The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-03
THE CATTLE PLAGUE.

The bill recently introduced into Con.
gress by Mr.. Wentworth, and which
has became law, prohibiting the i'm.
portatiOn Of cattle into the United
States, has been the subject of much
discussion in various quarters, and has
been source of disappointment to many
large dealers in the bovine species. Our
Canada neighbOrs have been consider
ably exercised over the bill, and they
have been uncourteous enough to insin.
uate that the law falls far short of being
a neighborly one. They pretend to
believe that our law makers were in
fluenced by spirit of hostility tow ards
the Provinces in framing, adopting and
approving bill placing such positive
restrictions upon free trade in cattle.
They seem to regard the law as an in
fringement upon the rights of social and
commercial intercourse, and as blow
aimed directly at the interests of free
trade. They believe with Coke that,
"Freedom OF trade Is the life of trade,,'
and are ready to exclaim in the Ian
guage of Richard Golden: "Free trade,
the international common law of the
Almighty" and regarding their private
interests as paramount to all others,
they see nothing but studied injustice In
the cattle bill. They pronounce it a
sectional law and in direct opposition
to the boosted principles of liberty upon
which our Government is founded.
These cattle spectators, during the
war grew rich upon the necessities of
our country, and they would continue
to fill their pockets at our expense, with
out granting us the privilege of pre-
venting our stock farms from the visi-
toti IF a fanr IL IN
to their opinions, we must sacrifice our
own interests to promote theirs. A law
to insure protection to ourselves is con-
strued into an act of hostility to them,
and all because they cannot reap har-
vest of grain out of the puny breeds
brought up amidst the almost perpetual
frosts and SHOWS of sterile region.
Surely, these Spectators, entertaining
such generous and enlightened views,
are deserving of our sympathy; and did
we not believe that the beef consuming
population of Canada were benefited by
the existing state Of affairs, we nearly
should be tempted to petition Congress
to repeal the offensive law. Much, how
ever, as We feel inclined to sympathize
with the spectators in their hour of
distress, we cannot refuse to rejoice with
a more fortunate class. The butcher
has been compelled to lower his prices,
and the people of Canada are beginning
to chuckle over the comparative cheap
ness of the price of steaks. A recent
number of the Toronto Globe remarks :
1.-THE stoppage of the importation OF
cattle into the United States has begun
to have its effect upon our mark cts.
Beef, which formerly sold, retail at Ia
cents per pound, now sells at 10 cents
There has been much larger supply OF
| cattle than usual in the market, and
prices have fallen fully 20 per cent.
Toronto and Montreal are now the only
cattle markets at the command OF
drovere; it is therefore possible that
before long still further decline in the
price of live stock will take place.
We are sure that laboring classes do
not regret this decline, and we heartily
wish that we could chronicle such a
healthy change in our own markets. A
revolution in the prices of meats Is sure
to take place, and now our Canada
in the advance of us in this important
movement. A reaction was bound to
come, for the inflated condition of the
beef market has been beyond all reason.
Instead of doing them an injury, we &C.
tually have benefited our provincial
friends by restricting the trade of cattle
across the dividing line. We have eased
them down from an unnatural height,
and given healthy tone to their mar
kets. They have escaped from a crash
which we do not see how we can readily
avoid in this country. Sooner or later
decline must come, and if some un-
foreseen circumstance does not prevent
| it, the fall will be so rapid as to astonish
the over sanguine. But while CLIQUE
of dissatisfied Spectators are ridicuIfnp
the idea of the country being exposed to
| the danger of rindeipest, and pronounc.
| ing the cattle bill an uncalled for and
unjust measure, the attention of the
Pennsylvania Senate Is occupied in dis
cussing the presence of the fatal disease.
The question Is explained in the follow
| ing paragraph -
I'm the Pennsylvania state Senate on
Friday, Mr.. Worthington caused a let.
ter to be read from DIR. Hiram Corsop
of Plymouth, Montgomery county, call.
ing attention to the existence and spread
of the cattle disease in that county. II
appears the disease first made its appear.
| ance in the spring of 1865, and since
then not only have very large number
| OF cattle died, but many of the diseased
| animals have been sold to farmers re.
siding elsewhere, thus spreading the
| disease and the meat of the dead cattle
has been sold to considerable extent ir
the markets of Philadelphia, some of i
made up in the form of Bologna saus
age. 1t has every appearance of tn,
rinderpest, and the County Medical So
ciety and Agricultural Society are boil
investigating it."
II To- A.