Arizona weekly citizen., 1886-03-27
OurQ Quarantine.

That the territory has g6lned under | bis supervision, sn ediice every way 1 worthy to which it IS dedlca:ed.
 Our Quarantine.
 EDrroR CITIzEN;-I believe that most of the leading cattle growers and breeders of Arlzona are in favor of quarantine that will protect this live stock from contagious disease that might be introduced by the free admission of diseased herds from other states. While this is, I may say, a unanimous sentiment among our stockmen, yet many of us look at the present quarantine laws and the way they are executed and abused us being both oppressive to enterprislng stock men and Gn actual damage to tue live stock interest of the Territory. The oFiect of the law should be protection to our herds and not a means or enrlching few men who may be selected to zee it executed. It is a notorious fact well known to all well informed stock men that there IS no contagious disease known or believed to exist ID any of the western or middle states or Territories. Yet if man has enterprise or hberalIty enough to go out Ot the Territory to pur chase high grade or thoroughbred cat tie for the purpose of improving his own and his neighDors' herd-, he IS met at the line Of New Mexico first and then at the ArIzona line with an extortion6te charge for mileage and inspection where there IS DO probability and scarcely a possibility of any harm or iDiury result Ing. Take the following example:
 4 maa has a valuable herd m this l Territory, which he wishes tO improve | by crossing with some of the superior ! breeds now to be had in states east fl us. He goes to Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, or Missouri as the case may be. He Is stock man; he Is buying in his own in- | terest and will naturally examine every animal purchased, Es to form, breed, | health and perfection as a breeding anI- nal. After collecting his stock together with care and large expense. he will ship | by the most favorable line of railroad to | some point Tn Arizona most accessible | to his location. Hs believes his stock Is entirely free from disease and surely DO | one should know better or has more at stake than be. as these cattle are 10 be taken home and mixed with his Arizona herd. The cattle are started west and before he reaches the eastern line of | New Mexico he Is told by the agent | of the Railroad Co, that they are not Gi- | lowed to cross the lIne into New Mexico until the cattle have been inspected by | some one duly commissioned for the purpose. He IS also told that this in- | spectOr or person hyes at some distant point III said Territory and must be hunted up and brought to where the l cattle are at some distance from the | line gHd the cattle must go through the ] form before they cross the line. Now | this man with hls cattle Is al great ex- | pense, subject to eXorbitaUt and OppIes- | siye charges by a corporate mon- | opoly for feed and all that is incident t1 delay. His own time Is valuable but he has DO remedy. He hunts up the so called inspector HhO very graciousiy and deliberately takes his own time and means 10 reach the point where the stock is detaIned. IT the stock is still in cars. be climbs up where he can get | fairly accurate count, as he Is paid by the head for thIs inspection. If the | stock k n lots, the same, aud after being satisfied, as to number. he sits down and | figures on his dollar head, or whatever | Ee sees fit 10 tax the victim, who hes no | alternative. 4lr. Inspector Then adds | his 2j cents mileage from his home to point of inspection and return, and then ! grscIously allows the disgusted shipper to proceed wiih his costly experiment | feeling relieved. His cattle ara now in- | spected and surely safe from any horri- ble disease; he can now go to his destin- atlon viths';;-..: z. s;..theF esp.o2see. But 1 no; not 90 fast. He gets down into New Mexico and IS told that there is another | hungry inspector Jus: over the iiae m his own sunny land. His little band of dearly bought and costly breeders must be taxed again, Head tax and imileRSe. Don't matter about inspections; they have been twice inspected, once when he bought them and once when counted for head tax at the New Mexico line. But the Arizona official must have HIS fee and mileage; tha: Is important Such men must be taken caEe of. The official responsibility, y0B know.
 Now this is just what the shipper has to meet when he has the enterprise or iIJerElity to undertake to improve the stock in bis locality, for ve know that ID thIs land Of cattle and ranges every
 
 some of tie popular aBd improved breeds, is to that extent public bene- factor. anu it is shame and an outrage that those who attempt this should not only be Olcd by extoTtionate charges by a soulless monopoly. but tieCced in our inspection laws by legaiized robbery. Aud the at a time when every stockman ,n the territory knows that the.e IS no Hr.4EaHTlffkr nF "A r-.~- ton where none exists.
 The consequence will be that our home breeders will do the best they can with cur inferior home stock until q more liberal policy is adopted by the territory | and its agents, Gs no one who has tried l the costly and troublesome experiment. | of importing breeding stock from other staies will make a second trial under the | present oppressive and embarrassing | circumstances.
 ONE WHO HAS BEEN THERE