The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-12-26
DISEASED CATTLE.
The Massachusetts Commissioners and DIR.
Geo. I'll. Bailey are Slxirmishing.

There seems to be considerable differ
ence of opinion between the Maine and
Massachusetts, authorities as to the amount
of tuberculosis among the cattle of the lat
ter State.
Speaking to PRESS reporter of this
custom of Massachusetts men running dis
eased cattle into Maine from their State.
DR.. Bailey says: "Four years ago we had
about twelve diseased cattle imported into
Maine from that State, and that was the
average until last year when 1t had in
creased one hundred per cent or to twen-
ty-four Now Maine sends her good horses
to Massachusetts and receives in return
Massachusetts glandered horses and tuber-
culosed CATTLE"
The remedy which the Maine cattle COM
missioners propose is the prohibition of
the importation of Massachusetts cattle.
Chairman Levi Stockbridge of theMassa-
chusetts Board of Cattle Commissioners is
doubtful whether our commissioners can
do this. He says that it is no crime for
Massachusetts men to take cattle. into
Maine, because the Supreme Court of the
United States has so decided when 1t rem
dered its decision in the case of Michigan
citizen who brought cattle into his own
State,
Massachusetts law affecting CATTLE"
said Mr.. Stockbridge, was the same as
the Michigan law, and to bring cattle from
Texas into either of these was made a
crime by the State law. But the highest
court in the country stamped such as un-
constitutional, and we then changed our
law to read thus: when animals are
transported within this State from infect
ed localities beyond Its boundary lines such
animals may be seized and Quarantined by
the commissioners at the expense Of the
owners thereof SO long as the public safety
may require; and If, Ia their judgme nt. it
is necessary to secure that safety, they
may cause such animals to be killed with
out appraisal or payment for the same.'
"You can see by that" continued Mr..
Stockbridge, ''that the State has no juris-
diction over the cattle until they get with
in the State borders. Then they become
subject to local law and the authorities can
deal with them accordingly. Ii this report
be true, then the possibilities are that
there is an immense amount of ignorance
in Maine. This case was brought before
the supreme court about IL years ago, and
at that time Maine had not begun to open
its eyes to contagious diseases"
"The cattle which Dr. Bailey is alleged to
have said came from Massachusetts are
probably not from this State. OF the i'm
mense number of cattle brought to Brigh-
ton for sale, only about Eve per cent. at the
most, are Massachusetts animals. The re-
ports of the market at Brighton last week
showed that 1858 head of cattle were
brought to the market and of these only I57
were from Massachusetts. For ali we
know. these animals might be from Maine,
New Hampshire. New York, Vermont or
the West, but it is not possible or probable
that they are from Massachusetts. Brigh-
ton is the central market of New England,
and from there each week 90 thousands of
cattle to all parts of the country and es-
pecially New England. DR.. Bailey is also
quoted as saying that our State is fairly
honeycombed with diseased cattle. This
statement is entirely false, as is the asser-
ton that we do not pay any attention to
the disease among our cattle Now the
general health and condition of cattle in
Massachusetts is excellent, and can pos
itively say that there is very little tubercu-
losis among them. There are no cheap
cattle here and our dairy animals rival any
of those in the United States. Last winter
when the great hue and cry was raised at
Worcester over diseased milk, our full
board personally examined the $50 cows in
that region and found them to be healthy
and in fine condition. Maine has been
either mlsrepresented or she is wrong"