Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1862-02-05
@9 st"ff, = TETSl

To he Editor Of the Democrat and Sentinel
1 great deal has recently been said and
written relative TO law. passed at the last
session "f the LEGISLATURE. entitled " An
act to extend the provisions of an Act for
the protection Of Sheep and taxing of
DoCs. in the County Of Blair. to the county
,fCaubria." In view of this fact, and as
the member under whose auspices the act
vas passed. | desire also. with your pcrmis
SION. 20 say a few words in regard to it.
through the columns of your paper.
In reply t. the abuse which has been
heaped upon me, will be brief. No mat
ter what course he may pursue. it is simply
impossible for legislator to please every
body. In matters purely of Ioral concern,
tho best rule he can adopt is. to pass or
eudeavor to pass such bills as may he pc
titioncd for, when he believes them to be
right in themselves, ami likely to prove
beneficial to his constituents. If he legis>
ate, in this wise, then. whether his mea
slrcs are popular or unpopular-whether he
pIeases or diSpleases has at least ii G
proud satisfaction of knowing that lie en-
!cavorcd to do his duty. claim TO have
been governed Ivy this rule, in securing the
passage Of the bill in question, apd if erred
i was an error Of the hcad-certainly not
Il the heart
It IS not my purpose to enter into any
ab'rel defence of the Blair county law.
vhich las been 80 roughly assailed, aud
whjcn, by the passage of the act Of the last
session, it was intended tn Cambria. ] leave
II to speak for itself. merely remarking that
such law had been asked for, and upon n
l"'.l oyminatiOn oS its provisions, | believed
that. if extended and properly carried out,
!; could not fail to prove benfcial to our
People. Ard while nothing has transPired
since 70 change my opinion. yet it is a fact
worthy Of note. that some who wore anxious
t'r Is passage. and vino pronounced it a
Crd law at first, suddenly turned around
and inincd in its wholesale denunciation. A
transition So violent and sudden, can only
"e satisfactorily explained. upon the by
P';hs,is that such things are sometimes
done for the purposes of political capital.
It cannot be denied that the claw" under
c1nsdcration has its friends as well as It's
ecemics; and in Judging of them, the true
criterion seems to be this-the law is pop
'.Er with those engaged in, or in favor of,
tile business of raising and keeping SHEFP,
while 1t is unpopular with those in, or in
favor Of. tie business Of raising and
Aeepms Docs. Numerous weiehty argu-
fAeuts have been urged against it by the lat
isT c.aSs-a fair sample Of which pressed
upon my attention but few days since. II
vas this {: q There is not half enough Of Dogs
u t'e County. and too many id Fre'
'o''oots." Against the crushing force of ar
argument ike this, it will readily be seer
mat no other argument, however sound
Soli or sophistical, could possibly prevail
But let me state a few facts connected
With the passage Of this " law" and the at
Tempt made to enforce its provisions-thi
laW which it Sc ms to be generally conceded
IS no law at all.
hnowIng how sensitive men generally ar
n regard TO the subject of taxation, it wa
eniy after received number Of letters an
petitions earnestly requesting it. and whe
''n''nced that it would prove beneficial