National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-03-24

| among cattle which, so far as tho nature Of
that disease could be considered as communi-
cable or contagious, turns out to be abso-
lutely fictitious.
As have already said shipments to market
have been delayed, purchases have in large
| measure ceased, and IL is the statement ofthe
| gentlemen whom l represent that for tho
! past three or four years. owing to the inces-
SAINT reports concerning pleuro-pncumonia
and foot and mouth disease and other con-
tagious cattle diseases which have circulated
through the press, the effect has been to
excite and alarm tho people and to damage
! the stock trade 90 u very great oXtent, esti-
mated to run into millions of dollars. | am
assured by these gentlemen that these ad.
vices originated in great measure from tho
| agents of the treasury cattle commission. and
| the oiloct Of the recent very damaging reports
| has been more serious than in any other in.
stance. The trade in stock caLtlo at tho
| Chicago stock yards has como TO an almost
absolute stand still, this trade amounting
to at least $lO0O,000 month. Tho
extent OF damage that can be attributed to
| that cause can hardly be measured in money
aud II is estimated that as nuch al million
dollars has beon lost in the cattle market to
| the cattle producers of this country within
| tho last ten days by tho reports of foot and
mouth diseases in Kansas, Illinois, and
Iowa. These losses fall in great measure
on the producer. Last Wednesday the re.
were less than half what they usually arc
that day in the week, and the shipments to
| other markets were small in proportion.
| Those reports had been gathered up by Brit.
ish consuls and thoir agents aud iu conse.
quenco Of their circulation tho exporting
trade for the last two weeks has been prao-
| tically destroyed. The injury to the live
stock interests in tho state of Kansas by tho
| circulation of these reports and the excited
and hasty action which has been taken con-
cerning IL, as l am assured, Is at least two
| million Of dollars.
Application was made to the governor of
the state Of Illinois TO quarantine all Kansas
cattle, but declining to interfere with so
great an interest, without duo vestigation
himself he stayed his hand until the facts
could bo ascertained and wisely so for had
the proclamation been issued as urged upon
him, not only would the cattle trade of the
state Of Kansas been utterly ruined, but tho
financial and banking institutions OF the
state and elsewhere would have been greatly
disturbed.
We earnestly protest. therefore, against
the creation Of bureau or the organization
of any system which places it in the power of
any man steadily to excite unfounded appre.
tensions and to alarm and disturb the public
mind concerning the condition Of the live
stock interests of this country. Any scheme
of national legislation which has in view the
creation Of commission mado up of men of
know and ascertained ability and integrity,
appointed by the President, whose duty it
shall be thoroughly to investigate and fully
and fairly to report as to the existence Of
communicable or contagious diseases among
American cattle meets the full appreciation of
tho parties whom / represent. 1t not only
meets their full appreciation, but they are
anxious for protection in their interests and
for the final settlement and quieting Of these
questions, that such q condition should be
corrected. 1t is not believed that even such
n commission need be permanent in its char
acter. 1t may be organized something upon
the same basis as the commission recently
appointed by the President for the
investigation Of diseases among Amer
lean swine, and, If made up of men Of equal
character and standing, their report will be
accepted and the live stock interests of this
country safe for a time at least from these
constant raids upon their success and pros
perity.
That there are diseases among cattle goes
without saying, but it is not the object of
congress- take ID, to cure sick cattle, nor to
reimburse the farmer who is so unfortunate
as to have cattle die upon his hands from
any disease that is not contagious in its char
acter.
The cattle Of Kansas were suffering from
frozen feet. No act Of congress will prevent
that. They may die with frozen feet, as men
may die with frozen feet, and if in certain
quarters they are lily fed and lily cared for
the results will be precisely the same among
steers as among men-they will sickon, and
they may die. The creation Of permanent
bureau, the agents of which are practically
detectlves-for such only can those so-cslled
agents be characterized-plaoes continually
these great interests at the mercy of men
subject to no real control, aud who in the
advice and information which they may
communicate to the department Of agricul-
turo may as we'll be guided by their cupidity
as by their consideration for public interests.
There Is no responsibility whatsoever at
tached to these agents nor, indeed, to their
superiors; but, considering the live stock and
the hog product interests of this country
| together the injuries inflicted upon both by
these practically unqualified so-called agents
of the government runs mp into the scores OF
millions. We protest against the organiza-
tion of q bureau Of irresponsible spies which
may be cajoled by anybody representing
stock interests; and l insist upon 1t that
there is no other great interest in this coun-
try which would tolerate q system of espion-
| age which ia proposed to be placed over this
great interest of the northwest. Any action
of a bureau Of irresponsible agents on small
salaries reporting upon the condition Of the
grain in the various elevators Throughout the
country would not be tolerated for an instant
or tho creation of a bureau Of such agents to
report ut their will upon the character of the
/
| would not be tolerated for an instant. These
practically irresponsible bureaus have now in
great measure closed the ports Of the world
against our products. France, Germany, and
other continental countries have excluded
| American pork, and the foundation of this
exclusion rests in great measure upou the
reports Of these irresponsible government
employees.
Considering tho bill in detail, it seems to
me to be open to all tho objections which
have in the main Indicated
BY the first section the commissioner of
| agriculture is directed to organize in his
! department bureau of animal industry and
| to appoint chief thereof who shall be q COM
| petent veterinary surgeon. The duty of this
| chiefs to be to investigate and report upon the
| number, value, and condition Of the domestic
animals of tho United States their protection
and use, and also to inquire into and report
the causes Of contagious, infectious, and COM
municable diseases among them and the
means for the prevention and cure of the
same, and to collect such information ON these
subec as shall be valuable to the agricul-
cultural and commercial interest of the Coun-
try. The commissioner of agriculture is
also authorized to employ force sufficient
for this purpose not TO exceed twenty persons
at any one time.
Now, by this very first section here are in
point of fact twenty detectives employed
under pay of the government whose business
| 1t is TO investigate and report upon the con-
dition of the domestic animals of this country
and give information of infectious and COM
municable diseases among them. If there Is
nothing to report, or, indeed, if no report is
made, the reason for tho continuance in Office