sary to act II the bill under discussion is IN
constitutional. so was the act OF 1879. That act
forms g perfect precedent for this; and 1t Is