Show Colmau Versus Ogolsby WASHINGTON D C January 2 Commissioner Com-missioner Colman has written a letter to Gov Ogelsby pf Illinois sharply protesting against what he terms the violation by the Illinois State LiveStock Live-Stock Commission of the rules prepared by the Commissioner of Agriculture to regulate cooperation between the general government and States for the suppression of pleuropneumonia He cites rule 10 providing that all animals amictea wicn contagious pleuropneu monia are to be slaughtered as soon after their discovery as the necessary arrangements can be made and says It is notorious that such affected animals were not promptly slaughtered either in the distillery sheds upon the Harvey farm or in other herds He declares that despite the express stipulation stipu-lation that inoculation shall not be practiced in Illinois inoculation has been permitted He calls attention to the provisions that quarantines shall not be removed without due notice to the Department of Agriculture and that all necessary disinfectants shall be conducted con-ducted by the department and declares there have been violations of these rules of so important a character that they threaten to impair it not destroy the value of what is being done in Chicago and may lead to results so farreaching and disastrous to the whole country that he cannot allow them to pass without with-out entering a most emphatic protest He continues It requires no great great amount of search to discover the rea oa and necessity for these rules in cooperation with the State authorities This department has expended large sums of money and it will be ridiculous to do tins without some means of assuring itself that intelligent and thorough measures would be adopted and enforced as would secure with reasonable certanty the object for which the appropriation was made The commissioner gives as tin instance of the noncooperation of Gov Ogelsby the circumstance of refilling the Shufeldt distillery stables with healthy cattle Without allowing the department the necessary time to pass judgment on the matter and take the necessary precautions pre-cautions The commissioner adds Such a course makes our efforts to cooperate co-operate with your State a farce worse even than thatit removes the only guarantee that there could be somesub stantial result for the thousands of dol lars expended in Cook County outof the national appropriation for the suppre sion oi pleuropueurnopia and now after three months 6f anxious waiting for tidings that the contagion had been thoroughly eradicated from at least a few of the infected places in Chicago tue country is amazeu to learn that the commissioners have allowed the owners of the worst infected place now remaining remain-ing in the city to disinfect their own premises without satisfactory or complete com-plete supervision and practically with no supervision at all and not satisfied with this they have shown mos extraordinary extra-ordinary haste and most obstinate determination to have this place filled immediately with fresh cattle They allowed but a single day to elapse between the slaughter of the last affected animals and the issuance of an order to refill the stables It is a remarkable fact that every movement of the commissioner for the suppression sup-pression of the plague and the p o section of the people at large was attended with the umost conservatism deliberation There was no undue haste to slaughter the diseased or exposed ex-posed animals in these same sheds Ten long weeks every day of whish cost the citizens of this country thousands of dollars when allowed to drag along before be-fore the courage of those gentlemen r could be brought to the point W carrying carry-ing out this plain provision of the law l But now how different when thein iferests of a wealthy distilling company were iv b protected a company which i I had harbored this plague and allowed it to multiply on their premises and which had violated the lay by failing to report To save this firm from loss a permit was granted with the most extraordinary extraordin-ary precipitancy for refilling the sheds as soon a9 the last of the plaguestricken cattle had been slaughtered It is inexplicable in-explicable that the commission appointed appoin-ted to serve the interests of the country of your state should adopt such an erratic er-ratic and dingerous pol cy The commissioner com-missioner refers to the action of the commission com-mission in resolving itself into a scientific scien-tific commission for the purpose of ascertaining as-certaining whether pleuropneumonia can be spread by immediate contact in pursuance of which object the obligations obli-gations of the State were violated and te confidence of the country destroyed and says It is generally considered safest to leave scientific questions to te Battled by scientificmen and departures from this rule have nearly always been followed by confusion worse confounded con-founded The commissioner in point I g out the danger of refilling the stable Rays With the floor underlaid by a great mass of organic filth as is the case with these stables filth which is positively posi-tively saturated with contagion the removal re-moval of a few boards many months hence might set up an outbreak which would repeat all the looses of the restrictions re-strictions and burdens of various kinds that have been suffered from the present calamity In conclusion the comm J stoner says It appears now doubly important that you should take suds I action as will leave no reason for doubt in the mind of any one as to the future policy of your State live stock commissioners commis-sioners To this end I would respectfully respect-fully suggest that you cause the order of the board in regard to refilling the Shu fildt sheds to revoked j that the cattle cat-tle in those sheds be immediately slaughtered and that this department be given an opportunity to practice such uisinfectien as is desirable and possible U der the circumstances I make this HUggestion on behalf of the great cattle industry for the protection of an important im-portant part of the nations food supply and on behalf of an unrestricted commerce com-merce which are together threatened through this lack of cooperation with the department of agriculture on the part of the board which represents your State |