National Republican., 1883-01-29
PLEURO-PNEUMONIA
The Agricultural Convention Gives tho Subject
Careful Consideration.
A Committee Apboihted tb AthuSint Cons
grcss OF tho Dongti,
To NE Editor.

To NE Editor.
SIR: feel that can, with a good degree
Of freedom, address tho public on subject
that is of such vital Importance not only to
us in Iowa, but TO all western men who are in
any way interested In the cattle industry.
Iowa through her statc agricultural society,
In conjunction with the state societies of
nearly all the western states, has sent dele.
gates to the agricultural convention now be.
ing held in your city.
The one great object had IN vicw by oil of
the delegates from the west, and by u large
majority of those from the other states, in at
tending this convention was to emphasize tho
dcrtdnd Of the cattle men dfklio nation for int
mediate action by congress to suppress, ~ fuy
cost, the imported lung plague, contagious
pleuro-pnoumonin, which is threatening the
entire cattle industry of this nation | will
not attempt nU this time TO show by
figures gathered from reliable statistics
the vast amount of money the cattle
industry of this country represents. Neither
will ! attempt to show now the almost incrcd.
ible loss that England met with because
she allowed this disease 10 work its insidious
way into her numerous herds until she has
found II next to impossible tO remedy the
evil the importation of one single Dutch COW
brought upon the farmers of the United king
dom. Tho history of the ravages Of the
lung plague in England, Australia, South
Africa, and New Zealand are known to intel
ligcnt readers. My purpose in this writing is
TO express TO those whose interest IL Is TO
know tho disappointment that the delegates,
especially those from the west, feel at the
apathy and indifference so apparent to this
tho most vital question that can engage just
now the attention of the representatives of
an agricultural people,
1T this convention we're gathered men who
arD the peers of any men in the nation in ail
Intelligent appreciation of the needs and
emergencies of the hour, and the wants Of the
producers of the beef and dairy products of
| this country. They come up here from their
several states hoping that by intelligent dis
cussion, interchange of views, and by reading
able papers upon this matter, that those whose
! province IL is to act for the people would be
enabled to see that it was no "ignis fatuus,"
or a mere nervousness of the people that was
at the bottom of this earnest prayer of the
cattle raiser of the nation that congress should
act at once. As l have already intimatcd, We
| farmers who have come ZIP here feel dis
| appointed. For some reason the daily
papers have been almost entirely silent
on the vital question we have had at
heart Scarcely member of congress,
be he representative or senator, has been able
to learn anything about the proceedings Of
| these meetings. II would seem that u studi-
Gus effort had been made for some reason, to
keep the fact of the convention rs silent as
| possible. ! am fully satisfied that If our rep
rcsentativcs in congress could fully under
stand what we want in this matter, 1t would
he most readily granted. IL may surprise
you, Mr.. Editor, newspaper man, TO he in-
| formed by me at this late hour, that Il large
committee was appointed by this convention
| TO go and see each member of the senate, and
express to him the sentiment of this large
convention of cattle men, representing almost
| every state in the union. This committee was
created to call upon the honorable senators,
because the only bill we can now hope To have
passed at this late day is the Hatch bill, which
| has passed the house and has also bccn re-
! ported lavomby upon by the senate agricul-
turIl committee. do not wish to he Ollcn-
| sive or dsrcspectful, yet feel that | must,
| in Justice to the thousands of farmers Of Iowa,
| who have sent mo here to this convention,
expressly on this one interest express myself
most plainly and unequiv0cally and say that
to us aS farmers and cattle raiSers, there is no
! question now before congress we are so deeply
interested In rs this one of protecting our cat
tie interest from this terrible lung plague.
want to say, and say il too with all due
respect, that we are most painfully aware OF
tho great danger that Is so imminent. We
| know Just what we are talking about We
are intensely earnest in this matter. Should
this cattle plague escape from the eastern
| localities where IL now Is and once get foot
hold in the unpenncd herds of the west we
can see no way of cXtcrminating it, save by
| an open destruction of our entire bovine
wealth, together with every buffalo of the
plains. This is n picture too fearful to con
template, yet in real but terrible truth
this Is tho danger that now threatens
| us, and " is only the most unheard of good
fortune that this plague has not been carried
west of the Allegheny mountains. No sane
man can expect or hope for this Same good
fortune longer. There should not be one
hours delay. Millions on millions of the
hard earned property of the hardy pioneers
who have opened and settled up the great
western states, hang on this slender thread OF
chance that may snap nj any day.
close this hastily written article Mr.
Editor, hoping that those whose Interests
il Is to know whit ninety-ninc out of every
one hundred farmers of this nation IL de-
manded of those who occupy position, where
their timely action may prevent TO this natiUA
| so vast loss that human comprehension II
utterly at fault in its efforts to grasp II. The
bill prepared and offered by the Hon, Mr. Hatch
is sadly defective in being able TO meet the
great difficulty, but 1t Is infinitely bS
ter than no ibilI. With that as law
and efficient officers the plague may be
hemmed IN and kept In its present bounds
until more fur-reaching measures can bc per
crtcd aud established The more congrcs,
learns about the nature Of the disease aud ol
It's in,idious character the more ready II will
he to cuact more aud more effective laws iOl
lis determination. At least S2,G0n0Ol should
be appropriated 50 that the officers ia chprg,
of the execution of the law may buy up and
kill every animal that IL sick or has been eN
| posed to the disease. 5. =. COFFIN,
Fort Dodge Iowa.