65

THE HERDS AND THE FLOCKS.

THE TRUST WILL NOT COVER THE CASE

Col. Slaughter on the Trust, the Texas Packery and Other Things - Colorado's Quarantine - American Horses.

Col. C. C. Slaughter, in conversation with a NEWS reporter, remarked that even if the American Cattle Trust should prove answerable to what its partisans and prmoters claim for it, it would still fall short of covering the case of the Southwestern ranchmen, simply because its place of business is too far off. What fhiefly eats up the profts on the cattle of this section is the railroads. One-fourth of what a Texas steer brings at Chicago has to be turned over to the railroad that carried him to market. 'The railroads practically own one-fourth of all the cattle in the state. The Trust, so far as he was informed offered no remedy for this. The only way to beat the railroads out of their interest in this industry is to proceed with the Texas Packery at Houston - a project in which Col. Slaughter sees new beauties every time he things about it. He does not want to be understood as occupying a hostile attitude toward the Trust, because he says, it is only helps a little it will do some good.

In regard to the projected Texas Packery, Col. Slaughter says that the cattlemen have been very slow to come to the front with their subscriptions, but he beleives they will do so in time to get the establishment in operation for next year. A move is now on foot to get a charter and to organize the institiution, so as to give the enterprise a new impetus, in the hope that the cattlemen will more readily take hold of it now, as many of the reasons why they have heretofore held aloof are no longer in existence. When the subscriotion books were first opened cattle were in bad shape and the prospects for a continuation of the drouth were bright, and stockmen were in doubt as to whether they would ever be in need of a market. It has since rained copiously, the range is good and the cattlemen onco more have their thoughts concentrated on the market problem; and he thinks if the Texas packery were sprung on the afresh there would be no trouble in raising the amount of required of the cattlemen.

Col. Slaughter is of opinion that now is the time to invest in cattle, becuase next year steers are going to be steers. It is a pretty well established fact that most all the cattle on the Northern range died last winter, and only a small number have gone up the trail this year. This will put on Texas and Indian territory to supply the market next year, and the limited supply will make prices better. Col. Slaughter has never been very down in the mouth, even as the gloomiest cirsis, but he is more hopeful than ever now.

The American papers which so glibly dilate on matters and things across the Atlantic talk a great deal at random, no doubt, but that they can be as desely ignorant about England as the average English Paper is about American is incredible. A London journal, which has the reputation of an oracle at home, has the following observations in its most solemn vein: "After the recent controversy which has taken place in regard to breeding British hunters from American horses, a look at the Wild West steeds of Buffalo Bill proved very interesting. There are too light, however, most of them, for average English countries, and though clever and up to the cowboy's weight, they would proce deficient in stamina for carrying anybody up to thirteen stone. Put to English thoroughbred stallions something up to even less weight would be procured, so that we cannot really look to America for much in the shape of improved horseflesh, unless heavier types of stallions than our own are used on the mares. It is probable that in America they may have horses of greater strength and substance than those to be seen at Earl's Court, but the latter will not compare with the average of the animals catalogued for one os Messrs. Tattersall's hunter stables."

Colorado has the most sweeping quarantine regulations of any other State and perhaps the most sweeping that were ever proposed except when the Montana cattlement met and petitioned the governor of that Territory to issue a quarantine against the domestic animals of several specified States and against Texas cattle. It would be supposed that such rigid regulation as Colorado has would give the cattle of the State entree to the neighboring States and the freedom of the whole country. But if this was the object of the Colorado solons in passing this small-meshed quarantine law, they have discovered that the result is nowise answerable thereto, for here comes the Live Stock Commission of Nebraska with a petition to Gov. Thayer to prohibit by proclamation the introduction into the State of cattle and horses coming from the Centennial State.

THE HERDS AND THE FLOCKS.

THE TRUST WILL NOT COVER THE CASE

Col. Slaughter on the Trust, the Texas Packery and Other Things - Colorado's Quarantine - American Horses.

Col. C. C. Slaughter, in conversation with a NEWS reporter, remarked that even if the American Cattle Trust should prove answerable to what its partisans and prmoters claim for it, it would still fall short of covering the case of the Southwestern ranchmen, simply because its place of business is too far off. What fhiefly eats up the profts on the cattle of this section is the railroads. One-fourth of what a Texas steer brings at Chicago has to be turned over to the railroad that carried him to market. 'The railroads practically own one-fourth of all the cattle in the state. The Trust, so far as he was informed offered no remedy for this. The only way to beat the railroads out of their interest in this industry is to proceed with the Texas Packery at Houston - a project in which Col. Slaughter sees new beauties every time he things about it. He does not want to be understood as occupying a hostile attitude toward the Trust, because he says, it is only helps a little it will do some good.

In regard to the projected Texas Packery, Col. Slaughter says that the cattlemen have been very slow to come to the front with their subscriptions, but he beleives they will do so in time to get the establishment in operation for next year. A move is now on foot to get a charter and to organize the institiution, so as to give the enterprise a new impetus, in the hope that the cattlemen will more readily take hold of it now, as many of the reasons why they have heretofore held aloof are no longer in existence. When the subscriotion books were first opened cattle were in bad shape and the prospects for a continuation of the drouth were bright, and stockmen were in doubt as to whether they would ever be in need of a market. It has since rained copiously, the range is good and the cattlemen onco more have their thoughts concentrated on the market problem; and he thinks if the Texas packery were sprung on the afresh there would be no trouble in raising the amount of required of the cattlemen.

Col. Slaughter is of opinion that now is the time to invest in cattle, becuase next year steers are going to be steers. It is a pretty well established fact that most all the cattle on the Northern range died last winter, and only a small number have gone up the trail this year. This will put on Texas and Indian territory to supply the market next year, and the limited supply will make prices better. Col. Slaughter has never been very down in the mouth, even as the gloomiest cirsis, but he is more hopeful than ever now.

The American papers which so glibly dilate on matters and things across the Atlantic talk a great deal at random, no doubt, but that they can be as desely ignorant about England as the average English Paper is about American is incredible. A London journal, which has the reputation of an oracle at home, has the following observations in its most solemn vein: "After the recent controversy which has taken place in regard to breeding British hunters from American horses, a look at the Wild West steeds of Buffalo Bill proved very interesting. There are too light, however, most of them, for average English countries, and though clever and up to the cowboy's weight, they would proce deficient in stamina for carrying anybody up to thirteen stone. Put to English thoroughbred stallions something up to even less weight would be procured, so that we cannot really look to America for much in the shape of improved horseflesh, unless heavier types of stallions than our own are used on the mares. It is probable that in America they may have horses of greater strength and substance than those to be seen at Earl's Court, but the latter will not compare with the average of the animals catalogued for one os Messrs. Tattersall's hunter stables."

Colorado has the most sweeping quarantine regulations of any other State and perhaps the most sweeping that were ever proposed except when the Montana cattlement met and petitioned the governor of that Territory to issue a quarantine against the domestic animals of several specified States and against Texas cattle. It would be supposed that such rigid regulation as Colorado has would give the cattle of the State entree to the neighboring States and the freedom of the whole country. But if this was the object of the Colorado solons in passing this small-meshed quarantine law, they have discovered that the result is nowise answerable thereto, for here comes the Live Stock Commission of Nebraska with a petition to Gov. Thayer to prohibit by proclamation the introduction into the State of cattle and horses coming from the Centennial State.