Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-12-30
rHE CATTLE PLAGUE.



WASHINGTON, Dec. 27.- Chairman Hatch
OF the House committee on agriculture,
has received from Commissioner Oolman
q reply to the resolution offered by Repre-
sentative SwinburiIe of New York, In
which the commissioner sets forth COM
prehensively the difficulties met in the
attempt to extirpate or to control the
pleuroppeumonia suourge in the present
state of the law and with the machinery
at hand, and reinforces his recommends.
tons previously made for more heroic
methods. The resolution having ques-
toned the prevalence II not the existence
Of pleuropneumonia, the commissioner
explains the difficulty OF obtaining faets
as to the extent Of the disease, as the
publication of the existence of pleuro-
pneumonia in herds, without the adoption
Of prompt measures for suppressing it,
causes SO much damage to the owners that
In insny cases they not only refuse 10
give information, but they will prevent
the examination OF the animals at subse.
quent visits. Az to the quarantine of in
tected herds, he says that under existiDg
laws his department cannot enforce quar-.
antins regulations within any state unless
under state laws and by cooperation with
state authorities. In certain cases the de-
partment has been able to cooperate with
state authorities and to maintain quaran-
tine regulations by means of state laws,
but it has been In all cases o difficult
matter TO divide the responsibilities and
duties between Federal and state officials.
And he therefore recommends either that
sufficient authority be given 10 the de-
partInent TO eradicate the plague or that
the work be left entirely TO state authori.
| ties. Wherever an infected herd Is dis
covered, he says, oil exposed animals
should be slaughtered, the premises
thoroughly disinfeeted, and the owner
| compensated for the loss 10 which he ia
subjected for the protection Of the public.
The commissioner gives q history of
| the outbreak of pleuropneumonia in
Kentucky, in 1884, and says the restric-
| tions maintained for nearly two years are
/ estimated TO have caused loss to the
| breeders of the state of from
| BIO, 900, 600 to $I2 900 ,000-a loss which
would have been entirely prevented If
there had been authority for the depart
ment to have caused the prompt deatruc-
ton of the infected herds when the plague
was first discovered. The losses from re-
strictions on trade are far greater than
those caused by the disease itself, and
measures are required which will prevent
both the direct and indirect losses at the
same time. The only measure which
will accomplish this, the commits,
sioner says, is the prompt extir-
patton of the plague whenever and
wherever IL appears. He gives at length
the history of the recent outbreak at Chi.
cago and vicinity, and in closing urges
the. necessity of legislation granting to
the department power TO carry out the
measures required for extirpating pleuro.
4 pneumonia untrammeled by state laws OF
state authorities, If it is expected tc
promptly suppress it. The task is diff
tlcult one Mt best, and be fears that under
any plan of cooperation our history will
be that of England, where for years the
failure Of local authorities to enforce the
required regulations has not only per
petuated the contagion, but allows such
frequent and alarming extensions as have
lately occurred.