The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-06-08
The Fence Law.

A number of citizens of Chatham coun-
ty, Ca, have petitioned the grand jury
of that county to recommend to the Leg
islature, at its next session, the abolition
of the fence law. The petitioners want
the Legislature to make such change
in the laws as would put the onus of
building fences upon the owners of stock,
instead of upon the agriculturist as at
present. They claim that it is but COM
mon Justice that the person who owns
animals capable of doing damage to the
property of others, should be forced to
keep these animals up or pay the damage
which may be heresult of their being al
lowed to 60 at large.
The signers give the following three
reasons why the existing law is inequita-
BILE and oppressive:
l. Because they entail upon the agri-
culturist the necessity of protecting his
property (crops) against the ravages of
his neighbor's property, (live stock while
they do not compel the owner of the live
stock :o keep his property from injuring
that of his neighbor, but permit him to
let it 60 at large, to do what damage it
may, and do not hold him responsible,
unless the owner of the crop has put a
fence which may exceed in cost the value
of all the cattle against which he has to
protect himself. We believe that it can
be proven that if all the stock in the
county, outside of the city of Savannah,
were sold, the sum realized would not be
sufficient to pay for erecting legal fences
around the crops planted in the county.
2. 1t renders valueless large bodies of
land upon which taxes are paid. For,
as the law stands at present, person
owning five acres of land or less, may
turn loose upon it five hundred head of
cattle, which he knows will roam over
land belonging to others, seeking for
subsistence and it is even believed that
there are persons who, having small areas
ofland, have enclosed them entirely with
q legal fence and turned their stock loose
to feed upon their neighbors, whereas, if
these persons were held responsible for
damage which might be done by their
stock, they would seek grazing ground
for them where they could be kept from
going astray, and thus lands which are
totally unproductive and fit for nothing
DuG grazing PURPOSES, wouio oo onSio'eu
and rented out for pastures. Moreover,
arabic lands, which are now left out OF
cultivation on account Of the expense OF
erecting and maintaining legal fences
could be planted by their owners or rent
ed to small farmers, and thus the agrl-
cultural products upon which the poorer
classes depend for living, would be in
creased.
8. The law, as it now stands increases
temptation to crime; the cattle roaming
at large are liable to be killed and stolen
by the idle and worthless portion of the
community, since there is little chance o.
detection, and, besides this, negroes and
others having small crops, when they see
cattle are destroying them, are tempted
to MAIN and injure the cattle, and if the
stock owner should find evidence sufli
cient to convict them, they would sPt
tried and punished, and the county would
be put to the expense of criminal prose
cution and if no such evidence can be
found, their crops being destroyed, those
persons are almost driven perforce tt
steal, and thus the criminal portion o
the community is increased in nnm
bers.