The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-10-25
A Crisis In the Great Cattle Industry
of the Country.

VI tttC SOA0tTJs
DR.. Salmon, Chief Of the Bureau Of AMI
NAL Industry, in his official report upon the
outbreak Of pleuro-pneumonia at Chicago
gives detailed account Of his personal ex-
animation of the diseased and affected herds
and says that it Is impossible to say how
widely the disease has been disseminated
but as diseased cattle have been fonnd in
nearly all the herds, and as thsy have brows-
ed supon nearly all OF the open pastures
around the city. the infection must be very
widespread, particularly as the owners
themselves practieed incubation extensive
ly, which, while 1t reduced the mortality
among the cattle, had tendency to spread
the disease over vast territory. After re-
lating the manner in which the disease is
supposed to have started, and the various
difficulties in tracing tito Chicago, the report
continues: 'The State Live Sick Commits
sion has cooperated cordially inthe effort to
discover and Isolate the affected and exposed
cattle, but neither State law nor the appro-
priations made to secure the enforcement Of
its provisions, are adequate to the emergen-
cy. Every animal in the distillery stables,
and every one which has been upon the in
fected commons Of Chicago, should bs sum
marily seized, condemned and slaughtered.
The experience Of the world with this plague
teaches us that no other course can be relied
upon 10 exterminate the contagiOn. UnfOr-
tunately 1t Is only too plain that such meas
ure cannot be carried out, and that 1t will
Hot oC dttCuiplcQ duutllOUdl lt81Sid-
ton. During the time which must elapse
before decisive and vigorous action can be
taken, public apathy will have largely sue
eeedesl the Intense interest which has been
manifested in this outbreak of the disease.
The doubt and suspicion which cattle deal
ers have industriously labored to create in
regard TO the nature of the disease will have
grown to larger proportions by constant rep
ettions. The interests affected will have
time to organize their opposition; contagion
will have become more deeply rooted, and
the task Of eradication will probably have
increased in magnitude These facts should
be borne in mind, and should serve to main
tain the interest Of every one concerned in
The fate of the 81, ,200, 100000 worth of cattle
now owned in the United States; of every
one who values the beef supply which comes
from cattle uncontaminated with disease; of
every one who realizes the hardships and
misery which would be entailed by a dimin-
ished supply, such as would follow general
dissemination of this disease, and finally by
every one who sees the importance to us as a
nation OF maintaining our export trade in
live cattle and in fresh, salted and canned
meats; With contagious pleuro,pneumonia
prevalent in the vicinity of Chicago, the
great live stock centre of the country, from
which cattle are constantly moving in all di-
rectlons, 1t may be truly said that the cattle
industry Of this country has reached a crisis.
Appointments for Maine.
The Acting Secretary Of the Treasury has
appointed the following keepers of light
house stations:
Thomas II. Orcutt, at Wood Island.
Brackett Lewis, at Knubble, Maine.
Henry Day, at Seguin, Maine.
The following postmasters have been ap-
pointed:
Marcus Mullan. North Hancock. Me-
Nathan NamDher, South Atkinson, Me.