Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-12-18
TAn DOC QUESTION IN WEST
VIRGINIA.

ter" and thereby making room Tor sheeP
husbandry, is for the State to offer a
sufficient bounty for dog scalps, and
give every fellow full right to kill every
other fellows dog that ne can catch or
coax away from home.
We had in mind instances of old Gus
toms in regard to olfscalps which were
paid for by the Western States in early
times, in order to get rid of that pestif-
erous relative Of the dog. And then,
there is a modern custom in the larger
cities of establishing dog pounds, where
every stray dog is unceremoniously dis
patched, and the party producing dog
for this purpose receives a fee OF nifty
cents or more. BY this means the dog
population Of the cities is reduced once
a year to a proportion equal to the num-
Der of naturalized citizens.
Ii has occurred TO us at times that
some such measure must ultimately be
inaugurated by the Legislature by way
Of solving the dog problem in West Nir-
GINA. But on reading an article in the
New York Times discussing the results
of similar policy applied to bears, by
the States OF Maine and New Hamp-
shire. We are not certain that we will
advocate such a dog law for West Viz
ginia, unless by so doing our neighbOr-
inc States of Ohio and Pennsylvania
can be induced To offer a higher premi-
um than we. We are much discOur-
aged by this bear story OF the Tunes,
but, at the same time, we eau
ton our readers that it is written by one
of the editorial contributors of that
journal whose fund of fancy is always
in excess Of his facts, and the rOseate
picture OF the bear industry in New
England, which We append, must be
taken, cum grdHO sails, with a grain OF
salt:
For many years the farmers in the in
terror of Maine have devoted themselves
10 bear raising. The State pays large
premium for every bear scalp that is de-
iivered 10 the authorities, and thus pow
erfully fosters the bear industry. There
is no more beautiful rural spectacle than
that which is afforded by tlOurishing
bear farm. In the morning, at early
dawn, is heard the cheerful song OF the
farmers boy as he drives his father s
bears 10 pasture. At noon the pasture,
with its flock of bears grazing in the sun,
| or drowsily stretched in the shade, would
fiji an animal painter with delight; and
when winter comes, and the women Of
the farm dry out the bears grease in
vast iron pots, while the young bears
gambol about the yard, the scene rivals
i'm picturesuueneSs the sugar-bOiling
festivals in the maple groves of Yer
mont. Bears increase rapidly, and a
good mich bear IL estimated TO yield
from ten 10 twelve pounds OF excellent
butter, besides couple OF small cheeses,
daily. 10 is not unusual for bear far
mer 10 rear annually twenty or thirty
young bears, and, as the profit made by
the sale of butter and cheese pays the
cost Of keeping the bear Hook, the pre-
miums paid Tor the scalps, together
with the receipts for bears grease and
meat, yield large profits.
Ii was estimated that in 1877 there
were employed in the State OF Maine in
bear-farming no less than 800 families.
The capital invested in the business was
appraised at Sl,7S4,00O, and the net
profits were estimated to be fully S2O,-
600. Maine was Justly proud OF her
bears. By careful breeding she had de-
veloped a fine, large style OF bear, which
was iar-as well as iur-superior 10 the
common wild bears OF the other States.
Naturally, this state OF things excited
the envy OF New Hamphjre, and recent
w that State passed a law offering a
much higher premium for bears scalps
than was offered by Maine.
The affect of this action was imme-
date and great, and it needs but little
foresight To perceive that it willruin the
bear industry of Maine. Already
the bear farmers are abandoning Maine,
and moving, with all their property, to
New Hampshire The roads are crowd
ell with droves of bears trOtting slowly
toward the boundry line, and driven
by weary men and boys, assisted by
ruthless and earnest dogs. During the
night the drovers put up at the wayside
inns. where their hOCks find tenn
pOrary accommodations inthe barnyard.
Fully seven thousand bears, including
Young and old, passed into New Hamp-
shire during the months of October and
November, and still the exodus con-
! tinues. The inland counties of Maine
have a deserted and ruinous look. The
soft tinklng of the bear bell Is silent.
The gently-rOaring herds no longer
wend their way home from pastures at
set of sun, and the once pleasant spec
tacle of pretty bear-girl, carrying pet
infant bear i'm her arms, and pressing 1t
to her atlectiOnate bosom, Is never seen.
In another year the bears OF Maine will
have vanished utterly, and what is now
one OF the leading industries of the
State will have ceased 20 exist. Mean
while, New Hampshire is rapidly be-
coming the great bear-State of the
Union. Next summer the streets other
capital will be thrOnged with men car
rying bears scalps to the Treasurer's Of
flee. The northern part Of the State
will swarm with bears, and the taxable
value Of the bear-iarms will be some
thing enormous.
There is a grave question as to the
constitutiOnality OF the act of the New
Hampshire Legislature which offers a
bounty on bear-scalps larger than that
offered BY Maine. Nothing is clearer
than that the Federal Government alone
has the right to levy duties. The bear
bounty of New Hampshire is not tech
nically a duty, but it has precisely the
effect of a protective duty established
by one State 10 protect an industry
against the competition OF other States.
New Hampshire seeks to protect her
own bears against the competition of
the pauper bears of Maine. The new
/ bounty law makes it profitable TO raise
, bears within her borders, and virtually
iorbids the Maine farmers to raise bears
in Maine. This is a violation of the
spirit if not of the letter OF the Federal
Constitution, and it is the opinion of
several of the leading lawyers OF Maine
that the Federal Supreme Court, if APP
pealed 10, would decide that the New
| Hampshire law is unconstitutional, and
hence null and void.
II would be well ii Congress were to
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