The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-06-11
THE cow LAW.
A Dissertation Upon It by a
''LaWyaT' Citizen.

SALT LAKE CITY, June 9, 1880.
Editors Herald:
In reading the effusions Of you
several correspondents, or perhsp
correspondent. with various aliases,
can but be surprised at the utter i'm
possibility of pleasing come persons
and the puerile reasons offered TO
being dlspleased and GskinR for NOR
[ refer 20 the correspondence upor
the cattle question:.
From time immemorial It hal
been the almost universal custom, in
this country at least, to have a good
lawful fence, the first requisite to the
collection of damage done by ani
mails, but to satisfy q few landlords
our city fathers, in years gone BY
passed an ordinance, making it 6
Unable ofiense to let various kinds o.
animals run at large, and also au-
thoring any person so disposed tC
take them 10 The estray pound.
Years afterwards the Legislature
passed law, which Is still in force,
With couple of triiIng exceptions,
making the owners OF stock liable for
all damage done BY them, whether
the prsmises upon whicn the dam
age Is done is or is not fenced. Thus
the land owner has the stock and the
owner of the stock completely in his
power, and still is not satisfied, but
wants somebody else to come and
catch the stock and do for him what
be has an equal right, but is ashamed
to do for himself. 1t reminds me of
poor Jones, who was famishiug for
food, but refused to accept corn I'M
less It was sbelled.
And just hear their reasons. There
is danger of their getting on some
body's lawn, Gays Annoyed" and
the boys that herd them will get in
shady places, with their Aippers, and
flip stones at the little birds that sing
60 sweetly in the trees. "Pem." did
not seem to take it go much to heart,
as he always had q boulder ready to
hurl at cows that dared eat grass near
his premises. This is not manifest.
ing very Christian spirit
towards cows, and might get him into
trouble if arrested for cruelty to
animals (better throw at their
owners). But a" Ditto " caps the
climax by informing US that they
have broken down his fence or tried
to do so, he don't seem to know
which, and that in a kind of g go.ss-
you-plesse race with an old COW, he
came out second best, and is conse-
quently anxious to have the police
force called out to try their speed and
endurance with the horned dame;
and your Sunday correspondent
thinks it takes too much trouble TO
protect ones self, and 30 somebody
else with no better right ought to
protect him, and for these several
they ask the officers of the
law ID enforce it, and therefore it is
best that they should know just what
the law Is, and that We should all
abide it, whether it takes tue widows
COW or the rich mans grace. And |
will commence by saying that the
ordinance 10 question and no other
ordinance ever published gives to
any officer of the city any official
right to arrest COW or drive one to
an estray pound. The ordinance
says any person can do SO, and it
would be just as lawful for a police
man, as sc individual, as for anyone
slsc, and no more so. Besides, what
does the ordinance mean when it
says: NAV be driven to the estray
pound by any person?" What
sstrsy pound? The city has none,
and the county poundkeeper has to
be governed entirely by territorial
awe. City ordinances cannot add to
n subtract from his duties or condi-
ions of receiving animals one item.
When the ordinance was passed, l
hiDk, and the city records will show
f | am not correst, We had an estrsy
pound in every municipal ward,
7bich was the place designated where
people aggrieved could drive stock.
We lave never had a City Council
)uG what was too wise to presume to
make rules for a county estray pound.
They might as well sentence prison.
.rs to the county Jail and specify
Upon what terms they must be re-
eivCd.
l will also state, for the benefit Of
ar. Annoyed" that the next sec
ion saye: Nothing in the preceding
ection shall be so construed as to
prevent citizens from heIding milch
}ows. work horses and oxen upon the
lnenclosed land in the city. So, If
le wants to protect his birds and
idewslks from herd boys flippers, he
must enclose them. What effect the
offence law has had upon this ordi-
nance, I ltave for lawyers but
blink, II properly compared with re-
,ent acts, it would be as obsolete an
flair as could be found, and that our
yo-thy and efhclen! marshal upon a
little reflection, will realize that in
his respect, sc in all others, he has
lone bis whole duty, and can tell all |
,rumblsrs, in the language of Ben. |
Butler, that if they don't like things
lere they can sail 10 fresh port.
I see, also, that your evening CO.
has Joined in the cry OF,
On to the estray pound" by officers
# the city, giving as the reason that
what is everYbody's business is al
WAYS neglected but it is not every
1ody's business. 1t is only the BUSH
ness OF anyone who wishes to attend
10 il, and if no one is aggrievec
enough to attend to it, it is Dobody's
business. might 81 well call upon
The police to catch and kill my neigh
tors fowls upon my garden, as to
call upon them to protect my lot
from stock. In g country with a
email army and small police force,
and where every man is q sovereign.
it Is expected that everyone will, to
a great degree, protect himself; and
in e rural city like Salt Lake, which
extends six miles north and south,
and some eight miles east and west, 1t
is absolutely absurd to suppose half q
dozen policeman can scatter them
selves all over ii. bread surface and
run down and gaHOer together sll
loose hogs, sheep, goats, mules, etc
that might be found grazing upon Its
heritage. Nothing Of the kind was
ever contemplated.
Very Remarkably,