920 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



ACTS REGULATING THE INTERSTATE MOVEMENT OF LIVE STOCK FROM 

 QUARANTINED DISTRICTS AND PROHIBITING THE INTERSTATE MOVE- 

 MENT OF DISEASED LIVE STOCK, 



Under tliis lieadin^ is comprehended the work of the examination 

 and coUution *A evidence and reporting apparent violations of the 

 provisions of sections 2 and 4 of the act of March 3, 1905 (33 Stat., 

 1264), prohibiting the interstate movement of cattle or other live 

 stock from States or Territories or portions thereof quarantined by 

 the Secretary of Ao:riciiltm"c under the act, for contagious, infectious, 

 or communicable diseases among live stock, except under rules and 

 regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture under the act, 

 and of section 6 of the act of May 29, 1884 (23 Stat., 31), proliibiting 

 the interstate movement of live stock affected \vith any contagious, 

 infectious, or communicable disease among live stock. 



During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1912, 124 apparent violations 

 of the act of March 3, 1905, and 11 apparent violations of the act of 

 May 29, 1884, were examined and reported to the Attorney General, 

 an increase of 34 under the act of March 3, 1905, and one under the 

 act ci May 29, 1884, reported during the preceding fiscal year, and 

 this notwithstanding the scope of the former act was considerably 

 restricted as an effect of a decision of the Supreme Court, more 

 particularly referred to below. 



Cases charging 67 violations of the act of March 3, 1905, and 6 

 violations of the act of May 29, 1884, were determined favorably to 

 the Government in the course of the fiscal year, for the most part by 

 pleas of guilty. Fines aggregating $5,600 as a result of these con- 

 victions in cases under the act of March 3, 1905, and $925 in those 

 under the act of May 29, 1884, were assessed. These sums are exclu- 

 sive of costs which were a material addition to the penalties. In two 

 convictions under the act of May 29, 1884, the defendant was sen- 

 tenced to a fine of $300 and imprisonment of 9 months in one case, 

 and in the other the defendant was sentenced to imprisonment for 

 30 days in addition to a fine. In some six of the above convictions 

 sentence was suspended by the court on payment of costs. 



Verdicts of not guilty were returned on the trials of cases involving 

 four alleged violations of the act of March 3, 1905, and one of the act 

 of May 29, 1884; while grand juries failed to return indictments on 

 presentations of seven alleged violations of the former act and one of 

 the latter act. 



Suits were begun during the fiiscal year and were still pending in 

 the courts at its close in cases including 62 violations of the act of 

 March 3, 1905, and 4 violations of the act of May 29, 1884. 



Proceedings were dismissed during the fiscal year in five cases 

 imder the act of March 3, 1905, for various and special reasons. 

 Proceedings were also withheld or discontinued in some 150 alleged 

 violations of the act of March 3, 1905, reported for prosecution in the 

 course of the three preceding fiscal years, and referred to the United 

 States attorneys for the Eastern District of Illinois and the Eastern 

 District of Missouri, against the Terminal Railroad Association of St. 

 Louis, the St. Louis Merchants Bridge Terminal Railroad, and the 

 St. Louis National Stock Yards, pursuant to a decision of the United 

 States Supreme Coufi rendered in October, 1911. 



