Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1872-01-26

presenteda petition from citizens Of our coun-
| ty for law imposing tax on dogs, for the
better protection of the sheep growing inter
ests of the State. Much has been written
upon the necessity of such law, and, as far
as our observation extends. public opinion
throughout the State is largely in favor Of
such an enactment. We cannot doubt that q
Law regulating the ownership of dogs, and
such restrictions thereon as may
tend te4he better protection of sheep, will
give . greater stimulous to this branch of in
dustry in our midst. The only question is,
IS to the provisions Of the law, its necessity.
as we have before remarked, is apparent
We extract from the Westminster Aduocate,
of late date, . decentralization to that paper,
giving an abstract Of the Cecil county law on
the subject which may serve to give an idea
ofths requirements most needed in q general
statute:sh s5s hdg ,ssasiiaGea hes s,ee
sEzitors of khe ADVOCATE FIN glancing over
the II. Vol. Maryland Code, Public Local
4 Laws, my attention was drawn to what con-
1 slider several very excellent euaetments now
\ TO- force in our sister county of Cecil relative
4 to "Sheep, and under that heading to Sc
ries Of sections more particularly applicable
10 Dogs" and Il can conceiseof no better
/ method Of enlightening the public generally on
4 this subject than by communicating it through
/ the eolnmnsof your most excellent paper, and
ct the same time quote verbatim from the a.
bove-mentioned statutes:
Il esTna fsocsi
fty shalt require 90 accurate return to be made
annually by the collectors of :he, several dis
ltricts within the county of all dogs upwards
OF two months old owned or possessed by any
persons within their respective districts, par
iticularly noting the number owned or possess
led by each person and kept about the same
j house.
i They shalllevy and cause to be collected
the sum of one dollar for one dog and fifty
cents each for every additional dog kept, own
ed or possessed by each person named 10 each
return as the owner thereof.
/ The collectors of the several districts shall
lcollect the sums so levied at the same time
! and in the same manner as the county and
State taxes are collected, and shall keep
separate account Of the money arising there
from, aud shall be entitled to six per centum
on the amount collected by them respective
lily, and six cents head for each dog returned
in the aforesaid return TO- the County Com
mlssloners, % ssaa siaaasza 81 ssss.55-.;E &
i The money arising from the said levy shall
/ be paid TO the Treasurer of the county, and
shall constitute fund for remunerating the
Inhabitants Of the county for losses sustained
jby sheep being destroyed or injured by dogs.
1 When any inhahitant Of the county shall have
any sheep destroyed or injured by dogs, be
may apply to the dearest Justice OF the peace,
tvho shall appoint three disinterested persons
10 view and ascertain the damages by him
sustained, and they, or any of them shall GER
i tify the same under their hands and seals to
the County Commissioners, and the Commits
lfsioners shall draw their warrant on the Treas
urer of the county for the amount SO certifi-
ed. to be paid oukof the funds arising: from
1.-THE tax on dogs. dE,ss - r~eE t s@g;.
.Ifthere shall not be sufficient money in the
treasury belonging to the said fund, the war
rant shall be kept by the person in whose ia
vor il. Is drawn and be paid out of the first
money that shall come into the treasury be-
longing thereto. ~ e stssl
Any money that may be in the treasury at
the expiration of any year from the levy
/ thereof, over and above paying the damages
sustained by the Inhabitants of the county in
the loss or injury of sheep by dogs, shall be
by the Treasurer, on the warrant Of the Coun-
W Commissioners. paid to the Board of Com
missioners of Public Schools Of Cecil county,
to be by them applied to the purposes of ed
ucation. aa55aaGs 5s Sc
Any dog kept or staying about house
shall be deemed sufficient evidence of owner
iship &c. authorize The. collector to return the
person inhabiting said house as the owner or
possessor Of such dog, and any person send
ling his dog from house to house Or place to
tplace to avoid the said tax, shall be liable to
Fpay double tax therefor; and every dog not
returned shall be deemed to have no owner,
and may be killed byiany person seeing him
running at large" stf.r -
i The above laws need no comment as they
are simple. plain. yet comprehensive, and
strike one as being proper and just; besides
they are exactly what are now needed in our
own county, or at least, some provisions of a
tsimilara nature would we'll accord with the
wishes of many. aaG Il sadT
Let those who are interested in this matter,
and particularly the County Commissioners.
lsee to it. remembering that, "Iftwere done
when it's done, then 'twere well 'twere done
quickly..' CANNES.
| ~gH sr sxsn.a A.s...s. ~ .,...W vif 81