HISTOEY OF HEREFORD CATTLE 



137 



their scribe a learned and scholarly student, and 

 asked the world to witness the impartial his- 

 tory written by this scholar and endorsed by the 

 nobility of England. 



And then follow such men as Randall, Ste- 

 vens, Page, Allen, Nichols, Anderson and Mat- 

 thews, asking the stockmen to believe that his- 

 tory, and accept their claims on that title. If 

 a political party had come into power on such 

 fraudulent claims they would be buried beyond 

 a resurrection when their crime was brought to 

 light. If a lawyer, in the interest of the client, 

 should have committed such a fraud in his prac- 

 tice as Berry did in the interest of himself and 

 his associate Shorthorn breeders, he would have 

 been prohibited from practice. 



What Berry did under the cloak of the "So- 

 ciety for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge," 

 Randall, Allen and Stevens and their associates 

 did in organizing the State Board of Agricul- 

 ture of New York, and they used it as Berry 

 used the English Society, and with this ma- 

 chinery broke the Hereford interest. 



Let us look at this. Mr. Sotham, in 1840, 

 brought to Albany a herd of Hereford cattle. 

 Mr. Erastus Corning, a wealthy citizen of that 

 city, bought an interest in them, and would 

 have probably furnished capital to any extent 

 needed but Henry S. Randall used the fraud 

 of Berry, and copying after Berry organized 

 the New York State Fair, and used it to defeat 

 the Herefords, and the result was that Mr. 

 Sotham and his enterprise was financially 

 ruined, and on these ruins Mr. Randall and his 

 associates were enabled to perpetuate the fraud 

 that Berry inaugurated, and the State Agricul- 

 tural Societies have been brought under this 

 Shorthorn influence and each and all have been 

 made tributary and obedient to the Shorthorn 

 behest, and every man that has dared to ques- 

 tion their right has been broken. Thus, the 

 Shorthorn breeders again, in my time, have en- 

 deavored to do with this movement. This was 

 witnessed by one of the most fraudulent con- 

 spiracies ever conducted, that was pushed dur- 

 ing the year 1881 with all the venom and malice 

 that could be devised. But it was met and 

 hurled back upon the originators. 



Let us see how Mr. Sotham met this abuse. 

 We find his answer in the "Cultivator," on page 

 83: 



"Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker: I have read 

 with much amusement the highly facetious let- 

 ter of Mr. Henry S. Randall, in your last 'Cul- 

 tivator/ and laughed at its contents almost as 

 much as he says 'the impudent Yankees' did at 

 my steeds and pigs. My mirth, however, was 

 mingled with a feeling of regret that I had in- 



curred his wrath, and that his good sense (of 

 which I had previously a high opinion) had 

 allowed him to stoop to ridicule and ribaldry 

 as a 'dernier resort/ certain signs of a weak 

 argument. 



"I know nothing of his friend, 'Mr. Ezekiel 

 Peabody/ and therefore give Mr. Randall all 

 the credit he can gain by his acquaintance ; and 



THE BATES SHORTHORN IDEAL, IMPORTED DUKE 



OF AIRDRIE (12730) 

 (From a drawing by J. R. Page.) 



I leave all such passages, dictated as they are, 

 by anything but good breeding and gentlemanly 

 discretion, to pass for what they are worth, 

 which I think will be very little, less even than 

 the shadow of one of the Kilkenny cats, so wit- 

 tily served up in the 'Olla Podrida' with which 

 we are regaled. Such insinuations are unwor- 

 thy of Mr. R., and are beneath my notice. I 

 will merely answer those parts of his letter 

 which appear businesslike. 



"In the first place, I am aware I spoke highly 

 and confidently regarding my purchases ; but it 

 was not bravado. I knew the prejudices I had 

 to contend against, the true worth of my ani- 

 mals, and was willing to back my own opinion. 

 I see by your last paper that I have raised up 

 opponents who will throw out every obstacle 

 against me, but 'Truth is mighty and will pre- 

 vail/ and they shall not drive me from my pur- 

 pose. I did not intend to say anything regard- 

 ing the judges at Niblo's fair, but only wished 

 for an opportunity to test their judgment. Mr. 

 R.'s article has given it to me. I will show 

 'Matchless' against any cow in the United 

 States, of any breed, as the most valuable ani- 

 mal, for a cup of the same value as was there 

 given, adding the expenses of the judges, who 

 shall be selected in the following manner: I 

 will name mine, my opponent his, these two se- 

 lecting a third; and to prove that I am not 

 actuated by any exclusive feeling I will show .a 



