The Finley-Kennewick Cow Argument
A town meeting meant for business turns into a heated, rambling debate over dairy health and local traffic laws.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The much-heralded meeting of the Kennewick business men with the Finley farmers didn't amount to much for those who were looking for bloodshed. The expected grouches failed to materialize, and most of the evening was spent in cussing and discussing Jeff’s cow ordinance. Jos. Gerards opened up the subject, and was subjected to a severe cross-examination in which Dr. B. L. Cole took a hand, when Gerards stated that he had seen thousands upon thousands of cows, but had never seen one die of tuberculosis. 'Do you mean to say that you can always tell what a cow dies of?' asked the doctor. 'Most generally,' asserted Joe. 'I’ll venture to say you don’t know what two-thirds of your cows die of,' stated the doctor. 'Oh, yes I do,' replied Joe. 'How do you know?' the doctor demanded. 'Well, most of mine die of eating too much green alfalfa,' explained Joe, which ended the argument as far as Gerards was concerned. Almost everyone took a hand then, and the milk question was so thoroughly aerated at such length that good roads, county commissionership, township organization, the Wallula ferry controversy, and the county engineer received scant, if any, notice.
“The milk question was so thoroughly aerated at such length that good roads... received scant, if any, notice.”
Local zoning and agricultural health ordinances remain a flashpoint in rural-urban fringe communities like Finley and Kennewick today. The frustration over the 'cow ordinance' a century ago mirrors current debates over land use, livestock regulations, and the tension between growing suburban interests and established farming practices.
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