220 
F. 8. BILLINGS. 
temporizing policy exists in New Jersey, the former State lias 
but one recourse, and that is, to place an embargo, not only on 
all cattle from New Jersey, but upon all cattle coming through 
that State. This can only be carried out at great expense. New 
York would have to place, at certain fixed points along her New 
Jersey frontiers, numerous quarantine stations and veterinary 
officials to inspect and prevent the entrance of such cattle into 
her territory. 
The State of New Jersey is to be treated in such a case only 
as an enemy from which she has much devastation to fear. The 
same is true of every other State, whether far or near. New 
Jersey, under such circumstances, becomes a nursery from which 
pestilence may be dispersed all over the country. There is but 
one way to obviate such an evil, and that is to have a National 
Veterinary Police Code, with State execution of the laws, sub¬ 
servient in a measure to the control of the National Government. 
Every intelligent person must admit that neither person, town 
nor State should be permitted to maintain a nuisance endangering 
the person or property of any other person, town or State. It 
is self-evident that State codes can never have that unanimity of 
purpose necessary to this end. Where one would be precise and 
exacting, another would be indefinite and non-exacting. Accord¬ 
ing to the intelligence, education and appreciation of existing 
dangers by the respective State Legislatures, would be the nature of 
the laws made and the manner of their execution. For many years 
some States would be pestilential centres, continually giving rise 
to sporadic invasions of their sister States, causing greater or less 
devastations of the animal property of those States of no incon¬ 
siderable economical importance. 
To meet such an evil for ever, and to lay the foundation for 
a permanent and in every way competent institution, the National 
Congress should authorize the President to, or itself select a com¬ 
mittee of honest men to select the three most competent, educated 
veterinarians in the country; these men to select two able and 
non-partisan lawyers, the five to draft a code of veterinary police 
laws and regulations suitable to the needs of the entire country, 
and in keeping with the most advanced knowledge of our time. 
