The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-07-29
THE BEEF QUESTION.

WHelner Inc prevailing nlgn price Oh
beef be attributable to an actual scarcity
of that necessary article, or whether it
be the result Of a corner - or combina-
ton of the dealers in cattle is at present
an economic question with which both
the press and the people are generally
wrestling. Gen. Brisbin, than whom no
one is more thoroughly familiar with the
subject, has recently expressed the opn-
ion, through the columns Of the New
York Herald. that both causes contribute
to bring about this undesirable condition.
In the absence of the necessary space in
which to reproduce Gen. Brisbin's letter,
the following resume of it, found in the
Baltimore Sun, will be of interest to our
readers:
Without going into reproduction of
the many facts which he presents in sup
port of his views, we give what is most
interesting to our readers, his opinion on
the condition of the cattle trade and it's
future prospects. He starts with the
assertion that the cattle supply at pres
Gil ID OuU ludU III uOCS HoU illCItaSc
in proportion to the increase of popula-
ton and the European demand. "The
beef famine" he says, "is merely a
panic and will soon be over: but it is il
! warning Of what may really occur if We
do not take pains to raise more beef
Last year we had in the whole United
States $4,000. 600 cattle, 80, 900, 600 sheep
and 81, 900, 900 swine. This Gen. Brs-
bin regards as inadequate to the demand
of 50,000,00 people, increasing at the
rate Of million year from natural
causes and by the addition of another
million from fore,ga immigration. Max
ing allowance for the consultation of
t mutton and pork, he says: We are
raising beef for 100000 of people,
whereas We should be raising beef for
/ SO, 000, 600 in view of the steadily pro-
| gressive increase of population and the
European demand, bearing in mind that
976 sjG cattle were shipped to Europe in
1881. Our aoiiity TO raise cattle to an
almost indefinite extes.t ~ demonstrated
by the official surveys. They show tiaat
the whole United States contains $685.
| coo square miles are set down as grazing
lands. The grazing lands on the Platte,
Powder and Tongue Rivers alone amount
to oSes Twelve million acres, and, says
Gen. Bris5iia, i'tkeT are the best know
off, The business OF stqfk raising mnst
of necessity be conducted al the West.
1t is only there that extensive ranges
cali be had for ssuat herds. But the
fear Of Indians and the ignorance uf the
Eastern people Of the profits arising
from stock raising have prevented many
fross going iBto the business. There is
no longer 4ly asrfqR$ far Of Indian out
breaks. according 70 ger: hrtsAi4. s@-
cept in Arizona, aud the railroads stretch
ing through the Territories oAer every
facility for the transportation of cattle
to market. The business of stock
ra!sing is in a comparatively few hands,
and they &c ,tat aesire to see it extended.
The stories o. dangers &c a1 s+seHAterod
originate with them. Il costs them
mere tritle to raise cattle and the re-
turns are so large that they are doing all
tLa. lies in their power to prevent COM
petition. "TAe cattle run out all the
winter long, aua 20 st+altsf IF food is
required for them except thai THili. ma
ture provides. Every year the stock lnen
start the story East for the benefit of the
'tehdarGeet that the stock business is
overdone asa t,.c eqqsdl ranges all taken.
This is done TO ptevsat i.ass l.tea rfGm
going into the business. The stock men
know they have good thing and wish
to keep it as long as possible. They
would l.i-a to see beef 81 per pound, and
would ask si.x, faf q steer worth $40
without the slightest eG..ttIatIoH of
conscience if they thought they COULD
get it, Herein We get at one cause of
tina high price of beef. There is no cat
tie famine, only the prospect of one in
the future, iRie.< mare persons or COM
panies 90 into the b4s,;i.aas1s II stons rails
ing. All who hive done so have aoae
we'll: but the annual per esntage Of in
creased product is not equal to the N
nual increase in population with the adj
ditian of the foreign demand-neverthe-
less, says Gen. Brisbin, there is really
no immediate eSs4s,sa fer alarm about
cattle famine. as cattle ail ass vet so
scarce as to create any great stress ip the
meat market But ths spectators have
got hold of the fact that there ais 100
few cattle in America for the population,
and they are using it to fill their pockets.
We must have more cattle. more cattle
raisers aud 1aosa aapital with which to
raise cattle" TO have H,GrG Aats.s Ly
encouraging others to embark in the
business is the burden of his letter.
"Not having any herd of my own" he
says. - am only interested in getting
beef as ci,e4p!y as possible from those
who have herds. i.aaaa soon to see more
people and more capital shgss4i u; Eat
tie raising, and beef brought to nome
reasonable price by reason of its album
dance, aud | haye no hesitation in saying
that associated capita engaged in beef
raising out West will pay an a4I4al div
idend of tweaty-four per cent if it is at
all properly ,aauagsd." Apart from this
laudable desire, the two fats of present
interest brought out in his letter are
these: The first is that there is cattle
enough at this time to meet at reasona-
BILE rataq the needs of consumers. and
the second tina, prices have been driven
up by combinations Ct steaHlators. The
retail dealers and butchers of eoupss are
no more responsible for the high prices
than the consumers. They must pay
what the spectators demand or stop
their bus.Eses.
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