Washington DC: On this date in history, November 19, 1908, executives from Horse Breeding Companies, Buggy Whip Manufacturers and Stable Owners Associations convened here to testify before Congress. A taxpayer funded $25 Million loan is deemed necessary by these equine executives to save their segment of the US economy from declaring bankruptcy.
The various equine executives arrived at Union Station in their own private trains and were immediately chauffeured to the US Capitol in horse drawn coaches, without having to walk on any of the horse manure laden streets.
The Congressional Committees grilled the executives like pieces of French horsemeat, as to how they had let their industry decline to a point that a taxpayer bailout was being requested. The Congress people also wanted to know about; the future of "horse power" to meet transportation needs of US cities, the protection of the environment, the effect of technology improvements on their own industry, and the impact of new transportation technology, e.g. automobiles.
The equine executives indicated that horse drawn vehicles were one of the largest means of transportation after the railroads; for carrying passengers, supporting the whaling industry, button hook manufacturers and corset manufacturers, and delivering a host of other vital goods. These supported industries employed lots of workers in high paying dray driving and beer wagon delivery jobs, exclusive of meeting cowboy's needs for horses. Oat and hay farmer's livelihoods, including stable personnel were also dependent on horse drawn conveyances. A bridge loan was needed to continue their industry's presence in the 20th century marketplace. They exclaimed, "the horse is here to stay just like the steam engine and the industry would continue to produce the best horse drawn equipment, including buggy whips, in the world!"
The equine executives had their "horse experts" testify to the latest technical innovations being developed in their industry. The biologists were developing a high efficiency horse that requires fewer oats per mile, which produces low residuals (horse manure) and all newly build horse drawn vehicles, would include built in liquid and solid horse effluvium catchers. Further environmental pollution controls include recycling dead horses for making leather boots to be used to minimize the effects of "globule walking" while crossing streets, deodorizing wagons that constantly circle through busy streets to alleviate unpleasant smells and improved sewer systems to carry away the horse residue missed by the other devices.
Other equine industry transportation experts testified that the rapid expansion of city populations into suburban and rural areas because of over crowding could be currently handled by horse drawn trolleys. They said "the electric trolleys and subways were only temporary measures for rapidly moving people." As to those upstarts in Detroit Michigan, namely Henry Ford, the Dodge brothers and others, their machines were not fully mature as compared to "horse power." Additionally they said, "Ford Motor Company's Model T assembly line production of automobiles, which began in September 1908, would probably result only in a few machines being sold".
Congress really felt all this testimony was a bunch of "horse manure!" Thus, after two days of questioning the equine executives, the Congressional consensus was that no Federal money would be forthcoming until a business plan was provided to Congress. The President concurred.
