The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1892-02-20
| NCLE JERRI'S WORK,
T HE STORY OF The SUCCESS OF
The FARM DEPARTMENT.

iic "Eetorhen Who Was IxEosed by
the he aiiy ParaIiei-Why Agricultural
Inp!t melts Are Not 1axed-Il.e Ma
tion's Commercial Frogress-E IRE yities
Worth Reading
What Eas Been Done for American Meats
in Foreign Countries.
When the present administration came
INTO power there vas no class OF people
IN the country whose prospect looked
less bright han the farmers; so much
50, that agricultural depression had be-
come familiar term among speakers
and writer's OF all classes and Of all par
tics. 1t was clear that much depended
upon the new head Of the Department
OF Agriculture, whoever he might be.
l. fill this important post, 10 repre-
sent the agricultural interests in the
cabinet IF the President of the | nited
states, and to direct the machinery of
the department devoted especially to
The advancement of the farmers inter
ests, President Harrison selected a man
whose entire life had been so spent as
to assure u him an experienced which
could not but be valuable in such a situ-
alton iirouglt up on farm, owning
and tllhng farm throughout
his entire life, and consequently thor
Oughly familiar with the wants ana diff
tiCuties, and the views of the farmers
themselves, he was withal u man hay
ing business qualifications, wonderful
energy and administrative abilities, of
which he has furnished ample evidence
IN several important public positions,
aS Il member of the state legislature, as
a congressman. as commander Of Il regi-
ment in the field, and as governor of a
great state.
To review III detail the work accom-
pGshed under an administration 80
ausplci0usiy begun, down to the present
date. would require many chapters.
For the present we will select bat one
under Secretary Rusk's administration,
namely the breaking down OF the arti
fetal barriers erected against American
meat products IN foreign countries.
IN Germany, France. .tustrlaliun-
gary, Italy, and other European cOun-
tries, the importation of American hog
products had been absolutely prohibited
IN 1881 and a very few figures viii show
the damage inflicted on American agri-
culture by these harsh and unnecessary
laws. BY reliable authorities it was cs
timated that the require ment of imme-
date slaughter by Great Britain deprc
ciatcd the price of American cattle IN
that market from SO to SD per head as
compared with Canadian bullocks ad
mitted without restriction. Even at the
lower figure this meant, n the rate OF
expectation prevailing during the past
lew years. a direct loss Of about 81 900
O0o per annum. and for the period dur
ing which the prohibition has been en-
forced, over so 600 ,0G0; but the lmdi
rect losses were necessarily far greater.
tor this depression affected the price o
every steer marketed in the nIted
States, a loss estimated by the best in
formed cattle dealers as aggregating in
the neIghborhood Of 50 ,OO0, 900 yearly,
while as to sheep and hogs, the restrIC-
ton practically effected prohibition OF
the eE port trade.
Such situation of affairs veIv
promptly attracted the attention Of Sec
rctary Rusk and he ut once resolved
upon the measures necessary 10 meet,
u ahate if not to remove, these obsta
Cles 10 our trade.
TO assure ourselves Of the absolute
hcalthfulness of all cattle shipped
abroad, system Of inspection and
identification was undertaken and sue
ccssfully established, in spite Of the
declarations from many sources that
such a vast undertaking could not pos
sibly be carried out successfully. nder
this system about 10000 individual an
imals have been annually Inspected,
and each ore numbered and tagged for
identification, inspected again on ar
rival at the foreign port, and We need
hardly say, the British officials rem
ucred 50 conservative in their diagnosis
Of 4 ai
more than year past, ou,y three com
plants of this kind have reached us,
which have been conclusiyely proven
unfuundel.
The energetic measures adopted by
the administration in this regard, has
led the antagonists of our live cattle
trade abroad to seek o,her grounds upon
which 70 oppose it. Humanltarians
we're invoked and quite successfully, 20
oppose this trade on the ground of the
autferings entailed upon the cattle trans
ported, eases not being difficult to find,
where, on vessels unproVided with the
necessary facilities for the proper care
and feeding of the animals, cOnsldera-
bic suffering has been cntalled. As
soon as il was found that this move
ment was assuming proportions liable TO
Interfere with our trade, and obtaining
recognition and considerations the Brit
ish Parliament, short bii. was drafted
in the Department of Agriculture, ana
presented by the Secretary.to Congress,
where ii was soon passed, empowering
him to direct and control the interior
fittings Of all cattle carrying vessels en-
Gagged in foreign trade. and making the
certificate of an officer Of the depart
ment. as to due compliance with the IN
structions of the Secretary III these par
ticulars. essential 10 the clearing OF the
yt ssel bV the clIStom-house authorities.
The movement undertaken on humans
tartan grounds was thus immediately
checkmated, humanitarians themselves
being promptly satisfied by the meas
ures adopted by the secretary of agri-
culturc for the protection Gf animals III
transit
Another effort was made towards the
same end, grounded on the alleged eN-
istcnce among animals exported from
this country. Of Texas fever ana the
aaucar Of conveying the same 70 cattle
IN Great Britain. while, for reasons OBJ
ylols To every well-informed Neterlna-
rian who has studied this disease, such
danger was purely imaginary. ne
Secretary concluded that acton would
hc more efficient than argument, and
immediately adopted such measures Il
reference to the transportation OF cat
lie in this country from south OF the
| fever line, as not only greatly mitigate.ss
the possibility Of any lnfecte,! animals
beng exported but etfectualy cleared
our own stock yards from danger OF IN
| teetion. 80 that feeders could buy cattle
| for removal To their farms without dan
! GER of conveying disease. This meas
ure had. moreover. the effect of reduc-
! inc the cost OF Insurance on export AM
mas hy something like $ II head
/ The fight the prohlhitiols on the hog
trade established by the governments
| Of continental Europe, was an even
more difficult matter American dlplu-
macy had for years fruitiessly exhausted
/ lis best efforts 10 secure their removal.
/ These countries. imposing upon then
YIN producers the burden ot an IN
saection for trichlnas. maintained al
apparent justification for excluding all
products not subjected 10 similar II
spectlon. notwithstanding the fact that