National Republican., 1883-01-17
THE CATTLE PLAGUE.
It's Extent and DanSer-Tho Losses Oc-
curing TherefrOm-Important Facts.

It's Extent and Danger-Thc Losses Oc-
curing ThereIrOm-Importnnt Facts.
There is perhaps no question that has en-
gagged the attention of political economists dur
ing the last half century that equals in the
magnitude of interests involved the one that
has recently become q matter of concern
among legislators of the nation as well as
those of the different states whose interests
are largely imporiled by the prevalence of the
dreaded Spanish or Texas cattle disease. To
attempt to trace through all its various ram-
fcations the interests involved in its consc-
quences would be to attempt to solve n prob
lem whose developments arc yet in embryo,
and upon whose solution II world is waiting,
for upon its results in great measure depend
tho successful accomplishment of supplying
European countries with American beef.
ThorepOrt of the treasury commission re-
Gently sent to the house n representatives
discloses the danger to which this trade is
now exposed by the direlictiOn of allowing
this disease to influence foreign governments
against the importation OF American cattle,
(Which amounts to prohibitiOnj while the So
luton of this difficulty now appears to be
within easy reach and requiring only a con-
tinuation of the efforts already made to in
sure a successful result.
Tho importance of success in these
endeavors is found in the report above
mentioned, which says: 1t is vain to
hope that England will remove the restric-
tions imposed so long as we fail to show that
the last vestige of infection has been wiped
out from our land"
The fruitless attempts in the past to UNI
ravcl the mystery attending tho development
of this frightful disease may be traced TO a
great extent TO the lack of continuity in eff
forts that seemed to approach its solution, and
until recently little has been positively known
.,rtt 10 fnh ss
necessary to its successful treatment
and eradication. 1t appears from the
records of tho agricultural department
that attention was first called othe existence
of this disease in u dangerous or epidemic
form during 1863, and that during that year
the danger to be apprehended from its spread
from contagiOn was recognized and measures
adopted to meet the contingency. BY refer
ence to the reports of the commissioner Of
agriculture it is found that an appropriation
was recommended by the commissioner, and
adopted by congress, for the expenditure of n
sum that seemed adequate for tho occasion,
and commission, whose duty it was to
report upon its nature and extent, was
appointed to investigate the causes and
recommend measures for its treatment
During that and the succeeding years
of 1870 aud 1871 the sum of Sl269o.6O
was expended in careful manner in these
investigations with results that are of great
importance when viewed IN connection with
tho vast interest involved in its consideration.
A recent estimate places the losses occurring
annually from the cattle plague Mt from two
to three millions ofdolars at the present time,
which, if estimated at per cent, makes n
total Of from $4O,OOOOOO to SGOOOO,O00, which
is imperiled by the consequences, with a
prospective increase of many millions. 1t
| will be seen that if through some unforeseen
accident predicated upon the existence of this
frightful disease this vast industry should be-
come extinct, il would involve the utter loss Of
fabulous amounts of capital, ifnot in the entire
destruction of an agricultural enterprise sec
ond to only one other, besides neutralizing
our western territories equal in productive
capacity to almost the entire continent of
Europe. That these matters may receive the
attention which their importance seem to de-
mand is hardly to be expected, but that such
action as will bear the impress Of an inten-