Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-09-22
COLUMBIA NEWS.


OUR REGULAR CORRESPONuENcE.
River rising.-Ex-Supt. Lockard in
town.-Ben. Randolph, aged 80 and of
color, died in Tow Hill yesterday.-Water
main break on Walnut street between 4th
and 5th.-Butter from 35 to 40 CENTS
Miss Kate Barker, Of Ebensburg, in town.
VIM. Blackburn home from Tyrone and
ThOs. Coleman, of Philadelphia, visiting
his son David.-Tramps abundant.
COlumbians off to the Reading firemen's
parade.-Samuel Filbert and Lewis May
had big luck with bass below the dam,
Sheriff Strine hooked % there ON Tuesday.
Engines blow and hiss too much in the
borough limits. ts.-Chicquesalunca tribe of
Red Men have draped their hall windows
and interiOr.-New railroad rules in force
Philadelphia to-day first engine in is the
first taken ont by tho first crew in.-Pres-
byterian Sunday school will hold an eu-
tertaiment in the armory, including q
''brOomstick drilI' by the ladies' -Women's
missionary society of Westminster pres.
bytery in session here to day.-Laborers
wanted at good wages at Kauffman's and
WOlfe's quarries. -.--
Something About tho bog Tax.
Charles Russell. colOrcd, better known
rs Hard Times, has acted as dog catch
er for several years. He had hearing
before Squire Young OH Tuesday evening
charged with obtaining possession of dogs
already tied mp by the owners, all of whom
arc cOlOred, The evidence developed tho
following facts The charter authorizes
council Ito lay and collect annually, q tax
ON the owners Of dogs The 25th section
is rs follows: 'That all taxes assessed
by the borough council shall be collected
by their collector, Or agents. rs is or may
be prescribed by the laws Of this common
wealth, for collecting state and county
taxes" Instead of laying and collecting
a dog tax annually, as the charter provides.
councils passed an ordinance in 1866, re-
quiring all owners of dogs to have them
registered in July oil each year, and pay
one dollar tax on each to the secretary OF
council, inflictins five dollars fine for
neslccting to do SO, ono half to be paid to
the infOrmer. The same ordinance author
izcd the chief burgess, when the safety Of
the inhabitants shall require it, to order
all dogs penned up or muzZled for thirty
days, by proclamation, and to appoint dog
catchcrs to take up all dogs running at large
in the streets and alleys during that time
that the owners Or agent Of the OwUers
might redeem each dog by paying one
dollar and fifty cents, and il not redeemed
in twenty-fOur hours they were to be
killed. In the case of Tuesday evening the
chief burgess was called as witness and
swOre that no tax ON dogs had been levied
this year !; that lie had issued no prOcla-
nation to have them pcnned up or muz
Zlcd that he had refused to allow the
owners Of dogs to redeem them ut ono
dollar and fifty cents each, as provided
by the ordinance, yet he had allowed the
dog catcher to sell several dogs at private
sale for one dollar and fifty cents each.
"This is certainly a singular state Of
facts" remarked the squire "you are
acting in direct violation OF both tho
charter and ordinance
I" l am not acting under the charter and
ordinance" responded the chief burgess.
g. am acting under the advice Of the bor-
Ough solicitor"
II the chief BURGESS will take peep at
the third paragraph Of Section 12 of the
charter, which requires all fines to be paid
into the borough treasury, then, perhaps,
he will prefer to work under the Ordi-
nances, which gives half to the infOrmer
This dog tax which has been collected,
but never levied, during the last five years,
and the fines imposed in direct violation Of
the charter, are disgrace to our borough,
and the sooner they arc " wipcd QUIT the
better it will bc for all parties concerned.