Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1901-08-01

Correspondence Of the Beacon)
The problem of the proper TRANSPORTATION of
cattle is. like many other questions connected
with the treatment Of dumb animais, essenti-
ally q modern question. In times when each
country must feed its own, and the only way
| OF getting cattle or sheep or horses from one
place to another was to drive them in herds
under the care of drover, the problem was in
one way simple. The animals could not travel
more than q certain distance each day without
definite injury, which would probably he WIS.,
ible to the prospective purchaser when they
arrived at their destination. It was TO the In
| terests Of the drover. therefore, to be very
careful.
With the advent of cattle-trains, however,
Il became possible TO transport all sorts of live
stock round the world, IL necessary. IN less
time than IL used TO take to cross State. The
railway takes the Texas steer and lands him
| In a space of time which must seem to his be-
wildered brain an eternity, but is really but q
| few days. His treatment en- route cannot well
be so cruel as TO depreciate his ultimate value
| In way which the purchaser can see; more
| over. in such cases the purchaser often buys
| on faith. and pays without seeing. So long as
| most OF the cattle get through all right, IL q
| Few die OF neglect, or lack of water, or some
other cause. the sellers reputation Is good.
| The property interest cannot be relied upon In
this matter Of proper treatment of dependents.
| IL was estimated in the old days of slaye-trad-
ing that IL half the cargo got through the
dreaded Middle Passage alive there was prof.
1t. The property interest was no safeguard
there. It never protected any creature which
could be nl-treated by a thoughtless or cruel
person with no immediate punishment. II Is
one OF the characteristics of the cailous and
cruel man, rs rule, TO be short-sighted. He
seldom sees that in the long run, humane treat
| ment Is profitable.
In this case the trader aud the railway man
do not suffer much even when their treatment
of cattle is absolutely cruel. Il Is the public
which suffers. and it is the public which must
take the matter in hand. There ia a great diff
ference In the systems of various railroads aud
dealers In their treatment OF cattle and sheer.
| and some are much more humane than others
But IL is not so very long since sheep were
packed like sardines in close cars, without a
drop Of water during long journeys. in the hot.
test of weather; and cattle were subjected 70
| the same treatment.
Such conditions breed filth and disase; and
diseased meat is not safe for any body TO cat.
It viii probably never be possible to ascertain
tse number os deaths which have resulted
from eating impure or diseased meat, and for
| every death from this cause there are many
| victims OF disease. Sometimes the ailment ID
obscure and insiduous, but IL Is nevertheless
there. Sometime ago there was q scare about
trichinae which resulted in many people be.
coming Jews or Mahommadans where pork
was concerned, but much Of the beef which
comes from cattle-trains where the animals
are packed together In flth. discomfort and
thirst Il not bit more it for human consump
ton than the measly pork. In these days ns
man can tell where his butcher gets the meal
which ID confdingiy bought and eaten by hIi
customers II may be good, or It may not. Il
Is time that the treatment Of cattle. on trains
of transportation and In sheds. during the time
/ before they are killed, should be regulated by
law, and that everyone concerned in theil
transportation and care should be required q
see that they are in conditions as nearly health
full as the difficulties of the case allow. s.