The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-11-05
BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS.
Another Public Hearing. Some
Sensible Talk and Some
Ranting.

Sensible Talk and Some
Ranting.
The public hearing Tuesday night
on the bovine tuberculosis bill was
somewhat disappointing from the fact
that some speakers to whom the audi
ence expected to listen were not heard
at all, and considerable time was Civ
en- to "ranting' that might have been
more sensibly used Messrs. Bell,
| Aitken and Hitchcock, the cattle
| commissioners, were present, as were
also Prof. Hills of the Experiment
| Station and Drs. Rich of Burlington
and Carey of Woodstock. These
gentlemen were here by invitation of
the committee, and yet, for some in
explicable reason, only two of them
were called on. Williston, that storm
CENTER of opposition to the commits
| sion and the present law, sent good
sized delegation with fire in its eye.
G. J. Bell gave some experiences of
the cattle commission in various parts
of the State. They followed the same
methods in Williston as elsewhere,
and found there, as he expressed it,
the heart of the disease. He
thought that town had suffered more
| than some others because of neglect
in dealing with the disease. His
! opinion was that the tuberculin test
could be relied on, but of course it
was not infallible. Oxen and bulls,
he said are as liable to be affected
| as cows. He did not know of any
cure for tuberculosis. Mr.. Douglas of
| Williston asked Mr.. Bell numerous
questions with view to trapping or
embarrassing him, and had read an
extract setting forth the desirability
of having a sensible cattle commission
like that of New Hampshire. Mr..
Douglas intent was clear enough
but the secretary of the Vermont COM
mission didn't "rattle" easy and met
the opposition with plain statement
of what the board had tried to do and
the course it had adopted. He con-
tended that Vermont couldn't afford
to take back step. but had better
stamp out the disease and keep her
herds in wholesome condition.
Town Clerk Warren Of Williston
pitched into the board and rallied at
| generally, and incidentally referred
to decreasing death rate there in
spite of deal of alleged tuberculosis.
George Cochran, of Ryegate, havin &
had some experience of his own, took
practical view of the subject, upheld
the commission and the law He spoke
straight to the point and was con-
WINGED that cattle did have tuberculo-
| sis and did die of it. NJ. H. Gibson,
| also of Ryegate, had lost many cows
| by this disease, was in full sympathy
with the commission, and urged the
| farmers to cooperate with them in
eradicating this destroyer of herds.
Rev. E. J. Ranslow of Swanton
| consumed much valuable time in ex-
| travagant statements, coarse illustra-
! ton and general denunciation of the
| law which, he said was not popular,
and, to quote, is damned by every
| body" He announced himself as rep
resenting the mass of farmers, and
declared that the Franklin county
tillers Of the soil were united in OPP
posing the commission. Mr.. Dunsmore
of st. Adams questioned Ranslow' S
right to speak for Franklin county
farmers, many of whom, as he per-
sonally knew, found no fault with the
law. Mr.. Hyde of Bakersfield took
| the same ground and endorsed the
commission.
DR.. Fish of South Royalton took
Mr.. Ranslow to task for misquoting
| DR.. Koch and ridiculed the idea that
| tuberculosis was communicable from
| the animal to the human family. He
| believed that the germs of the dis
! ease could exist in the milk even
when the udder was found to be free
| from it,
Dr. Clarey of Woodstock cited con-
| elusive instances of persons taking
tuberculosis from drinking the milk
of diseased COWS, instances that had
come under his own observation.
At 10 80 Prof. Hills, whom all were
| anxious to hear, was finally called on,
but at so late an hour could speak
only few minutes. He told of the
frequent testing at the experiment
station and the consequent fine con-
dition of the herd; showed the I'M
soundness of Mr.. Ranslow's argument
in one or two particulars; SAID no
cure for tuberculosis had been found;
advised against milk test as general
ly unsatisfactory and urged the
economic feature of the bill in ques-
ton as worthy the close attention OF
the committee on agriculture.
Mr.. White of Woodstock thought
the discussion of the evening had, to
large degree, taken the wrong
course, and he declared that when the
bill came into the House some things
would be brought out that had not
oeen talked of at this hearing.
At about eleven O'Clock an adjourn
ment was taken until the regular
farmers meeting tonight.
The general result of this meeting
may be taken as favorable to the COM
mission and the present law.