Confinement in cars without food, water, or rest for more than twenty-eight hours was declared by Congress more than thirty years ago by the passage of this act to be actionable cruelty. This was when neither cattle yards nor cars furnishing water, food, and rest existed; when two-thirds of the cattle product of the country was wild and hard to handle. Now that 90 per cent of the whole product of the country is domesticated, cattle yards established on all interstate railroads, and thousands of comfortable cattle cars with facilities for feeding, watering, and resting while in transit are at hand, why should Congress go backward and do what its predecessors refused to do more than thirty years ago? If it was then cruel to live stock to confine it more than twentyeight hours without food, water, and rest; if such confinement then resulted in injury to the public health, is it less cruel or less injurious to public health now? By asking that the amendment be made to apply only to "range cattle" they admit that its provisions should apply to all domesticated cattle, and as we have shown that nearly all cattle, by the process of breeding, have become domesti cated, there is certainly no good reason why the law should now be changed. Let the Secretary of Agriculture proceed with his good work. Compel the transportation companies to obey the law, or compel shippers to provide food, water, and rest while in transit, and the old habits of prodding and cruelty will disappear, humanity will be honored and promoted, and the good health of the Commonwealth secured. This association for twenty-seven years has been resisting the demand for the extension of the twenty-eight-hour limit. It has continued from the beginning to look conscientiously into the necessity, desirability, and justice of such demand. It has invited the National Live Stock Association to come before it at its annual meetings and present its reasons for asking and urging such extension. It has availed itself of such invitation and sent its ablest members, and they have had full and patient hearing, and all their requests have been most carefully considered. This association has, at its own expense, sent experienced experts in breeding, handling, and shipping live stock into the great South, West, and Northwest, and procured data upon all questions involved, and, after full consideration, has come to the conclusion that no just and adequate reasons exist why this extension should be granted. Its last consideration of the subject was at its last annual meeting, held at Philadelphia, October 10, 11, and 12, 1905, when it was ordered that this statement and protest be presented to Congress. This association, therefore, in the name of all its constituent societies and their individual memberships, scattered throughout the North, South, East, and West, and in the name and interests of humanity the world over, protests against the extension of the twenty-eight-hour provision of the present statute beyond which live stock may be continuously confined while in transit without food, water, and rest. And we pray that every member of the honorable Senate and House of Representatives, before he votes upon such a proposition, will not only carefully consider this paper, but otherwise fully satisfy himself of the necessity, humanity, justice, and wisdom of such a measure. Respectfully submitted. WILLIAM O. STILLMAN, President, Albany, N. Y. JAMES M. BROWN, Chairman Committee on Legislation, Toledo, Ohio. THE AMERICAN HUMANE ASSOCIATION, DEAR SIR: I am just in receipt of a letter from a New York State representative in which he states that a member of the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee informs him that The American Humane Association, as representing the anticruelty opposition to House bills 47, 145, 440, etc., has not indicated the action which it believes should be taken in regard to this legislation. I think that the point has been well taken. The following is submitted as showing what the humane societies consider is the proper solution of the questions involved: It seems that the parties to this stock-transportation discussion on both sides are practically agreed in the statement that grave cruelties exist, and really do not differ essentially as to the character of the abuses. They differ, however, radically as to the method of cure. The friends of these bills demand an extension of the twenty-eight-hour law in order to arrive at their market early (without stopping for food and rest), as they could, in many cases, by continuing a few hours longer, claiming that the abuses arising from unloading and loading, as well as poor stock-yards accommodations, are worse than the longer continuous ride. The friends of the animals, on the contrary, consider that twenty-eight hours is long enough time for animals to go without food, drink, or rest, and believe that the time should be shortened rather than lengthened. They are unalterably opposed to any extension of the twenty-eight-hour limit, believing that it will lead to demands for further time extensions in the future and that the only complete and finally satisfactory cure for abuses in transportation of live stock is having the cattle slaughtered near the ranges and transported in refrigerator cars. We are conscious that the time is not yet ripe for this, but believe that it must ultimately come to this solution, as it will be best both for the cattle and the food supply. To extend the twenty-eight-hour limit would be to put off the day for that final settlement of the question. We believe that the same result as that desired by the friends of these bills can be accomplished in a more humane and satisfactory way. What the friends of the animals, as represented by The American Humane Association, believe should be done is that the live-stock trains should be given right of way over dead freight under all circumstances, and that the speed of the live-stock trains should be practically doubled. We believe that a minimum of 18 or 20 miles per hour during the entire twenty-eight hours should be established by law. This would result in covering about 500 miles, which is a reasonable demand. At present it seems to us, according to the best information which we can get, that live-stock trains are not making on an average more than 250 miles in the twenty-eight hours, much of the time being spent on side tracks. By this plan stock will reach market with only one loading as surely as under an extension to thirty-six or forty hours, without attendant starvation, exhaustion, suffering, and deaths of thousands of cattle which would be caused by this increase of time. As is well known, scores of thousands of cattle are already sacrificed, maimed, and killed under present conditions, and we believe that the number would be vastly increased by adding eight or twelve hours to the existing time limit. As it is, some shippers state that their cattle lose 200 pounds in getting to market. Cattle are accustomed to eat a good share of the time and chew the cud a good deal of the rest of the time. Aside from the bewilderment and terror of being densely packed in crowded cars and subjected to most unusual terrorizing sounds and conditions, the physical exhaustion of keeping cattle on their feet continuously on a moving train under these conditions, without food or drink, from thirty-six to forty hours, is almost inconceivable and is certainly frightfully cruel. In addition to doubled speed and right of way for live-stock trains, the humane societies believe that there should be First. A radical reform in stock-yards conditions, so that they may be made comfortable and sanitary, affording protection from the weather, and be made reasonably free from filth and mire. Second. That shippers should have the privilege of electing to feed their own stock, in order to prevent extortionate charges on the part of the transportation companies, which charges can now be enforced as liens. Third. That there should be a Federal inspector in these stock yards, which should be located pursuant to law, after consultation with the Federal authorities, and that it should be the duty of these inspectors not alone to see that the general provisions of the law are complied with, but also that the grave cruelties practiced in unloading and loading should be stopped. Fourth. That in case five hours is not a sufficient time for cattle to rest and take a proper amount of food and water and recover somewhat from the stiffness of their previous transportation, that this period of time should be specifically extended. Fifth. That where shippers and transportation companies do not observe the twenty-eight-hour limit that really improved stock cars of designs to be approved by the Secretary of Agriculture shall be used. We have reason to believe that many of the so-called palace cars in use in the West at the present time, and so labeled on the outside, are nothing but common, ordinary stock cars of the poorest description. The foregoing represents our views to date on this transportation question. It is frequently said that the right of property is sufficient to cause persons to take proper care of beasts which they own. The entire history of the anticruelty movement disproves this statement. There never has occurred an instance in which an anticruelty law has been enacted correcting even the most repulsive cruelty where the creation of such a law originated with or was materially assisted by the owners of the animals involved. The whole history of our humane crusade during nearly one hundred years has been that of warfare waged against owners who were neglecting or abusing their property. Self-interest has never proved sufficient to save the suffering beast from its possessor when careless of its comfort or cruelly disposed. * * * Thanking you for the constant courtesy and attention which you have given us, and feeling sure that Congress will do what is wise and just in this matter, as it has in the past, I am, Faithfully, yours, Hon. JAMES R. MANN, M. O. STILLMAN, President, etc. Member Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, |