Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-04-20
Thirty-three Thousand Head of Cattle
Have Been Shipped from That
Point Since the First Day
Of January.
GOOD PROSPECTS FOR The FUTURE
The Only Persons Benefited by the Will
son Tariff Law Are the Cattlemen
in Old Mexico = Prospective
Visit from Black Jack.

l
were shipped, about 5000 Of that number
coming from Old Mexico; since April 1,
$4,000, of which $500 were Mexican cat
tie, making total Of 672 cars in month
and half. Thousands Of cattle south of
the border line are on their way to the
United States markets to come in direct
competition with American cattle, keep
prioes down for meat on the hoof, but
not to benefit the consumer one cent
This is apparently contradictory state.
ment, but true nevertheless. Four years
ago yearlings were almost unstable at S.
per head, and butchers meat sold over
the block for the same price it does to-
day, with yearlings brisk sale at from
$3.50 to $15. Since March l, from this
station alone, out of $4,000 cattle ship.
ped to the feeding places il the north
and west, 12,500 have come from Old
Mexico, and still the Democrats claim
that but few, very few, Mexican cattle
find market in the United States under
the present nominal tariff, and that the
importation of cattle has no effect on the
market price. II is said "that figures
won't lie when correctly used," and /
know those used here are correct; the
number of cars shipped were obtained
from the freight agents here, and Mr..
Seaman Field, United States customs off.
Ger, gave me the number of Mexican
cattle off his records. venture the asser-
tion without any fears oftruthful contra.
diction, that had We a tariff sufficiently
high to practically exclude Mexican and
Canadian cattle, that prices for live ami.
mails would be from to 20 per cent
higher, while the dressed meat would not
sell for one cent more.
Colonel Mothersill, Of the Detroit Cat
tie company, stated to me some two
months ago that the only persons bene-
fted by the Wilson tariff law were the
oattlemen of Old Mexico, and after the
little investigation done today I am
satisfied that the colonel knew what he
was talking about, and any one who will
read the facts and figures here given will
arrive at the same conclusion.
HIGH PRICES ToR STOCK.
In talking with Mr.. Field about cattle, 1
asked him this question; sIn your opin-
ion will prices evsf again reach the 's6
markr To which he replied:
"Yes, and what is more the cattle busi-
ness will never again 60 to pieces as it did
some years ago. There are many reasons
for thinking as do. In the first place
there is an ever increasing demand for
beef, while the supply is inadequate. The
immediate cause of the collapse was an
over supply, made possible by the great
ranges of the plains and Rocky noun.
tains, and the extensive breeding carried
on by the large companies there in the
business. When the crash came, herds
were disposed Of, breeding stopped and
shortage resulted. To this shortage is
due the rise in prices, which has been very
great in the past four years, the greater
part of that in the past few months, and
the rise will continue for some time to
come. That there will be no return of
the conditions which brought on the
trouble, feel confident. The ranges
have largely passed into the hands of far
mers, and IL is no longer possible to
maintain hundreds of thousands of cattle
on them; the big companies have been
dissolved, never to be reofganized, and
cattle raising will be carried on in
smaller and more intelligent way, and
more money will be made than ever be-
FORE"
GOOD SEASON AHEAD.
The unusual rains and SHOWS Of the past
winter insure an abundance of grass and
water this year, the cattle came through
the winter in good shape, and these things,
taken in connection with the constantly
sdvsnoing prices, give oattlemen glad
some smile that outshines the cheerful
blaze of the sun down here, and still that
"prosperity promised by the Republicans
is not felt IN our midst"
DEM1Na IMPROVING.
Deming did not get to be the county
seat of Washington or Luna county, but
she 10 fixing to put on metropolitan airs
lust the same. Plans for a fne electric
light plant are psrfeoting, and before
many weeks roll around, the stores and
dwellings, and streets will shine with the
effulgence Of electricity after shutdown
and II the citizens are wise they will hit
the "moon schedule" scheme with club
the moment its head appears. OF all the
exasperating frauds practiced on an nm
suspecting public the "moon schedule"
10 the worst. Tho innocent individual