The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1875-12-22
THE DOG LAW.
Hon. john Z. Starues's Letter to
his Constituents.

Hon. john Il. StarDeS's Letter to
his Constituents.
For the benefit Of my constituents
| send you a few thoughts for puhli.
cation in reference TO the Dog Law
! am confident that many of the
good people Of Hawkins county have
not Investigated the effects of this
law, although much has been written
on the subject. Some of our -citi-
zens who have already acknowledged
the wisdom and good effect of the
law, are still feeding the passions of
the less informed by misconstruing
its intentions and covering up its
real benefits. which All can see is
done for personal agrantiizement.
The assessment roll shows more dogs
than voters in this county, and we
have three thousand voters
Say. then, we make q calculation
for three thousand dogs. No one can
gainsay that he can feed dog for
less than two cents per meal, which
makes six cents per day, and for
tlree-hgnd:ed and sixty-6re days
Zone year, it costs twenty-One dol.
+ lars and ninety cents per head I;
therefore the three thousand dogs at
that computation. for one year in
Hawkins county, costs sixty.fire
Thousand seven hundred dollars /; but
we will take one half which amount
is thrLy-two thousand eight hairlre1
and fifty dollars. There are seven
teen districts in the county. Divide
that amount by seventeen and we
have to each district nineteen bun
dred and thirty-two dollars and thir-
ty-6ve cents. Put that amount at
interest at 10 per cent for q school
fund and it gives one hundred and
ninety three dollars and twenty three
cents, which will hire a teacher at
thirty dollars q month for six and q
half months in each district ia the
county. Now, sir, there are in dis
trict No. 2. in which / live, about
rwenty-six families who are unable
60 pay anything towards schooling
their children, although they own
the greatest number Of dogs IN that
district. Therefore you can see they
waste enough on the worthless cur
the interest of which at 10 per cent
viii support school for six mouths
and half in the year. Now money
save'l is money made. This is one
of The practical effects of the dog
law, If its intentions are carried out,
for its purpose was not to raise a
special revenue from This source, bnt
to dispose ofthe many worthless dogs
thereby saving the enormous
amount of money expended in feed
ing them, besides the'greatprotection
to the sheep growing farmers. 4
can safely say we have as fine a
county for sheep growing as any in
the State. Quite a number OF our
poor citizens, whose children are suf.
fering with hunger and cold, could
grow enough sheep TO ciotIl6 them
and have a surplus but for the mum
erous and destructive dogs. We have
large mountainous range in which
sheep can live almost the whole year.
/ want my constituents TO know
that while | voted for the dog Law. 1
did so for their protection-their es-
pecihl benefit and their pecuniary ad-
vantage and do think. if they will
look. at IL in its right light. laying
aside undue canine sympathy. they
will say. "Well done, thou good and
faithful servant You have been
faithful to the trust reposed In you
come up higher -
Your humble servant.
f-st5 JOHN L. STAREEs.