The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1877-02-01
Herd Law.

PETERS GREEN Jan. 18Th 1857.
g Ed. CHIEF knowing your well-trie ib~rality in
regard to publishing matters of public interest
pectfully submit the following offset to the vol
ccs from Pumpkin Greek and elsewhere. II seems
that there must necessarily he great amount of
cusable sefshncss ON both sides of the question.
Hence. Tom, with good range north of him. which
Dick and Harry pay taxes. Ito say nothing Of the in
terest invested capital and with no inside fences
to keep up, cries Justify against herd law Well. all
this is excusable because Dick and Harry have the
same privilege. But the wrecking Of that train. &c,
might lie fit subject for the pen of Ned Buntline,
other writer of fiction it may be set down
a pretty good theoretical word painting; hut what
weight argument, has this the practical mind of
the average Donphan County farmeri We readily
conclude that it has absolutely none But Mr. Chap
pie, that that last heard of the railroad.
has been allowed to at large hazel brush pas
ture, till finally yielding to the gentle impulse Of
empty stomach. has broken through my ''bull-tght-
fence and has torn down corn, tossed to the four
winds dozen or more wheat shocks, walked over my
wfe's garden beds and played smash generally; and
come to inform you that unless YOU enforce "hersi
law that COW, will have Vanderslice pa
pers in action of Henshall VS.. Chapple. And this
essary each year; and the fences decay, and the
range becomes poorer, Mr.. Chapples becomes in
corrgble, and with no less than twenty apt apprcnti
ces following her. she becomes the terror of tie COM
mity, and absolutely drives the advocates Of moral
philosophy To petition for universal herd law Not
simply because the law harnOpizes with ethics hut for
the urgent necessity, practicablity, and the healthy
tendency that II has toward justice and equity. Be
Sides it is Of the concontants Of civilization. And
credit, at least by presumng that should discard
ethics, and cling with savage tenacity to savage and
nUmadc custom. notice, by strict observance, that
nine-tenths Of the antiherd Law men those whom
good fortune has placed the border Of piece
Of fprarie land belonging to somebody besiles them
selves; and to renquish their hold it, at this late
date would prove dfsasfrous from the fact that they
have improved most of their own land, with the hope
Of always having the outside pasture and with prob
ability Of getting to transmit to postery Isn't that
10, Tommy i maintain that A., who~e land is all
fenced, has moral right to sign remonsrance from
the fact that, should the County Board enforce the
law, he will still retain all his nghts to his do
main, with ndisputable right to do - he pleases
with the same whereas, he signs u rrmonrtranee,
he virtually says he has much right to b. q land
b. himself has. All because B. was not fortunate
A., in having the msans Whefowith to fence. Yet
still it is obvious that the A. class working the
hardest and are the bulk Of those who remonsr,ite.
But, for fear Of intrusion, will close, with many
points untouched. And, the time i drawing near
for the final decision, this will be my first and last shot
at the target ON Pumpkin Greek And l am sincerely
hopeful that may at least bulrscyc in the
minds of worthy County Board, and, in limited
degree, aid in hastenng the day when the pig and the
lamb and Mr.. Chapple's and calf may all lie down
together in the enjoyment Of equal privilrges And
may this be the happy lot Of those who have dinion
over them. loun, J. T. MIDEk