Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 84, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 January 1915 — STATE AGENTS ENJOINTD. [ARTICLE]

STATE AGENTS ENJOINTD.

Carl Vroonian Denies U. S. lias Authority to Destroy Animals Unless Purchased. a..’ Here is a perplexing problem. > Some one is slaughtering animals in Illinois said to be afflicted with the hoof and mouth disease. Two hundred cattle were killed near Dixon yesterday. It is said federal officials did the slaughtering. The state authorities have been enjoined from doing so under an injunction ‘ issued by Circuit Judge Irwin. Since the restraining order, which Attorney General Lucey says he “will answer in February,” was issued several herds have been killed. Charles F. O’Connor, attorney for the Kane, Whiteside and DuPage county cattle owners and dairymen, who, are interested in the injunction, hris received the following letter from Carl Vrooman, acting secretary of the department of agriculture in Washington: Your attention is directed to the fact that the authority of tills department with respect to animal quarantines relates only to interstate and foreign commerce. The two statutes on the subject are the act of Feb. 2, 1903, and the act of March 3, 1905. This department has no authority to destroy, and has never undertaken to destroy, any animals affected with or exposed to foot and mouth dis ease, except those purchased from the owners for the purpose .of being killed. Mr. O’Connor transmitted the message to Governor Dunne, saying the farmers he represented “would like to have the state define its position as clearly.” He also sent a letter to thesstate executive saying he hoped he would not be put in the position of having to attack the constitutionality of the statute creating the fetate hoard of live stock commissioners, fearing this might make the state officials responsible for the $1,000,000 worth of cattle already killed. “It is my,hope,” read the letter, “that we could use that statute as a foundation upon which- to build a constitutional law that would properly declare the public policy of otfr state in regard to the animal industry and still not subject the farming community to the insolent display of authority and dangerous lack of knowledge of a hastily gotten-togeth-er and panic-stricken group of political veterinarians, inexperienced and unlearned in their profession, such as has been displayed by a large number of the panjandrums ranging up and down the state, claiming to exercise all the police, military, exe-

cutive, and Judicial .powers of the commonwealth.” Despite the fact that five veterinarians—three state and two federal—lhave acknowledged a blunder was commltteed In diagnosing the thirty-seven animals at the State Training School for Girls at Geneva, as being afflicted with the disease, the quarantine has not been lifted. The School .has been quarantined now for several weeks and the milk from the healthy cattle Is still being poured on the grounds and forty-eight gallons a day, besides butter, are being purchased in Geneva with the taxpayers’ money. Stockyards men charged Dr. O. E. Dyson, state veterinarian, with breaking his word with regard to an agreement he entered into with federal offleials at Springfield early this week. At that time Dyson agreed th at a considerable area ofl h e quarantined territory at the Union Stock Yards should be made "open,” This, it was said, would have greatly benefited shippers. Yesterday the veterinarian refused to keep his agreement. The matter is scheduled to be taken up at another conference to be held today. Downstate farmers will hold a conference at the Stock Yards Inn this morning, at which the hos and mouth disease epidemic w.ill be dis-