American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-08-07
The Stock Law.

Mr.. EDITOR: This question, which
is now being agitated in our Midst,
lightly az 1t may be considered by |
some, is Graught with much impor-
tancc i'll its bcaring-upon the gener-
al interests OF orr country. If such |
Il law should prevail, it will unsettle
the labor syStem,. diminish the pres
ent amount OF stock, and Cypress
widows and orphans, besides being
of no real benefit to any one. What
is the object of the law Simply to
obviate fencing on large plantations.
The farmer who OWNS one hundred
acres of land can, and will, fence il
with his own means. The one who
owns II thousand acres can equally
as we'll 10 the same thing-if not, he
should let it alone, or sell it to some
one who can. Now for the effect
upon labor. Suppose n. owns a
thousand acres of land, all open,
and not under fence, and has ten
neighbors around him, all with
small farms in u high state of Cul-
! tivation. The stock law passes. and
y. says to his neiehbors' employees:
Boys, I've got land enough here
for all of you, aud will rent it to You"
The consequence is these farms are
StOpped-so also is their revenue to
the government, for all of the me-
groes will rent land in preference to
working under the direction of a
white man, if possible, and the ex-
perience of the soundest thinking
men, and best farmers, is that not
one negro out of fifty will make any
thing. if left to himself. 1t will re-
quire as much fencing for the pres
ent amount of stock in the country,
if ample range is given them, as 1t
would to fence the amount of land
that can he cultivated, so there is no
benefit here. If stock is fenced in a
small compass of exposed broom
sedgc land, and denied the shades,
and rich heritage of swamps and
woodlands, and good water, they
must die or degenerate. There is
not a sutficiency of labor in the coun-
try to cultivate one-half the open
land, then why fence the stock from
it, when so many might be raised on
it! Could not A. make more cleaI
money bJ putting five hundred head
of stock on his land, with only one
hand to attend to them, than he
could by renting it? How many
widows and poor men i'll the city OF
Canton, as well as in the country
have cows that almost support theil
families, and yet have no lands fol
them TO run on. Should they bC
forced to keep their COWS up, ant
feed them at an enormous expense
or dispose of them, when there were
five hundred acres of land contiguou.
to them upon which their stock coult
feed, and injure no one, because i
belongs to Mr.. B, and lie has tive
or three freedmen scattered abou
over it with little patches, and NJ
fenccsl But, says one, if they haven
got any land they ought not to have
/, any stock. Poor humanity! Dive
that denies Lazarus the crumbs
would that they were enabled to say
"LOmO sum humani nihl M
9 dIicnum putO." Such dogs in thu
manger ought to have special legis
lation. This law does not benefi
the large landholder, because h
cannot get labor enough to cultivate
all his lands-he can make more b,
Using stock on the whole of it at les
, expense than he can by renting o
, cultivating small part, and leavin;
the rest idle. 1t benefits no on,
then, for the small farmer does no
want it. There are many trouble
!, and Inconvenience that would nee
essariIy arise if the stock was al
fenced, and the fields all open
: Droves of stock could not trave
through the country. The farme
would be troubled getting stock t
o market if he raised any for sale
3 Pasture fences might blow down, o
4, evil persons throw them down du
ring the night, and q whole herd c
,, stock consume a field before it wa
! discovered, causing litigation all,
unnecessary loss. Persons also il
passing to and fro would travel owe
the growing crops.
! Our country is not prepared fC
=. such law, and there is no real dC
o mand for it. Parties who own larg
II bodies of open land, and not timbe
Il enough to fence it, ought to hedg
10 their premises if they do not wis
to buy other material. A hedg
sufficient to turn any character c
horses and COWS can be easily grow
- in from two to three years, and at
much less cost than fencing. A la
> for combining hogs should be enacte,
for it is difficult TO get fences proc
against them, without removing a
old rotten rails, and making an Ell
tirely new fence, and they will! wor
through hedges-besides new fence
could be built on a much cheapt
" plan if only intended to Operat
against cows, horses and sheep.
PROGRESS.
IS Letter from Holmes.