Daily Republican., 1889-03-09
THE BEEF QUESTION.

what They Say-Butchers Interviewed
and What They sHy-Consumers the
Party Interested.
The beef supply for Wiimipgton and
Tor oil other eastern cities has becoms
one that interests every Individual. IL lie
evident that there are net enough cattle
raised among the farmers TO supply the
market. Where then 10 this supply to
come front
A representative OF the REPun, IcAS
for come days past has been putting the
question to q number of farmers to get
their views upon It. The following Is
about what he hss gleaned--all the
farmers using about the same argument:
We feel that the business OF raising and
fattcuing cattle to supply the home mar
ket is killed by the Importation OF
Chicago dressed beef While western
cattle were shipped east and killed here
from the hoof, we had come chance to
compete with them, because the freight
age on live cattle was much greater and
the cost Of feeding them Gu route, than
the mere freightage now on dressed beet
This showed US some chance, but SIEGE
the refrigerator cars have come into use
and dressed beef can be shipped to the
Atlantic seaboard for Il very small adj
vance over the freight on carload OF
grain, we are completely knocked out,
and one OF the most profitable cnllings OF
the farmer has departed.
The consequence is that our farms arc
depreclatiDg Ia value, and those who are
paying interest on large mortgages look
ahead with dire apprehension 10 unwel-
come visits from the Sheriff. We cannot
raise cattle here us cheap as they eau on
the great cattle ranches and prairie farms
of the west There land is cht aper and
pasturage grows spontaneously. Here
We have TO farm on lands with a success
sion Of crops, and iertilize it heavy to
make pasture grow.
as there anything else you farmers
can 20 a. that will make up the loss from
raising beef cattlef WA asked.
No, we know Of nothing else. Fruit
raising RENAME, but that is very uneer.
tain and everybody seems to have gone Ia
1t. Our section OF the country il we'll
adapted to truck raising, but other Sec
tons are as well adapted. Even row
train loads OF truck ere coming up from
the Southern Atlantic seaboard loug Ia
advance Of our truck, and raj ed BY
cheap labor; we are partially Knocked
out on that score too.
"Well, what have you to say In regard
to the quality OF dressed ChIcapo beei
compared with home raised beeis" wa:
asked.
Why, 1t is not as good us home-raised
beef. 1t loses all that sweet, Juicy, besfy
taste that yUu can Always distinguish In
home-raited beef. Chicago besf l. Put
through an embalming process before II
Is shipped, thereby Injecting ins1 1t chem
iaa thai .. a al.
TO health. IL is true the beef Is lat and
tender, but that lie no argument that 1t ID
healthful
Have you ever had an Analysis made
OF the Chicago beef to prove that the
means made use OF to prrstrYe 1t are in
juriouSi'
No not that We know of, but II must
stand 10 reason that foreign alkaline ele-
ments introduced into pure beef must
have an unHholesone effect upon 1t"
"Well, what do you propose to have
done TO protect home beef raisipgi"
"Why, we want a law passed that no
beef hall be exposed for sale In the State
unless ii be slaughtered from the huof.
This, though, IL ia said, is uncenstitu-
tional aA It would Interfere with the In
ter-State commerce aet."
The representative of the REPUBLICAN
then told these farmers of a few OF the
objections To the beef furnished by them
The butchers and consumers charge you
with selling old and diseased cattle, and
say that you are not so much in favor OF
home RAISED beef only as IL affords you u
market for your cows when they get too
old to be- profitable ss milkere.
This, eaid the farnser, Is not true. No.
body will pretend to say that when cows
are Improbable as mixers that they will
not make the best of beef. Why what is
to become of our cows II we cannot use
them as bteveef This is carrying 1t o
little too far.
Leaving the farmers the REPUBLICAN
representative took turn among tue
butchers to see what they had to say
about the matter, and coming across an
Intelligent King street butcher the iol-
lowing views were CLEARED;
Ths butchers, he said, will have meat
to sell under any circumsta uccs, but
under that bill 1t will be higher In price.
At the outmost Q car will not contain
over 10 live beeyes, or about one half Us
much as dres sed beef. II the live beet es
are shipped here, the extra handling and
slaughLering here, together with the ad-
dltisnAl waste, will add the extra cost
Storekeepers will likewise suiIer, because
they can then no longer get their beef
direct from the Armour or Swift refrlg-
eratore, but must get their quarters or
rounds from the butcher. The best sirioin
or round steak or standing rib now sells
ut 16 cents In King street, and The present
tendency of the price OF beef is down
ward. Cattle are being raised In such
immense quantities in the West that 1t
must be marketed, because 1t will not
pay to keep It.
Besides, the competition between the
four great beef Companies which control
the market is constantly sending the
price OF meat down. | see tha5 another
company has Just organized 10 New York
with SIC, 600 or $4,000 capital and will
also enter the field. The consumer real.
ICES In his or her pocketbook that the
price OF beef has dropped since the Chi
cago dressed beef has entered the market.
The steaks that can now be purchased for
10 cents formerly cost 90 and 25 cents
believe that in q few years thefe same
steaks will have reached rock bottom
prices that existed before the war when
good steaks or rib roasts could be had for
~ cents. The farmers Will have to
realize that they cannot control the meat
market by such law as offered by Mr..
Whiteman 10 the Legislature They will
never be able to realize high prices on old
COWS. Before the war, when all the beet
consumed was of home raising, the