Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1875-06-17
The Dog Law.

Assembly at It's recent session mas
ELECTED SO much comment IN the
agricultural districts as that "to
increase the revenue of the State
and encourage wool growing" but
known-"for short"-as the Dog
Law. There are always two
sides to a question, and the side
we present to-day is that taken BY
a man Of no less prominence and
ability than Judge E. L. Garden
hire, Representative from White
county, who voted for the bill:
| Whatever may be said, the
keeping of a dog is luxury, and
not a necessity, of social life. We
are in debt, and every other means
of increasing the revenue is resort
ed to except taxing dogs. Houses
and lands, horses and cattle, jew
els and furniture, are all taxed
why not dogs? If hundred
thousand dollars are raised ny a
tax on dogs, it takes oft that o.
mount from lands and other prop.
erty. IfIam to pay ten dollars
tax, it would seem to matter very
little whether pay the Smount
on a lot of dogs or Oh a four thou
sand dollar larm. Houses and
lands a,e taxed, and no complaint
is made; the necessaries of life are
taxed, and no murmur is heard;
but touch the dogs, and o bowl is
heard through the land by some.
Every man ought to contribute
to the support of his government.
| There is a certain class that pays
little or nothing. Each of that
class has from three to five dogs.
They may stint or deny them
selves coffee and sugar. They
are sparing in the use of salt and
flour, but they will not deny
themselves the luxury of a lew
savage dogs; and it is evidence of
high merit if he has only bitten
some person.
The adases which pass cur rent
among the people have much Wis
dom in them, We hear often OF
killing two birds with one stone,
! IF one will do, the use Of two is ex-
travagant. Then if we can raise
revenue, and rid the country of
worthless wheIps, we have accom-
pliShed much.
The cost of dogs is enormous.
Let US look to figures little. We
have a population of l.25N,O 900.
None, supp nse, will doubt but
that there is one dog for every
six persons, which makes 2OS, 1885,
in the State. 1t will require at
least ten dollars per head to feed
each dog, or $2,0S3,S30 to feed
our dogs. This is more than the
who'e revenue collected last year
! The revenue collected last year
was only Sl,0O9,4Sl 4S. The
food for your dogs, last year, cost
you S273, 1913 50 more than that
Col. Killebrew, in his great work
entitled the Resources Of Tennes
see, after speaking of the cost OF
feeding dogs, says: "But the
losses do not stop here. Not less
than 80 900 sheep are killed an
nually by these pests, worth, say
each. two dollars, which will be
100000. Add to this the dis
couragements of sheep raising
In all countries where sheep rals'
ing is protected and the climate IL
; suited to this branch of husbandry
there should be at least two sheep
for each person. The population
Of Tennessee, by the last census,
was l 25S, $50; multiply this BY
two and the resulting number
should represent th'
number Of sheep in the State
But the actual number is 026, 1888
Deduct this from the number tha'
in all probability would be raise'
if proper protection were gwen
and the loss, properly chargabl'
to the presence of dogs, will b
1,69O,2l7, worth at least S., $50.
s 434.
"But further still. There ar
e innumerable streams now vast
: ing their strength, against thel
i rocky banks, that might be avail
d able and made to work up thei
e wool into valuable stuff, if to
d supply of wool was regular ant
d constant. Ten millions of pound
e. of wool could be grown ever.
? year in Tennessee, without intel
: lering in the least with other in
dustries. Allow this to be wort
ii 40 cents per pound or 81, ,000- 00G
: and that manufacturing establish
f rnents could realize 10 per cent
! ! clear profit, which with the ad
!, vantages here offered, would b
exceedingly reasonable, and her