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

tons with other governments.
Whether there is any such disease as con-
tagious pleuro-pneumonia prevailing among
the herds to any extent whatsoever east Of
the Allegheny mountains | am not sufficiently
advised to state; but | am sufficiently ad-
Vised to state as q fact that, although in the
Union stock yards of Chicago thousands and
tens of thousands of cattle OF all ages ana all
conditions have been received from the east
ern states within the last five years, not a
single instance Of pleuro-pneumonia has ap-
pearcd among them and am also author
ized to state that of tho thousands and tens
Of thousands Of cattle shipped abroad which
have been herdcd and fed in eastern yards
where tho contagion would have been re.
Ccived had the disease ut all existed, there
has not, as / am positively assured been q
single instance in which a case OF plouro-
pneumonia has been found among these
cattle.
The circulation of these reports, however,
has answered one purpose. IL has seemed TO
demonstrato the necessity for the employ.
mcnt of officials receiving salaries from the
government to prevent tho spread of n dis
ease, tho existence of which they have, in
the main, discovered. IL has seemed to
demonstrate the necessity of creating Il
bureau for the same purpose, for If no such
disease in point of fact exists or has existed,
there can be no necessity for this bill, and
the occupation of these 'e9kcrs after diseased
cattle would be gone. / am not indulging
merely in random statements concerning tho
effect upon our interests of the circulation of
these reports, and venture to offer one or two
very significant instances
In tho summer of 1SS2, upon the application
and at the request Of great number of the
exporters Of and dealers in live stock in this
country, | received from the President of the
United States and from the secretary Of state
authority to present such reasons as might
seem proper to tho authorities of the British
Ia Nla ..E
securing the free shipment of tho live stock
on foot after slaughter at tho ports OF London
TO any portion of Great Britain | presented
my credentials to our distinguished minister,
Mr. Lowell, and had, with him, two inter.
views with Mr. Mundella, then president of
the English privy council, At the last inter
view Senator Mcpherson, of New Jersey, was
also present. deemed it of great Importance
that he should bo present. for his position as
United States senator, and his familiarity
with the whole subject, seemed to me would
give to any statement Of fact which he
might make very great weight. Senator
Mcpherson, at that interview absolutely de-
MED the existence of plcuro-pnenmonia in
this country. Suggestions were discussed as
TO the establishment of some system of in
spectiOn by our Congress, to which Senator
Mcpherson at once assented, stating to Mr..
Mundell that any fair system Of inspection
on our side could be passed, by the United
States Senate, at least, without delay. This
interview closed, and an appointment was
made for another and further interview. In
the meantime, there had been copied into the
Ndrk Lane Express, published in London,
several articles taken from Chicago papers,
two Of these papers being published in the
city of Chicago, and ono of them, as | under
stand, controlled and edited by a Mr.. Saun-
derB, who has been quito conspicuous in all
these discussions, and who then was and
ttill 10, government agent, which gave to
his utterances abroad, at least, probably
much greater weight than they would re.
ceivc ut home.
Without quoting these articles at length,
the Breeders Gazette, to which have referred,
published in Chicago, practically declares the
Infection Of herds in Maryland by pleuro-
pneumonia; that at least one of the animals
thus infected had been sent to Chicago and
contains the significant statement: Never
before In the history of the nation has the
danger been so imminent" Several of these
paragraphs were republished in tho Lark Lane
Express OF the date of July "a, and their pub
lication rendered further negotiations quite
impossible. ] believe it is now ascertained
that there was not a word Of truth in thts
statement. The article IN the National Lire
Stock JoDnm, republshed in tho Mark Lane
Express, also declares: UNLESS immediate
action 10 taken by congress to intercept,
these potent germs will be found working
among tho vast herds upon the plains. No
aCtiOn mas since Deen thkon Dy congress, anu
the fears expressed in these editorials, SO far
a. the prevalanoe of plcuro- pneumonia is con-
Cerned, have been found entirely groundless"
] am authorized TO state-and at the present
moment am in possession of facts enabling
me TO state by absolute authority-that the
highly-sensational accounts with which the
house and the senate have been regaled Of
the prevalence of foot and mouth disease in
Kansas, in Iowa, and in Illinois, are entirely
false, and that there is not, and has not been,
single case of foot and mouth disease in
o ther OF those states. Tho circulation of
reports 50 injurious to the great interests of
this country must be for reason, and before
] have finished some reasons, at least will
undertake to assign,
So soon as the accounts of the prevalence of
foot and mouth disease in Ethingham county,
H., were published, Prof Paaren and Mr.
Beatty the former appointed by Gov. Cullom,
of that state, and now one OF its senators,
proceeded TO the supposed infected districts,
gave the subject the most thorough and
exhaustive examination, and reported that
there was no disease of that kind prevalent
'mOng the cattle, and no contagious or COM
mpniCnblc disease of any kind prevalent, so
lar us they had been able TO discover. Fin
ishing their investigations in the state of
Illinois, and having utterly exploded that
scandal upon the live stock product of that
state they visited tho supposed infected
district OF Wahnello, and after examination
icHRIApntu from NunnclIo, Iowa. tnht lHere
was no such disease prevailing there, tho
telegram being in this language and
bearing hate Of the eighteenth of this MONTH
We go TO Kansas to. night. No contagious dis
e0se ut WGhpello Paarcn and eglec
To-day there is published in the daily
papers the report Of the investigation of these
gentlemen in Kansas, in which they say that
there Is no evidence that the disease under
which the cattle are suffering Is the genuine
font n N m or hat yill
contagious.
believe it is now generally conceded by
all fair men on all hands that there has not
at any time heen, either in the states of ILL
Mois, Iowa, or Kansas, ANY foot and mouth
disease or any disease among cattle cOnta-
pious or communicable in its character. |
mako these suggestions for the purpose of
showing that there Ia no necessity for this
bill | have made reference to the past
history of reports of this damaging char
acter 10 show that at no time has there been
any necessity for il, and will presently
undertake TO demonstrate the vast injury in
dollars and cents that has been inflicted
upon this great industry, and which IL must
continue to suffer If bureau is 20 be organ
ized tho duty Of whose agent II is to mako
their importance demonstrate the necessity
of their existence by the continual pretended
discoveries of the character which | have
indicated. week since the excitement ran
80 high that no producer or dealer in live
stock, who even doubted the prevalence of
foot and mouth diseases in Kansas, would be
patiently listened to, and the delay which
I.. ,,nl 10, = a..