Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-11-14
THE FENCE QUESTION.

withstanding the numerous articles that
have appeared, advocating ''no fence, or
more pfopeay,y an effective sstock-law,
there are, think, one or two points Of ar
eument i'm It's favor which have not been
mentioned-aG least have not seen them.
The first is the danger of having stock
killed OF abused. For example: Mr.. A
is good farmer and keeps good fences
although they may not come up to the
standard of law. Mr.. B. has very bad
fences, and the consequence Is, Mr.. AS
stock get into Mr.. BIS corn. B either kills
them outright, or tears them with dogs, and
Mr.. A is compelled to put them up to save
them from destruction. Again. BIS break
fence stock--haYing learned the habit by
the use of bad fences at home-get into
AS crop. The latter politely notifies him
of the fact, and requests him to keep them
out. B tells him his fences are not Lawful,
and he will not pen his stock. Mr.. A is 200
much Of 3 gentleman 10 resortto the same
unlawful, as well as inhuman, means of
protection that. bis neighbor has done,
and must, therefore, suffer accordingly.
But the question may be asked: why
Goes he not avail himself of the law, and
bring men to punishment for abusing
stock?" To which 1 reply that it is always
''catching before hanging" Mr.. A. is a
working man and has no time TO watch his
neighbors, and it is an easy matter for
man to commit such deeds without any
possible chance of making proof against
him. This is no fancy picture, but is pre-
eisely the writer's experience the present
season. Again 1t may be asked "Since
you are an advocate of law to keep stock
under control, why do you not set the ex-
ample by keeping your own stock ia, and
save them from such treatment" reply
I would gladly do SO could l be relieved of
the burden of fortifyiDg against my neigh
boris stock; but It takes all my spare time
aud means to fence in my growing crop
Sufficiently for protection. Moreover, since
/ have little woodland of my own, GER
tainly have SIS good a right to pasture it as
any one else.
. There is another point wish to mention.
Every spring since my earliest recoilec ton,
and have lived In this county all my life,
while the industrious farmers are as busy
as bees preparing their ground and planting
their crops, and while the March
winds are raging in their greatest
fury, suddenly the cry of fire. is heard, aud
all hands must fy TO the woods aud fight
fire TO save the farm, and perhaps in spite
Of all human efforts q hundred rods of
fencing are destroyed; and why all this?
Because some poor devil has COW with
both horns sawed off to cure her of the
hollow-horn has fred the woods to snake
range" IS they term it, and what is the re-
suit Of all this annual burning? The
ground is laii bare; the young growth of
timber is killed each succeeding year, and
the land, which would otherwise accumu-
late and become rich, is fast becoming bar
ren. Now how is this TO be remedied?
True, there are strict laws against burning
woods, but as | before said, it is catching
before hanging, and in this case you never
catch. l never heard of a man being caught.
These gentlemen Of leisure all know the
law, and they are sure TO avoid it. They
taxa their gun and dogs (the only property
they have except the cow and 90 strolling
through the woods, while honest men are
al work, and When they get sly epP0rtUr
mtg fire the woods, and before the act can
be discovered, they are at home ready 70 ex-
press more surprise than any one else at the
appearance Of fire. They frequently put
the fire out al night, while the farmer is at
rest, perhaps to wake up in the morning
and find bis fence in flames, unless some
chance accident reveals the danger sooner,
and it always occurs in stormy weather
when there,is no possible chance TO arrest
the flames, and all that can be done is to
fire round the fences and let the woods
burn.
How, / say, is all this to. be Femedied?
Simply by an effective stock law. Give us
the stock law and the disease is cured.
Compel men 10 keep their stock confined,
and they will have no further interest III
burning tie woods. 'r" -..r.
Now L am the last man to advocate a
law that is calculated to Cypress the poor
lsbOrer, for am poor man myself, al
though have q small farm Of poor land
upon which 1 propose to make an humble
living if let alone, but such law can op-
press 10 one. 1t is q generally admitted
fact that the stock range here is almost
worthless so far as cattle and hogs are con-
cerned, and a drawback rather than a
benefit to stock raising, and there is no man
so poor but what If be is industrious he can
obtsin good farm pasture, and the improve
/ IneDt on his stock viii more than pay the
expense. | know some farmers of the bet
ter class who, even now, furnish poor men
pasture for their cows free Of charge, in or
der to secure their labor. l also know men
who spend sufficieBcy of time in the eve,
nings hunting for a COW in the woods to
earn good clover pasture for three cows,
and they get but little milk at that. -.. .
was sorry to see an article in the UNION
AND AMERICAN in which the writer &C
knowledged the inexpediency of such
law in East Tennessee, but claimed it to be
an absolute necessity in other divisions of
the State. i cannot see it in that light. II
we have more timber than Middle and
West Tennessee, should We not commence
saving it while iC is plentifal, and not wait
till it is exhausted before we commence
talBing about II? Surely this would be wise
policy. We do not wish to be under the
necessity in after years of planting forest
trees, as is nov the case in many parts of
the world. E~l IH.rI -rHf 4 ~
know East Tennessee is looked upon
by SONS as grazing country. II is true
some uf our people drive cattle into the
fountains to Craze, but that is out Of the
reach of our farming communities Ihave
a Ueighhor who drives cattle to the mOun.
tsins every summer and find him decided
" in favor Of the stock law. He says he
has been in the habit Of leaving his cattle
without herdsnan, and generally loses
sufficient number 70 employ man TO take
care of them. So the 10 fence law can be
no disadvantage TO him. ' 't-
hope our friends viii not exelads East
Tennessee from the contest in future, but
let us all work together, and continue
WORKING uuhl We have gsinea this impbr-
taDtspd. 1t may be sometime before the
minds Of the people, are thoroughly ril,e
for such change, but il viii cer;aiuly be
wOrthour tronble when the object is iusliy
accomplished. ". 80
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