The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1878-04-26
Garr4ers' Column.
Speed the PLOsp.o
Pasturing the Public Roads.
To tie Editor Of The -Egis:

that any one could be found who was willingt to
| defend such wrong; but l observed in your
paper one or two weeks after letter from an
| anonymous correspondent, at Forest Hill, in
| which, while not being able to deny the exist
ence of such law, or the justice fit, was yet
| ready to impugn the motives of those who in
| sisted upon It's enforcement. lie professed to
| argue that the laws should be waived, or kept
| in allegiance, in the case ofthc "poor man." By
| the same argument, if we find the "poor man"
| robslng our granary in the night, and he pleads
that he is only getting little food for his COW,
| why, that Is no offense, but commendable in
dustry and forethought in providing for his hun
cry animal. In the summer season the COW can
| go into the farmers fields of grain, and provide
| for herself. That is all right. But in the win
ter the farmer has his grain in his crib, and the
COW can not get it without assistance. Now,
is there any law to punish the 'poor man. for
breaking into and robbing his neighbours gran
| airy when his COW Is suffering for food? In
| choosing between the two cases, 1t would be
much better to take the grain from the crib; for
That would all be utilized When the COW goes
into the grain field, she destroys, by trampling
| under foot, three times as much as she eats
When spoke of the poor man" in my letter,
had no reference to the honest and industrious
man, who through sickness or misfortune had
become disabled Tor making living for his fam
| NY or Tor himself. such can always find friends
| TO heip them in their time OF need referred
TO The lazy, the IDLE and the vicious poor man"
the man who boldly tells you that "the world
|
| the roads, while generally he will be found at
the grocery,
AS stated III my previous letter, II is not the
poor man" who thus violates the law The
man who only has sufficient money to purchase
q COW, and none with which to buy proyender,
must ofnecesity become poorer and poorer every
day ne owns COW, until finally the COW must
go. Inc man VINO Is able TO own COW, is able
10 iced her honestly, without robbng his neigh
bors, and, ergo, he is not the poor man."
10 show now prone we are to Jddge Others
by ourselves, your torest Hill writer announced,
WIN quite flourish, mat the reason NV. ). +"
objected to Others pasturing the public roads
was That he, doubtless, was so entirely indie
pendent and probably owned so many broad
acres, mat he 1elt no necessity nor inclination
TO thus violate the law:
The SAID writer VIII perhaps be surprised
when inform HIM That wv: ). f." does not
own cow nor hog, simply for the reason that
he has no land TO iced them upon; and because
he would not be able to look his neighbour the
lace after his COW or hog had broken into his
noyed by other peoples stock than perhaps, any
one IN his vicinity. lie has good, substantial
fence around MS mule l0t, ana gates that are al
ways III good order. IL Is Only when by acct
dent gate Is let open that road animal even
sets loot upon his nclosurc
wv. ). +. speaks Tor others, not for himself
HIS sense OF justice Is so constantly called into
requlstlon by seeing the suiterlngs his niegh-
bors are compelled TO endure from the depreda-
Va "tOSit
TO look on without uttering word of warning
to those who thus constantly violate the laws Of
the land and, as consequence excite most an
cry and bitter feelings on the part OF his neigh
boTs
one OF my nelghDors, whose feelings nave been
eXasperaled from this cause beyond the point of
endurance, has brought powder and shot to his
aid in getting rid OF these iniruders. This seems
hard on the dumb Deasts VINO, when hungry, as
all road stock always are, do not recognize the
ulStlnctlOn between MCU1n ana tUUnl, WIen lneV
sec a beautiful neld OF grass or grain just over
the fence. Inc owners, OF course, should be
maze 10 suher I'm pocket instead OF the animals
themselves.
But in nine cases out OF ten, when you send to
the owners OF such STOCK that they nave been
damaging your crops, his answer in return is:
"Iell Mr.. a. TO make better fences !" Mr. A.
alter receiving sucn message, very naturally
feels like bringing MS gun or bulldogs into re-
QUESTION toward relieving himself from the loss
cs inflicted by the intrusion OF road cattle and
hogs.
had not intended saying one word in reply
to your Forest lill correspondent. He misrcp-
resented nearly every statement that made, and
presented no arguments in support of his own
views lie dwelt on the poor man" altogether,
and attempted to excite his preJudlces. There
are very few in TINS community who have con-
trlDuted, according TO means, more than have
TO the poor man. AND have much more re-
spectfor an honest poor man than have for a
rlch man OF doubtful honesty. The honest man
WIN not lou MS ieiSnpoi eIlhol ny oIcahlllS mo
his corn-crlb or by allowing his stock to destroy
his grain in the field. Gods poor are always
cared for. "Ihe wind is tempered to the shom
lamb"
The occasion of my present letter, Mr.. Editor,
and had not INTENDED such long preamble,
was entirely due to the most excellent com
munication in Ihe 11tgiS of the 9th inst, em,i-
tied, PdSturtn9 the Roads, and signed, A Poor
Man.
He depicts in such plain and familiar language
the various annoyances and Injuries that sin
gle COW may occasion in neighborhood, that
IT seems simply incredible to the present writer
how any man can, under any circumstances,
Justify another i'll inilicting such damage upon
his fellow man. Certainly, no man would be
willing to append his own name to such an at
tempted Justification. Think of it not only to
suffer from fields and garden damaged by such
COW in the summer, but your ornamental trees,
your eyergreens In the lawn, that have required
ten or fifteen OF the best years of your lfe-a
labor of loye-to bring to their perfection of
beauty, all destroyed, even in the winter season,
by the same outlawed cow, in ten or fifteen min
utes! And this, simply and solely for her amuse-
ment! Has the owner of such stock any Chris
tian charity in his soul? Ormust he be justified
for his absence on the plea of Doycrty2 Tho