The Portland daily press., 1883-08-18
AMERICAN CATTLE.
The Attempt to Exclude Them from Great
Britain.

Britain.
LONDON, Aug. 1.-THE government, in the
House of Commons this evening, gave the
landlord party's attempt to shut out the'im-
portation of Ameaioan live cattle another seri-
GUS setback. Under the leadership of Mr..
Henry Chaplin, Conservative member for
Mid-Lncolnshire, on the 10th of July last
this party succeeded i'm passing motion
through the House to the effect that the i'm
portation of live stock should be prohibited
from all those countries whose sanitary regu-
latons did not afford guarantee against the
existence of the foot and month disease. The
debate upon the subject was long and bitter.
The government strongly opposed the meas
ure, as one tending to raise the price Of beef in
England, over one-sixth of the total amount
consumed being imported. Even the London
Times ridiculed the movement, characterizing
1t as silly aud desperate attempt to increase
the profits of estates by raising the price of cat
tie and increase the home industry OF cattl 10
breeding by barring out the competition of
the cheaper and better American stock The
Times asserted that foot and mouth disease
probably existed in isolated sections in every
civilized country on the globe, and that 1t
would be just as foolish to prohibit the i'm
portation of live cattle from the whole of the
States because the malady prevails among the
cattle in any particular country as to forbid
their entry from the whole continent OF Europe
because the cattle of Switzerlond were affect
ed. To this opposition Mr.. Chaplin replied
that the measure would not bar out the cattle
of Canada, and he admitted, when pressed,
that his party we're chiefly concerned about
the competition from the United States,
which, he said, was fast destroying the busi-
ness of raising live stock in England and abol-
fSt nna nf hQc nf tnN in
Great Britain. Mr.. Chaplin's motion was car
ried by vote of 200 against the governments
192, theiIrish vote going with the Conservatives.
Mr.. Gladstone, however, refused to take any
action under the motion, and being brought to
task for this, on the 10th of July announced
that the government declined to legislate fur
ther upon the matter until the proper inves-
tigating committee should ascertain whether
better enforcement of sanitary regulations
could be secured in the countries aimed at by
the motion. Mr.. Chaplin kept up his cru
sade, and on July 80, Mr.. j. G. Dodson, on
behalf of the local government board, stated
that the government had all the proper in
quiries under progress, and was in constant re-
ceipt of reports both from the national and
State governments OF the United States and
from the British consuls in America. AT the
opening of the session this evening Mr.. Chap
lin again interrogated the government, and
Dodson created much astonshment by his re-
ply. He said that, so far as the inquiries had
no ground for the legislation to prohibit Amer
ican cattle Importation; that very little foot
and mouth disease existed in the United
States, and that, in regard to this, sanitary reg
ulations were being properly enforced.
Mr.. Chaplin, with some show of temper,
asked for statistics. Mr.. Dodson stated that
the proportion of cattle affected in the States
was smaller than it was in any other place
where the disease existed, and that American
exporters never risked sending to foreign mar
kets either inferior or affected live CATTLE Mr..
Chaplin demanding 10 know it the govern.
ment investigations did not show that the foot
and mouth disease was a peculiar American
malady, Mr.. Dodson stated that, on the con-
trary, inquiries made proved that the disease
which at present prevailed among American
cattle had gone there in cattle brought from
Europe, and that the general scope Of the in
formation tended to show that by far the great
or part was attributable to importations from
England. This statement was reluctantly
made, and produced sensation. Mr. Chaplin
then dropped the subject