The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-12-16
Correspondence Cincinnati Commercial.
More Dogs Than Men.
Chattanooga, Nov. 20.

1t is a humiliating fact that there
are more dogs in Tennessee than
men. Returns from the dog tax as
sessment from thirty counties, the
first to reach the Comptroller's office,
show AZ, 574 men and 7O,79O dogs.
These thirty counties do not en-
brace quite one-third the State, but
from them we can judge pretty
fairly what the totals will be-
When all the returns are in, the to-
tails will no doubt show that Tennes-
see contains very nearly one hun
dred thousand more dogs than men.
This is among the "great induce
ments to immigration" to the farm
ing class who would naturally want
to raise sheep in this favored eli
mate.
And right here let me ay what
firmly believe to be true, namely,
that the dog tax imposed by the last
Legislature has done more to induce
immigration to this State from the
farming class, than all the Bureaus
ofimmigration,' all the Commission
ers, all the printed documents cireu-
lated, and all the newspaper letters
written. Not law has been passed
since the war that will rebound so
abundantly to the real interests of
the State. Time and again the at
tempt has been made to impose a
dog tax, but the effort has always
been stihed by prejudice and igno-
race, until the last Legislature took
the bull by the horns.
DOGS VS.. SHEEP.
Tennessee is naturally one of the
finest sheep raising sections of the
world. Tennessee wool has repeat
edly taken the premium at the
worlds fairs, notably at Paris and
London, where all the world was
brought into competition. All over
the Cumberland Mountains, embrac-
ing about one-eighth Of the entire
area of the State, grass grows knee
high, affording feed for sheep nine
or ten months in the year. Sheep
can be wintered here at ten cents a
head, whereas in Michigan it costs
not less than one dollar a head
This OF itself is a difference worth
taking into consideration. Yet
millions of dollars in cash are annu-
ally carried into Michigan, paid cut
for wool, and scattered among the
thrifty population, making them
richer every year (as their tax dup
licate annually shows), while in
Tennessee not one-sixth enough
wool is raised for home consump-
tion! Money is annually drained
from this poor State to buy wooden
clothing for the population, and
money. too, that never comes back,
for there is nothing to bring it. The
increase in wealth in Michigan in
one year is more than it is in Ten
nessee in eight years. And in Mas
sachusetts, the increase in wealth in
five years is more than all Tennes-
see is worth. That is, the people of
Massachusetts, actually earn and
save more in five years than all Ten
nessee would bring, if sold at a fair
valuation. Notwithstanding that
last year was a hard year, the in
crease of valuation of property in
Massachusetts on the tax books was
sixty-eight millions Of dollars, and
It is doubtful if Tennessee this year
viii show one-hundredth of this
sum. Indeed, from the tax dupli-
Gates already sent in 70 the Comp
troller from thirty counties, there is
an actual falling Off of about 800,
600 from last year. But IN those
thirty counties there are over "a, 600
dogs, or about three dogs to every
two men. WHAT'S lacking in wealth
Is made up in dogs To sag moth
ing Of the sheep these dogs kili,and
the almost compleee annihilation Of
the wool business in general, which
| they eause-in addition 70 Al! this,
they actually consume enough to
fatten hogs Tor home consumption.
In Massachusetts, the @swill'' from
the kitchen, embracing the refuse
from the table, (which in Tennessee