Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1882-11-23
THE CRIME OF BRANDING.

Mr. VIM Cor2ine branded his i$Vo oa'tie last
x..l ON III. othe- SIDE. He says that II he loses
them no. their hides wont be worth much to the
next man 10. branding purposes
We tind the above item III the Caid~eh
Kan. Post, and it gives an idea oil the
reckless methods IN vogue among the hery,
un,amed cowboys Of the great West Inc
individual in question has thus deliberately
and wAntonly destroyed hundreds OF dollars
worth OF property 10 CRAFTY mere whim.
He may argue that the cattle are his own,
and that he, therefore, has right TO do a.
he plsases with them, and cover them with
M many brands as he sees BIT, but his acuoh
in none the less an outrsge, and II Is high
time that the Law took oognizance oil such
xillful and malicious destruction. The man
who burns down his own house IL called an
incendiary, and is puni-hed ss such, but the
destruction Of city full OF houses would mol
he equal 10 the Losses which The country
suffers from the Wholesale waste oil millions
Of hides in consequence Of the absurd ana
bsrbarous system OF branding. Ii Is well
settled principle in law that the owner oil
property in one sense holds 1t IN trust ior
the benefit OF the public. II the farmers OF
apy section should deliberately burn up
their growing crops they would be hunted
down as public enemies. Ii the individual
xboxe mentioned were to set fire to the grass
in his cattle range, he would have to do
some hard riding to escape the venseiui
bu,lets Of his neighbors. And yet he il per-
mii,ed 10 destroy ], 400 hides, thereby IN
ereasinc the cost Of every boot and shoe
worn in the country, and the act receives NJ
word OF censure. Ii j. time that proper
public sentiment was aroused in relation to
such outrages.
We are accustomed to hear 4 great deal
about the superior civilization OF the United
States as compared with the South Ameri'
can countries, for example, but the brand
Ing barbarian is no longer tolerated In ih'
principal cattle raising countries OF eouti
America, and the practice Is treated as In
crime which il ia. The Argentine hePuo
lie. which includes the great cattle produc'
ing psmpss OF Buenos Ayres. hiss passed
Law imposing heavy ptnsiiiss on the orahd
ing OF cattle, excepting below the th'gh, OF
the neck, ON the cheek, or on the forehead
The Governments OF Uruguay and bran
are considering similar laws with every III
dicstion Of their speedy enactment IN oo'i
countriss, The United States will then b
the only great cattle producing country ina
permits the incendisry bracding oil hides.
In this connection We must say tha' III
tanner. themselves are not altogether DIANE
less. inasmuoh az they have mace no NOV
toysrd pe.venting the branding outfa-e
In France the tanners associations prough
the subject TO the attention OF The covert
m.nt authorities in such way That 10
Minister OF Foreign Affairs instructed Iii
C,nsul. al all the South American ports
nrse the matter officially ON the govern
nenrs TO which they were accredited. mes
,,nsul,r representations PROFESSIONALLY IA
great influence in bringing about The o.
s,r.d result. The tanners OF this counir
are under a moral obligation TO make SIN
liar movement. The legislatures oil the se'
erai States should he made TO know inst III
branding OF cattle in the way II Is prac,ict
ON the plains is a crime against the puoh'
The last meeting Of the National Tanner
A.-ocistion took up this subject In a feeol
wsy and entered a mild, milk and-~st'
protest agains, the practice on the grouh
that il was wastefal. What is needed Is va
orou. aud determined action. Memoria
should be presented at every session OF u
State Legislatures, and if this fails, the gel
eral government should be appealed to oy
peti,ion to Congress un,ii the evil IL SUI
pressed. The miilers would quickly reese
wsnton destruction Of grain; the inmoe
men labor to prevent the ruthless deslru
zion Of forests. the butchers would be up