Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-08-22
Foreign Live Stock.

In the London Agricultural Gazette,
q few weeks ago, was a long editorial
showing, or trying to show, that the ex
ports OF live stock to foreign countries,
tor breeding purposes is rather detri-
ment than otherwise to English farmers.
1t objected very seriously to foreigners
buying every kind of choice stock"
and made the rather startling assertion
that ''the foreigner has been the cause
past twenty years." In May, 1888, the
exports of live stock from the United
Kingdom amounted to nearly 100000,
hut this trade of nearly 100000 per
month goes into the pockets of body
which must be estimated by thousands
only-for the breeders of choice farm
stock Of all kinds are not, even now, a
large percentage of the whole number
of farmers" The money sent into the
Kingdom by foreigners thus goes into
the pockets of the rich farmers, while
that paid to foreigners-mostly for food
products-is paid by the whole $1,000
600 inhabitants of Great Britain. This
is what troubles the Gazette, and makes
it attribute half the farmers troubles
during the. past twenty years to the
foreigner"
In line with this jeremiad of
the Gazette is recent editorial
in the Toronto (Ont.) Empire,
on the late report of the royal
commission on horse-breeding, as pre-
sented to the Imperial Parliament. The
particular trouble with the Empire is
not the fact that the money paid for
such choice stock goes into the pockets
of the rich, but that the ''blarsted for
eigner" should be allowed to buy Chat
stock at all. The royal commission says
in its report that sit is a matter of COM
mon notoriety that, year after year, the
United Kingdom has been swept by the
agents of foreign governments for the
stations and mares best suited for their
purpose, until, with the exception of
race horses, the country has been left
for the most part with the inferior and
often unsound animals which the for
eign agent had rejected, the result being
a gradual but marked deterioration in
the general breed for which the United
Kingdom had been famous" meaning,
no doubt, draught horses. The Empire
sarcastically remarks that the British
breeders should ''be delighted to sell
the raw material of their business and
save themselves the trouble OF further
care and future increase, and feel es-
pecially happy at the conviction that
they were generously transferring to for
ciSHoIS oil tAo pIOlllo VI tAlS OooiAOeS 4o1
the future"
AS Canadian breeders have been as
free buyers as those from the United
States in the English stockyards, it is
not exactly apparent why the Empire
should so object to English breeders
selling choice animals, unless it is that.
the possible equality Of value of Cana
dian live stock with that of the mother
country might make the colony indie
pendent of the parent. and to certain
extent assimi.ate it with the United
States. And any tendency of the col
ony toward independence of England,
and assimilation with or annexation to
the United States Is IKE red nag,
Haunted in the face of an angry bull.
Meanwhile, so long as Canadian or
American breeders have the money to
pa, for improved live stock, just SO long
will the British breeder sell what he has
tos spare. The national laws of commerce