Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-28
CATTLEMEN

A BOUT 27 900 American stock raisers
Il are represented by the 500 mem
- bers of the American National
Live Stock association, now In conven-
tion in this city. In twelve years the
organization has accomplished a great
deal of good work and much yet re-
mains to be done by it. One of its
principal cares has been in connection
with a subject familiar to Californians.
1t has had to fight the railroads in
order to get a square deal for the stock
raisers. The association is now en-
gagged in an effort to have the powers
of the interstate commerce commission
increased so that the railroads will
have to submit to that organization all
proposed changes of rates before such
changes are put into effect.
1t is shocl1ingly disgraceful that the
history Of railroading by corporations
in the United States should have pro-
duced so many instances which es-
tablish the fact that railroad magnates
have thought it right and proper to
enrich themselves at the expense Of in
dustries which were large users of
transportation. Wherever you see q
bead, hit it," is an old saying which the
railroads have adapted to their own
purposes. Their motto is wherever
you see an industry, hit it," Up to
this motto they have lived with pains
taking assiduity worthy of a much bet
ter cause. Their conduct is probably
the most striking example of conscien-
tious consciencelessness in the history
Of civilization.
The American National Live Stock
association has maintained an active
legal bureau which has cared for the
rights of the united stock raisers and
has resisted successfully much preda-
tory railroad aggression. The twenty
eight-hour law, which prohibited the
railroads from keeping cattle in cars
for more than twenty eight hours at a
time, was secured largely by the activ-
ity Of the legal bureau. BY this law
much cruelty has been prevented and
is being prevented. The railroads are
now forbidden to keep cattle in cars
for more than twenty eight hours with
out removing them to corrals where
they can be fed and exercised. Il
seems incredible that without manda-
tory intervention the railroads should
not have voluntarily adopted humane
methods of caring for animals during
transportation, but unhappily the most
incredible truths regarding some of the
methods of modern corporation rail-
roading in cases when the managing
corporations are exceptionally "souI-
less" are frequently the easiest to sub
stantiate.
Most bitterly fought of all questions
has been that of car supply. Failure
to supply cars within a reasonable
time after notice has been given has
caused stockmen to lose thousands Of
dollars in depreciation of cattle kept
ready for shipment, to say nothing Of
cruelty to the cattle-the evidences of
the cruelty being in the depreciation.
Many cases are recorded where rail-
roads REFUSED TO SEND CARS FOR
SHIPMENT OF CATTLE. The cattle
men are now making vigorous effort
to secure national legislation to compel
railway companies to furnish stock
cars for the transportation of their
stock upon reasonable notice; and in
this effort, as In all the others of a
humane and hygienic nature in which
they are engaged, they have the SYM
pathy, the encouragement and the sup
port of the American public