PLEUROPNEUMONIA 
163 
of them, since nearly all had the disease, and when it was rec¬ 
ommended that they be killed at once, the owner consenting and 
being anxious to protect himself and neighbors, the courage of 
the Executive’s representative gently oozed away, while his intel¬ 
ligence evolved the remarkable statement, £fc I cannot establish 
such a precedent.” 
A herd of imported Jerseys in Middlesex County were quar¬ 
antined and the infected ones left to die and spread the disease, 
the owner’s and my own protestations against the danger and 
injustice of such measures being met with the practical (?) ob¬ 
servation “ lie introduced the disease himself, and if he wants 
to get rid of it, let him kill them.” 
On the 16th of April I received the following telegram in 
response to one of my own, asking for instructions: “ No animal 
should be destroyed without, in the judgment of two veterinary 
surgeons, it is the last resort to prevent the spreading of the 
disease.” With a hundred cases of the disease on hand and rap¬ 
idly spreading in many of the herds quarantined, and new herds 
being daily discovered that were infected, I asked that I be 
instructed to destroy all animals with contagious pleuro-pneumo- 
nia. This was most emphatically denied me on the ground “We 
don’t know where it will lead us.” 
On April 23d, I was orally instructed to destroy all cases of 
the disease in Bergen County. On the 24th, two were killed and 
: buried, and on the 25th four more were to have been destroyed 
in that County. The owner of three of the condemned cows 
refused to have them destroyed without seeing my authority for 
so doing, and, since I had no such authority to show, the sheriff 
who was present to enforce the law, refused to act in the matter, 
and so I was left powerless to proceed. Telegraphing for in¬ 
structions, I received the following: “ You had better return.” 
Thus ended the mission upon which I was sent by the people’s 
representatives, who would not be present to enforce the law 
entrusted to their hands, nor give me the authority to accomplish 
that for which I had been sent. My resignation was at once 
tendered and accepted in due time. The Executive’s represen¬ 
tative, after sacrificing me for the purpose of testing public opin- 
