Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-01-05
THE BEEF QUESTION.

y
mention was made Of the action of the
city council of Denver, COL, in empow-
ering the mayor to appoint a meat in
spector, whose duty it should be to con-
denim all meat if it did not come from an
inals he had inspected alive and found to
be healthy Denver is recognized as one
of the great cattle centers of the United
States, and it is probably the residence
place of men controlling more cattle
than are owned by the residents. of any
other city on the continent. The natu-
raj inference, then is, that the action of
the Denver city council was in harmony
with the views of Colorado cattlemen,
and it is reasonable to assume that the
! position taken by Colorado cattlemen on
! questions affecting their interests, fur
nishes an index of the views of the cat
1 tlemen of the range country.
With millions of dollars in the hands of
beef monopolists to corrupt the press and
influence men to oppose effective RENE
dies of relief, it is not surprising that
some opposition has been found to the
movement inaugurated at the recent st.
Louis conference of cattlemcn and BUTCH
ers for the enactment of state live stock
inspection laws, which would prevent the
shipment of dressed beef across state
| lines. 1t is gratifying, however, to note
that the people of the United States are
fast awakening to the Importance of Sc
curing healthy meat, and at the same
time break up the monopoly which has
done more to injure the business inter-
ests of Texas and of the entire West than
any other monopoly that ever existed.
In yesterdays GAZETTE mention was
made of the fact that Maryland, Penn
sylvania, Michigan, Tennessee, Colorado
and New Mexico would certainly pass
state live stock inspection laws. Texas,
as the banner cattle state of the Union.
should not be behind in this matter. It
should, and we believe it will, take the
lead, and the bill prepared by Colonel
James O. Broadhead, president of the
American bar association, providing for
state live stock inspection, will be intro
duced during the coming session of our
legislature, and will undoubtedly be
passed, as it has the support of the major
portion of the cattlemen of Texas, as
well as the Grange associations and the
Farmers Alliances. The attempt is be-
ing made by parties who are opposing any
change in the present condition of the
beef trade, to create the impress
sion among Texas cattlemen, that
their cattle, owing to the
quarantine regulations of the Northern
states and territories, are virtually barred
out rom all other markets except Chi
cago The fact is, that the Northern
cattlemen, who oppose the re-establish-
ment Of competitive markets and favor
the Capitalization of the cattle trade at
Chicago, and who are UNFOLDING the
methods of the Dressed Beef syndicate,
have very generally done all in their
power to place unnecessary restrictions
on the movement of Texas cattle to mar
ket, beyond what is required for the pro-
lection of the interests of northern herds,
in the hope of shutting out Texas as
competing factor in the beef trade. AT the
same time it is gratifying to know that the
efforts of the enemies of Texas, who have
been working INTO the hands Of the Chi
cago Beef Combine, will be futile.
While it is true that number of North
ern states have quarantine regulations in
force requiring Texas cattle to be shipped
in labeled cars, and unloaded in pens
especially provided for their use, sepa-
rate from northern cattle, and prevent
ing them from being driven out of the
stockyards yet Texas cattle can be shipped
to any other point in the United States,
where they are needed for consumption
without violation of quarantine regula-
tions, just as well as they can be shipped
to Chicago, and cattle can be unloaded
and slaughtered at any railroad station
! just as well as they can be unloaded and
slaughtered at Chicago.
If state live stock inspection laws are
very generally passed this winter, abat-
toirs will be built con tiguous to all stock
yards in the country, which will be
utilized for the slaughter of cattle, which
will be marketed by local butchers. The
friends of the beef monopoly are hard up
for argument when they have to distort
facts and endeavor to create false i'm
pressions. The real truth is that Texas
cattle interests viii be especially pro-
NOTED by the success of the measures in
augurated by the Beef Producers and
Butchers National Association, for the
establishment of competitive cattle
markets and the raising of beef products
above suspicion of disease. The foreign
demand for canned beef viii be largely
increased-by the enactment by the states
of such live stock inspection laws as viii
render it impossible TO can any
beef except such as is taken from
healthy animals. In other words state
inspection would restore confidence IN the
purity of canned meats and in conse-