The sun., 1872-08-09
MR.. BERGH's TROUBLES.
The Zoophiiist Teiiiug the Fable souirthipr
Ahnmf the CIV RniIrond..
TuE AMFEir,N SOCIETY roE TUE PREvESrioN)
of CgrELTY TO ASinALs.

Tug ANfE.' ) society," ToE TUE PREvFSTioSl
e5 Broadway. Aug 8, isi2.
10 ne Efr0y or The SWi.
SIR: BY the proceedings Of the Board Of
Health yesterday, observe that Commissioner
Barr made an effort To obtain the sanction Of
his colleagues to prosecute the undersigned for
enforcing one Of the most just and humane
laws or the statute book. The charge is stop
ping All the cars on various lines In :he city, and
impeding public transit for hours" So far a.
this sweeping accusation concerns the acts Of
myself or the society l represent, there is
scarcely one word Of truth In It. The railroad
corporations II this city, which have seized on
its public thoroughfares without paying dol
lar into the treasury for their valuable fran
chiscs. engage To- carry the citizens for a con
sidcraton and one of the necessary conditions
is that the horses shall possess the physical
power so TO do Consequently, when they pro-
vide the citizens with sick, sore, lame, and over
worked animals, 1t Is clearly not the fault Of the
law nor H. officers II public travel Is lmpeded,
and the citizen prevented from going where he
desires. II. therefore. n horse il found attached
To one of these vehicles in the condition pro-
scrbed hy the law, IL Is the right and duty II
this society, which was called into existence for
such EXPRESS purpose, to prevent the cruelty oc-
casioncd thereby. Neither Is 1t necessary, nor
does IL ever occur-except by reason Of the Oh
stiuacv of driNer-that the travel Is tmpeded
longer than necessary TO dctach the disabled
horses from the ear. and replace them 10y those
~ the following vehicle, an Interruption OF two
nr hrrc minutes NJ most.
nat. we are asked why don't you ride to the
end oi the route and thele make The arrest
Because the law says, Prevent the CruoltV,'
not prolpng IL tor the profit and convenience Of
offenders.
legcs that | caused " a large block Of cars few
days since in Chatham street, whereby three ur
four different lines of street cars were brought
to stand still, and in those cars were citizens
hurrying To catch the trains at the Grand Cen
her way To attend the death-bed of her sister"
All this Is simple nonsense. as any intelligent
citizen knows, because, In the first place. there
are but two lines of cars which pass through
Centre street, the point where the interruption
took place, nor does the Bleecker street line 20
near The Central Depot and then again It was
| the down car which was stopped, thereby rem
dering II dnlcult 10 see how the young lady in
question could have been prevented reaching
the Central Depot if seated In one Of these veli-
| ces going 10 the Fulton Ferry. when the Grand
Depot is at Forty-second street. No other line
was interrupted for an instant on the occasion
referred to, nor would this one have been had
tNe driver - the following car done as1 request
| ed him, AMI is the uniform practice, put his
horses before the arrested car, which he refused
to do, thereby stopping all those behind him.
on such q tissue of inaccuracies and misrepre-
| scntations this commissioner now seeks 10
| prosecute public servant who gratuitously ana
| nt vast cost 10 himself. of feeling and means,
| seeks 10 enforce laws which the entire country
| is pronouncing of the highest moral and materi-
As To- the Bleecller street line this ufhce is In
| continual receipt Of communications from the
| public deprccating the inhuman treatment Of its
! horses but notwithstanding our prosecutions
| and other legal impedimeuts, its propricturs
| continue TO defy law and public opinion.
| ! have no knowledge whether Commissioner
| Bgrr IL a stoCkholdcr In this Inc, nor that ho
| would suffer such fact to influence his seem
| ngy partial. III Judged and continuous action
| in regard to II, although | regret To add that u
| precedent WAS furnished me some time ago, r
| the person ot one of his colleagues, who, with
admirable franknc.', ayowcd 10 me that his on
| position to my enforcement of these humane
| laWz was based On his being largely interested
| in the company whose crucltic- were mectin.
with the official attentions II this society. II Il
| rr.ti Wing t. observe that President Hoswurtl
| and Nr. Mauierrc did not share the malice and
| had Judgment of the commissioner In question
HEARN BERGU,