Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-03-24
d law would do 1rcslculable damage to

age OF tue Mlller-C8ry bill so amended al
to make the Commissioner of Agriculture
8 member OF the commission sought to be
organized, and ex-officio its chairman. Il
also provided for the retention OF the
Bureau of Animal Industry as at presen,
organized.
but this legislative committee, headed
by DR.. Azel Ames, goes to Washington
and in direct violation of Instructions
and pledges given, secures the introduce
ton into the Senate of the amended
Palmer bill. This bill leaves out the Com
missioner Of Agriculture, the man in
whom we put our trust, who is our true
and tried friend, and in its closing sec
ton repeats the law creating the present
Bureau of Animal Industry. The friends
OF the measure are posing before the pub.
lie IS striving to carry out the instruc-
tions received at the Kansas City meet
ing. Yet their every act shows US tbs!
there is scheme to defeat the compro-
mise referred to, when viewed in the
light Of history, and that the people are
being grossly deceived.
Originally Texas was opposed to
the creation of the Bureau OF
Animal Industry because of the fear
that itsl rules and regulations would
| be used to prevent the movement OF
Texas cattle to the markets of the coun-
try under the pretext of disease, where
| no disease existed. But the bureau was
created, and for over three years we have
been watching its action. The result is
! that we are now satisfied that the bureau
has constantly endesvored to secure the
greatest possible freedom of movement
for our cattle, consistent with safety, and
beyond this no honest man can ask for
freedom. Ali Of the actions of the Com
missioner OF Agriculture and his assist
ants have demonstrated that the bureau
| is run in the interest Of the whole people,
and free from the interest OF locality OF
clique. Hence, Texas cattlemen are the
friends OF the bureau, and propose to up
hold it.
On the other hand, some of the men
who talked loudest and longest in praise
Of the plan ofihaving bureau connected
with the government, whose duty il
should be to stand guard and protect our
herds against disease, have attempted to
stab in the back the child Of their own
loins. Why this effort to strangle their
own offspring? The only answer to this
question is that when the sWaddling
clothes were removed the infant refused
to obey orders growing out of sectional
luminosity. II the bureau cannot be used
| 1t must be destroyed and commission OF
willing tools be substituted.
The fact that the men who are now
pushing the amended Palmer bill are
traitors to their own compact is sufficient
| evidence to condemn the measure, but
the evidence does not stop here. Some
OF them are the men who brought about
the stoppage of all Texas cattle on the
trail near Camp Supply in the summer of
1855. For proof see pages Sl8-3l8 in
| the report of the Bureau of Animal In
dustry for 1885 Some of them are the
parties mainly instrumental in the pro-
mitigation Of quarantine proclamation
by the Governor of Montana in 1886, pro.
hibiung the movement into that territory
of all Texas cattle, either by rail or trail,
until the expiration Of q ninety days.
quarantine on the Border.
Texas is not only willing but anxious
to have well equipped department at
Washington, kept up for the purpose of
investigating the diseases of our domestic
animals and enforcing such rules and
regulations IS will prevent the spread of
contagion and destroy the germs wherever
and whenever they secure foothold in
our country. But it wants that authority
vested 10 some Of the regular depart
ments so that it Will not be Influenced or
controlled by local prejudices.
There is no doubt in our minds but
what the ruling motive with at least s
portion Of the workers for the amended
Palmer bill is the hope to get in control
of the quarantine powers of the govern
ment and bar the movement of Texas
cattle nortb1ard and possibly manipulate
the movement Of cattle to market in the
interest Of the combinations which have
already Dearly sspped the life out of the
cattle industry of the United States.
Such consummation would cost our
people millions of dollars annually and is
80 outrageous proceeding that no Texan
can tamely submit.
Had the compromise msde e. Kansas
City last year been carried out In coed
faith, Texas cattlemen would hsve stood
by their agreement, but they object to
the attempt to destroy the bureau under
cover OF action taken by the Consolidated
Csttle Growers Association. The papers
OF the country are flooded with misstste-
ments to the effect that the pending bill
Is the one endorsed at Kansas City, and
Su tA1o Is UaSSu LH6lE AUpG5 VI 5uSCGss,
But the Palmer bill, as now before Con-
gress is not the Palmer bill as first intro
duced, and is sn insult to the intelligence
of the men who were parties to the
Kansas City agreement.
In conclusion, allow US to assure you
that nine tenths of all the cattle owners
OF Texas join US in the appeal to You to
defeat this bill, and in its place provide
an appropriation of half q million dollars
for the present Buresu, so that the work
so energetically begun, of stamping out
bovine diseases in the east, may be car
ried to consummstion, and our south
western herds be preserved from the
scourge, which threatens the destruction
OF our cattle interests. Yours respect
fully, C. C. SLAUGHTER,
Vice President,
In behalf of the Executive Committee Of
the Texas Live Stock Association.
c. G. SLAUGHTER,
J. NJ. LINDSEY,
G. T. HERRING,
Committee of the Northwest Texas Cattle |
Raisers' Association.