Year: 1879

! the dEkALD on 1ueSuay, wherein IL may pe


seen that our trade in provisions with Eu-


ropean countries is endangered by the same


enemies that have already done SO much TO


harm the trade in live cattle. These enc


mics are dishonest merchants and incapable


or dishonest inspectors. There are men IN


all lines of business who cannot be con-


tented with the legitimate profits arising


from their trade, but must seek additional


gain by dishonest practices. If the evil


they do could be confined to themselves 1t


would not be of much consequence. man


who cheats those who deal with him is soon


found out and driven to other resources for


a living. But the knavery OF few causes


suspicion of the many and thus brings honest


traders into discredit. When it becomes
| known that swindling is practised in the
| shipment of American provisions buyers
| naturally become alarmed, the interests


that are affected by the import trade are not
slow to spread the contagion of suspicion.
| and the honest shippers, exporters and


dealers. having only legitimate profits to
depend upon, are the most seriously in
jured.


Any prosperous trade commonly suffers
in the same way from similar causes. 1t


may be remembered how great clamor has
been raised in England from time to time


over the dishonest practices of British mer-
chants whose commerce was mostly with
far away peoples who had no other remedy
than to eventually refuse to buy British
goods and turn their attention to the better
American article that happened to be
handy. It was the Hindoo or the Rus
sian or somebody in the South
Seas that was to be the victim, and
these people, it was assumed, could never
even if they knew the difference between a
good article and poor one and on reason
ing like that they were cheated beyond all


imaginable limit in dry goods, hardware
and other commodities. British critics Of


this dishonesty have sometimes said that


the growth of the American trade was based
on this British failure to do justice by
customers. That is not accurate, but a
great part of our success in the world
| has come to us in that way, certainly.
| When it was found that the English traders
took advantage Of the simplicity and help
| lessness of their distant customers to prac-
| tise all manners Of cheats and frauds upon
| them under the mask Of legitimate COM
merce it was natural that the victims
| should look elsewhere for such necessary
supplies as they needed and eagerly avail
themselves Of the opportunity Of trading
with any nation that would treat them with
| fairness and honesty. Still the desire to be
| rejected from tho tricks Of the British ex-
porter would not have brought customers


to our doors had we not been in condition


to compete with the English manufacturers
| and to offer other advantages to purchasers
besides those arising from more honest and
upright dealings. So that, while the British
| traders would have found American traders
| more than match for them in fair, equal
competition, there can be no doubt that the
dishonest practices of the former hastened
| the decline of their commerce with such


people


And now similar evil is growing in our


commerce. Our vast traffic in provisions,
in dead meat and live animals, in food


supplies of every kind, is to become, rightly


managed, the greatest traffic in the world.


In every country these important products


are wanted, and the people can afford to pay
| the prices at which we can afford to


sell. No other country has such


facilities for this production. If we


can succeed in establishing character for


honesty in our dealings, and can by the
| quality Of the food supplies we pour into
Europe prove that the integrity Of our ex-
porters is backed up by capacity and vigi-
lance of inspection, we are certain to ex-
tend this already vast traffic and to COM


mand the provision markets of the world.


The importance of this to o nation whose


growth and wealth depend on such trade,
and whose vast acres and fertile soil ore


capable Of supplying two continents with
food cannot be exaggerated. Yet a few dis
honest, unscrupulous men can infict q
serious blow on our progress in this direc-
tion. That they are ready to do SO, and to


sacrifice the reputation Of our whole ex-
| porting business for the sake of securing
| illegitimate gains for themselves, cannot
| be questioned. A reputable American


consul tells our government that he has be-
come convinced by actual examination
that frauds calculated to seriously injure
our comm erce are perpotrated by the ship
pers OF our food products He was himself


disposed to regard the seizures of alleged


diseased American hams at Brussels as


prompted by desire to drive such articles
out of the market, but an inspection made
| by himself convinced him of the correct


ness of the statement that they


were unfit for human food. His in


quiries have led to the conviction that


the evil is not on isolated one;


that sometimes through carelessness, and
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