Mr. GRIMES. Dr. Taylor, of Keokuk, Iowa, one of the delegates, from that State to the late medical convention in Baltimore, and a professor in the Iowa Medical College. So much, sir, in regard to the sentiment of the medical convention recently assembled in Bal timore. Both of these gentlemen have had great experience in the treatment of cholera cases, and their opinion; are entitled to great considerable to the imputation that might perhaps by considered asbeing conveed in this letter, that some of these parties at altimore may have an ax to grind, I of course do not adopt any such statementas that; still it is quite possible that it may be so. I am aware that in the State of Ney York there has recently been a very exciting controversy over the question of appointing health officers. I believe the governor of that State has appointed certain officers who are not agreeable to the parties who are opposed to them; and if I am not misinformed this Dr. Sayre was one of those proposed for the position now held by Dr. William Parker. I will not undertake to say that Dr. Sayre could be influenced by any such consideration, but it is possible that men might be found who would be influenced by a consideration like this; that they would desire that Congress should pass a measure similar to the one which now ies on your table, and which we are asked to pass. for the purpose of dispensing with the whole quar antine organization established by the State of NewYork, and installing another set of officers under Federal authority in the places which they occupy; for, sir, that is the effect of this molution, if it shall be adopted. When this resolution was under consideration before, I mise onstrued the 1st section of the substitute. I supposed that it provided for acommission, to be composed of the Secretaries of War, of the Navy, and of the Treasury. From a more careful examination of the wording of this section, I do not understand that it does that. I understand that it puts the whole control of this quarantine measure in the hands of the SecyWar, and then directs that the SecyNavy and the SecyTreasu shall cooperate with the SecyWar, udder the direction of the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy; that is, under the command of the President. The phraseology is very singular. I have never seen a bill or resolution submitted to the Senate before in such phrase as this: “ That it shall be the duty of the Secrets of with the cooperation War. of the SecyNavy and the SecyTreasury m, wmhaonsedecor ninc uCrhreienft of the Army and Navy." Whose concurrent action? The concurrent action of the SecyNavy and the SecyTreasury. The President, as Commanderin Chief of the Army and Navy, is required to direct the concurrent action of the Secretaries of the Navy and of the Treasury to cooperate with the SecyWar, the Sec retar of War being, in effect, virtually and legal y, as I understand it, placed in command of this whole organization. It would be sufficiently objectionable to me even if the resolution were drawn as I so posed it was drawn when it was under consideration before; but it is still more objectionable under the construction which I am compelled to place upon this phrase olo. What does it mean i it does not meangtlmt? If they wanted to create a board of the 3 Cabinet Officers having control of the Army, the Navy, and the Treasury, it would have been very eas to have said so. I apprehend from the fact that they have not said so, but have directed that the SecyWar, “with the cooperation of the SecyNavy and the SecyTreasu, whose concurrent action shall be directed. by the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, ” to “adopt an efficient and uniform system of quarantine against the intro duction into this country of the Asiatic cholera, through its ports of entry whenever the same may be threatened by the revalence of said disease in countries having direct commercial intercourse with the U.S. ” Now, Mr. President, could these doctors believe thatit was possible for any central government at Washington to adopt such steps as might be necessary, even if quarantines are of ienefit, to establish a uarnntiue at Galves ton, at NewOrleans, at ey West, at Mobile, at Enstport in Maine, at. the mouth of the Sacramento river or at the mouth of the Columbia, at Rouses Point in Vermont, or at Pembina in the State of Minnesota? Would it not be safer for the country, as well as for the Treasury of the country, to allow these various quarantines, if we are oing to have such a5atom, to be established by the local and police governments of the respective States? Is it possible for the SecyWar, even with all the power that is conferred n on him by this measure, to properly direct when a quarantine shall be established at Galveston, add when it shall be removed, and to designate the officers who shall have charge of it? I confess, Mr. President, that this is about the greatest machine that I have ever seen proposed to be created or that I have ever known attempted to be run by any Government on the face of the earth. Another great objection to this system is that it is going to break up all your present quarantines. The SecyWar mind you, this JtResolution is all in the singular number; the 2nd clause reads, “ he shall also” the SecyWar “enforce the establishment of sanitary cordons, to prevent the spread of said disease from infected districts adjacent to or within the limits of the U.S. ” He can gowithin the territorial jurisdiction of any State, he can dispense with all of the quarantine and olice regulations that he may find already established there, and establish such as he chooses to establish instead of them. You thus accustom the people to rely on the central Government to protect their lives and their health, instead of relyin, as they hitherto have done, upon the local an crities to protect them; and in the future, when a disease shall be anticipated, when it shall be reported that we are to be visited by the yellow ever or the plague, we shall have importunities after importunities from the different sections of the country upon the Federal Government to interpose to protect the lives and the health of the citizens at the various points. The people at these distant oints will cease to be so f reliant. It will establish a precedent which in the end will in every respect be disastrous. This bill is not satisfied with accepting the agents of quarantine that have been de uted by the various States. If it did that Is lOllld have less objection to it but it authorizes all of them to be abolishe and a new organization to be created, new officers to be appointed, the salaries to be fixed, as I understand it, by the SecyWar. It virtually places the whole Army and Navy and Treasury of the U.S. in the kecing of one man, and that is the SecyInterior. If you have any doubt as to what was the intention of this bill you have only to read it though. You will see that it everywhere says this power shall be conferred upon the SecyWar. He is the sole one, and he can command the obedience and is put into the control both of the Navy Dept and the Treasury Dept; and )the President is required “ shall direct” them to act with him. “ Whose concurrent action shall be directed by the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, ” is the language.