The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-02-26

Against the Decree Excluding Our
Cattle from France,
THBRBAsOT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Charge That American Cattle Are
Unhealthy Has No Foundation in Fact,
and our Ambassador win Call for Proof
of the Facts Alleged.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 26.-NIr Eustis, our
ambassador to France, will be instructed
to enter a prompt and vigorous protest
against the French decree, just made, ex.
Cluding American cattle from France As
the decree is ostensibly based on the exist.
ence Of pleurC- pneumonia and Texas
fever in cattle coming from the United
States the ambassador will call for proof
Of the fact. That will mean long and tedi
GUS expert examinations by veterinarians
and much correspondence, which is not
expected to be of any more avail than that
into which Mr. Runyon, our ambassador
to Germany, was plunged by the issue of a
similar decree by the German govern
ment, for it is fully realized here that the
allegation that American cattle are un
healthy is the merest pretense in both
cases, and that the real reason Is fear oi
American competition.
In the case of France the press cable dis
patches have shown that the ministry has
been urged TO the issue of the decree by
delegation after delegation representing
the numerous and we'll organized agricul-
tural societies of the republic, solely for
their protection against the American
cattle grower. In order to grant the de-
mand, and yet at the same time to avoid
the charge that France was violating the
most favored nation clause in its treaty
with the United States, which would
properly lie If the latter were singled out
from other nations for an attack Of this
kind, it was necessary that recourse should
be had to the device, which had availed
Germany so well, of charging unhealth-
| fulness upon American cattle This
! charge is always hard to rebut, owing to
] the ease with which expert testimony may
be had on either side of the case.
The American trade in cattle will
France has grown to considerable proper
| tions, the shipments during the sil
months ended Dec. 81 last being 49,
| head, and during the month of January
last sol head.
Secretary Morton was careful about ex
pressing his opinion touching the Frencl
| decree, but it could be seen that he re
garded it as mere political manifesto
| tion, and felt that it would not be HOntin
ued in force for any considerable length o
time, and that the next change in tn
French cabinet would probably be followed
by the revocation of the decree. Notwith
standing this, the belief is growing ant
deepening here that these DEGREES are bu
forerunners of other and more severe re
strictions upon American trade, the mex
blow, perhaps, being likely to fall upoI
| wheat. 1t is understood here that thes
are not adopted as retaliatory measures
but are manifestations of the growth o
the protective sentiment in continental
Europe, and grow out of the necessity tn
| governments are under Of conceding some
thing to the great agricultural classes.
Touching the allegation of the existenc
of disease among American cattle Secre
tary Morton says that there has not beel
one case of pleuro pneumonia in the Unitet
States during the past three years, ant
| that even if there had been cattle suffer
| ing from Texas fever among the CAREFUL,
inspected herds shipped to Europe, the dis
ease, being non-contagious, could do NJ
/ harm there.