126 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



is concerned, but the provisions which were incorporated makes it very 

 difficult of enforcement. When it becomes apparent to any ten free- 

 holdern C'f a township that there is a necessity for such a thing, they may 

 petition the townshij) board; when they do so, it becomes obligatory on 

 the township board to select commissioners, who shall inspect and order 

 sprayed, or otherwise exterminated, the insects and fungi therein. In 

 case this is not done by the party notified, the commissioners then may 

 enter upon the premises and do it, and collect pay, and there shall be no 

 recourse against them. That is very good so far as it goes, but ten of 

 your neighbors have to get together and petition, then three of your 

 neighbors must attack you on something that you perhaps don't believe 

 in; it must be done, but you don't believe it, and 3'ou are immediately 

 antagonized — first with ten of your neighbors and afterward three. It is 

 a very unpleasant thing, and I think this suggestion covers the ground 

 very nicely. Whether it is constitutional or not is another question. 

 Take the matter of the cattle plague, or any large national interest. The 

 govemmtni has repeatedly taken those things in hand, and probably can 

 again. The only question is, who will bell the cat, and you want to think 

 about that. 



Mr. Monroe: It is a large question, but it seems to me that the case is 

 covered by analogy, it is settled that the general government has power 

 tf protect the people; so far as I know it is entirely settled, that it has 

 ample power To pass sanitary enactments to protect our animal industry, 

 and 1 think it has amj)le power to protect the vegetable. Of course, this 

 question has been more prominently brought to notice than ever before 

 by the first paper read by Mr. W^ebster, and shows very clearly the inter- 

 national nature of the question, and it seems to me that the time must 

 come, and is not far away, when the national government must take steps 

 toward protecting us in this respect, because we know from what was 

 said by Mr. Lyon last night, in regard to the Japanese plum and the favor 

 with which they are considered, and also the large number of flowers and 

 vegetables imported, and as long as we know that they bring with them 

 these destructive insects and diseases, there can not be any question, it 

 seems to me, that our national government has ample power to protect us 

 in this matter. The particular point I would like to emphasize is this: 

 We all appreciate the importance of associated effort in every department 

 of human endeavor, whether in business, social, or religious life. We 

 appreciate the importnnce of associated effort, but I undertake to say that 

 there is no f)lnce in which it is so much needed as in the fruit business. 

 Two farmers may adjoin, and one raise a good crop of grain by complying 

 with the necessary conditions, and not be at all affected by his neighbor, 

 wlio neglects them: but we can not fence against disease and insects, and 

 we must work together, and we must use every available resource if we 

 are to succeed in fruitgrowing. 



Dr. Thomas: We don't want to work in a line that is futile; we want 

 to d< some good, and T still raise the question on the constitutionality of 

 this thinsr. T don't think thnt by annlogy we can accomplish this, not by 

 thnt Innd of reasoninc Tt is true, the government can protect us agninst 

 the importation of these thinsrs. but when it comes to the domestic affairs 

 of the state. T Question whether the government could or would interfere. 

 Of course they do it in Europe, but they don't have constitutional govern- 



