Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-01-16
Fife cts of the tuberculosis Crusade in
the Town of " illiston.

o
Up to january c, 1900. since the COM
mcncement Of the recent tuberculosis cru
s6de, S72 cows have been killed from tn
town of WillistCn. 1t seems that 76 more
were killed JANUARY Z. making 9tS aoW
eliminated from the dairy interests Of ;h!-
Unfortunate town.
Last spring they had three co-operatiYe
cleameries handling in the best of the seH-
son from 10 10 to 1900 pounds of milk p =
Gay. At this stage in the tubercuIus 5
crusade these creamerlCS bid fair 20 / -
come idle property. What is a creamery
good fer without milk? And still the kill
ing of COWS goes mcrrily on" The farm
ors are appalled,, and when the cry lor
mercy comes up FROM nearly A f'lmS
their owners arc 'spurncd with contempt
from the foot of the throne"
Has it been shown that the milk or but
ter from these cows has killed anybody?
Is there any fatal malady preNailing in
Winston? Are the people of Burlington
being made sick? Has it been shown that
the people Of Burlington have ever bcuu
MADE sick by these dairy products? Ms
the laboratory at burlington ever mad" an
extensive analysis of products for disease
germs If the germ existed would not an
analysis have detected them?
If a man stands before Il court Justice
charged with stealing a hen the law pro-
notmCes him innoCc1t until proven guilty
In ail fairness. ought not these thousand
COWS tc have been deemed innocent until
proven guilty. Asserting that they are
going to do" somebody an injury is not
proof-have they done ii? Is this unreasou-
able? Is it anything but fair to the dairy
man who is suddenly dcspoiled Of almost
his sole means OF income?
If these cattle are such menace to
public health ought not every slaughtered
animal to be buried Immediately after they
are killed-should they he allowed TO lie
around in barns and fields to be torn by
0Cgs-to contamnate the air. Some three
weeks ago when w. r. Douglas Of W Ills
ton and j. II. Hutchinson of Jericho had
their cows kjlleG or the Srartawk farm I
understand about go head of dead cattle
We're lying in the fields half buried or not
buried at all-kilod by order of the cattle
commission because, living, they were a
menace to hcalth"-and I understand
that it required a complaint from tie
health officer to pro cure an abatement Of
this nuisance. Can these things be?
| understand that Mrs. Samuel Loggins
of Williston had SCNcral COWS killed by or
der of the commissioners some weeks ago.
and that at this writing January 9, they
are still lying on the ground unopened and
uneXamincd. Can these thirgs be?
j. II. Hutchinson of Jericho took the
identical parts of three COWS that the
boards veterinarian pronounced diseased
and submitted them to the State Labura
tory in Burlington fer examination, recem-
Der Il. 1901. b. II. Stone reported mo tn
berclc baclli found"
From the dairy of w. Il. Douglas of Will
listcn the part pronounced diseased from
enc COW was taken to the laboratory, OK
amired by Il. H. Stone. and Deco mber s.
1901 his report was no evidence of tu-
berculcGis found"
Does anybody know what might have
been the result had Lewis III. Talcott of
Wiliston have had done this from the 1T
cattle the comnsst ners killed for him"
Suppose Mr.. Whitccmb had done this
from the 112 they killed for him. Have the
darymen Of Vermont any rights that
should be respected? Should they be decm-
ed guilty on the assumption" that all
milk or meat is poisonous because certain
stages of tuberculosis deemed to exist -
Is there any necessity for such headlong
haste? 1t seems that Massachusetts, ana
New Hampshire have had a taste Of this,
and are slowing dc Nn. 1t may be nf in
ter"st 10 present in another COmmunica-
tion certain recent findings from the New
Hampshire Agricultural Experiment sta
ton on Bovine Tuberculosis.
w. w. HIGBEE.
Charlotte, VI, January .. 1902