, 1889-10-12
CATTLE AND BEEF PRICES

Mr.. Samuel w. Allerton who is largely
interested in raising AMI feeding cattle
thinks he has discovered why the price of
cattle is low and the price of beef is high.
10 a letter to the Chicago papers he says:
with 50, 900 head of cattle in one
week at the Union stockyards, all sold
and more wanted, will any man deny that
there is a great demand for cattle, yet
selling at n ruinously low price, giving the
farmer nothing for his labor. while beef is
selling at the same prices to the consumer?
This is a condition of circumstances which
seems to puzzle some of our wisest men
claiming there must be a combination in
Chicago to keep the price of cattle low.
The answer to this is, with a good market
in New York. yardage made free, and
with Philadelphia, Boston, Buffalo. Pitts
burg, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Omaha,
all good markets, shippers are willing to
buy and ship cattle on a small margin.
Why do they come to Chicago? This is
an answer to all this clamor. To me the
low price of cattle and the high prices of
beef is II problem Of PLAIN facts. | have
watched the value of cattle closely and
the causes Of their depression in price. 1t
is the bi-products of cattle that have been
depressed by the acts OF congress. First
came the animal bureau bill, passed by
congress, appointing commissioners and
veterinary surgeons, they must find some
disease among our cattle or their occupa-
ton would be gone Ia matter hat should
have been left to each state. as they we're
always able to take care of iD.
The first scare of contagious pleuro-
pneumonia was started on Long island.
There had been some old cows fed on still
slops and barley grains from breweries for
years and MIXED until their teeth dropped
out of their heads, having in their nasty
condition bred among themselves lung
spasms. Contagious pluro pneumonia
b, ing the worst known disease among
cattle. it was heralded all over the world
we bad it among cur cattle, and it has
been kept up for years, yet no intelligent
man believed we ever had a case of that
disease, yet our government so declared.
England passed u law that we must
slaughter all our cattle at port Of landing,
which for a long time checked exports
Germany and France at once prohibited
our beef and live cattle. THIS animal
bureau bill has cost the cattle growers
billions Of dollars.
Next comes the ol-eomarrarina bill,
passed On the pretext to help eastern
dairymen. Congress in its iuvestiga-
ton proved it was good, healthy
nutritious food for the human family.
But to tax the western farmer and des
troy this home industry put IL tax of so
cents per head on every steer raised and
a license of $3.50 for selling this product,
The tax of so cents per head and the
excessive license to manufacture and sell,
with the great reduction in the value of
the oil. has reduced the value of a steer
IS per head.
Next comes the interstate commerce
law to stop discrimination against all small
shippers in favor of all large shippers"
The remedy lies in the repeal Of the
animal bureau bill, the oleomargcrine bill,
and the amendment of the interstate COM
merce bill so that railroads will live up to
the law. This done and the cattle growers
OF the west will realize from IS to $40
more for every steer they sell than Mt
present"
The Chicago Tribune does not agree
signs as the cause ov%erproduction in the
West. The supply of beef being far be-
yood the consuming capacity Of the United
States. the surplus must be sold in Eu-
rope and in the absence of wars or crop
failures a low range of prices must be ex.
pected for some time.
1t seems to have been overlooked by the
Tribune that notwithstanding the fact
that the exports Of cattle have been in
crossing during the past FIVE years and
that at the present time the exports are
enormous the prices to cattle growers
have gone down steadily and seem des
tined to go lower Crop failures or wars
might still further increase exports but
with an arbitrary influence on prices could
they not be kept at their present low
figure indefinitely. The cause of low
prices for cattle and high prices for beef
could be found nearer home than either
Mr.. Allerton or the Tribune have cared
to search and until the monopoly which
now has its grasp upon the means Of
transfer OF cattle from the producer to the
consumer is broken down no natural
causes such as crop failures or wars in
Europe or curtailed production in the
West will advance prices to producers or
reduce them to consumers.
The CLIPPER BOLTS.