Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1915-09-07
Fever Scare Still Exists.

The stocker and feeder trade at this
market when the good pasturage now 10
Eastern Pennsylvania IS considered IS
not what it should be and rot what it
would be were conditions normal. There
is no rubbing it out or talking it away,
'The foot and mouth" scare has not died
out and farmers, remembering their ex-
perience of last fall and winter, are timld
about taking hold. "A burnt child
breads the FIRE" and this dread in its APP
plication to the purchase of stockers and
feeders by eastern Pennsylvania farmers
is certainly not lessened bv the exagger-
ated restrictions that 1.-THE veterin ary
trust" has imposed on the Lancaster
Stock Yards. 1t has come to pass that
if an old COW gets the tooth ache some
where within fifty miles of the Chicago
Stock Yards, and. in consequence, 'sleb-
bers" bit, the news of the cows ailment
is hurriedly wired to Washington. I'M
mediately train load of wise men" in
bovine maladles is hurried to the spot.
They gather in council about the COW
and the result is a circle called guar
antine zone" of twenty miles or more in
diameter is drawn around the afflicted
animal and the notice IS posted. Step
not within this sacred enclosure nor out
of it, because if you do either, we will
hurl against you the curse of the Federal
Bureau of Animal Industry. Immedi-
atelv this action is wired to the remotest
corner of this Land of the Free" The
local vigilance committees. made up
of large bunch of embryonic Cow
doctors, many of whom wouldn't know
a case of Texas fever" from an attack
of indigestion" if they saw it, get ION
the lob, sound an alarm, lock the gates.
parayze business, brighten the farmer, !"
and after the harm has been done the
wise men" discover that the COW had
'toothache," aud not foot and mouth
disease.
They tell us that extreme vigilance S
necessary to protect US against reoccur-
renee of 1.-THE foot and mouth" malady.
| agree that a proper vigilance should be
exercised. but in its exercise the practi-
cal side of large element of American
Commerce should not be lost sight of,
Each week we are told that next week
the bars will surely come down" and
when next week comes the Federal
Bureau of Animal Industry promptly
declares what these days in the financial
world is called "a moratorium
From all points of the compass. the cry
is going up: When will we be delivered
from this tyranny"
Naturally, when the foot and mouth
disease" broke out last November, both
the Federal Government and the various
State government effected an organize
ton to fight it and employed an army"
of veterinarians at big salaries to handle
the Job. These jobs furnished an oppor-
tunity, under both the Federal and State
governments. forpolitical favoritlsm. ard
anybody who holds political job IS nat
urally reluctant to give it up upon this
point can speak from personal expert
ence. The purpose for which these Jobs
were created has passed. but these organ
izations, Federal and State, are loathe to
be dissolved and in order to perpetuate
the many gentlemen, versed IN bovine
therapeutics in soft berths, "a new
scare" must be inaugurated about evhry
two weeks. IN the meanwhile, the vets"
stationed at the various stock yards
throughout the land put in most of their
days whiting stick taking "jitn ey
journeys. pitching quoits," playing
pinocle" and slipping iced beverages,
the dear people paying the bill. repeat.
When, oh, when will we be delivered
from this tyranny?