16 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



instance, may say what shall be done with the money. The 

 people of Illinois may say, "Illinois has no interest in it; 

 why should Illinois go to work and appropriate large amounts 

 of money to prevent Massachusetts from suffering from this 

 disease?" They may be willing to say, "We will make the 

 police regulations if the national government will appropri- 

 ate the money necessary to carry them into effect, and thus 

 benefit all the States through which cattle run." It seems to 

 me it will be best to pass the resolutions, notwithstanding the 

 objection made in that respect. 



The Chairman. I made the statement to bring into prom- 

 inence the difference between quarantine action and waiting 

 for government action. I wanted to bring the other remedy 

 before the meeting, so that the question of quarantine, which 

 seemed to be somewhat overlooked in the consideration of 

 these resolutions, might also be brought into view. 



Mr. Wheeler. I see no objection to the passage of the 

 resolutions exactly as presented. We simply ask for action 

 by the national government, implying, of course, that only 

 such action will be taken as can be constitutionally taken. 

 I do not see that we need hesitate at all on account of the 

 objection that has been raised by the Chair as to the power 

 of the government over the matter. 



Mr. Slade. I hope you will invite Professor Stockbridge 

 to tell us what he is thinking about in respect to this mattei*. 



Professor Stockbridge. This whole question of conta- 

 gious pleuro-pneumonia among our cattle, the history of the 

 disease in this country and its present aspect, is one which 

 may be examined from a good many different standpoints. 

 We shall find a great many dark spots about it, and it will be 

 very difficult, I think, for us to see any rays of light which 

 will enable us to inaugurate any practical measures to exter- 

 minate the disease. The fact is that we have not had a case 

 of contagious pleuro-pneumonia in Massachusetts since the 

 year 1864, and yet there has not been a year since then, up 

 to within the last four weeks, when there have not been com- 

 plaints made to the Cattle Commissioners of the outbreak of 

 contagious pleuro-pneumonia in Massachusetts. They have 

 had a very serious outbreak in the town of Brimfield within 

 a month ; that is, so far as the cattle owners and the select- 



