The Dawson journal., 1883-08-09
The Fence QucstiOn-A Letter
from Houston County.
published by Request. }

BENZ. KING, Dawson, Ga.
Dear Friend II learn you want
to hear from the workings of the stock
law through me and my neighbors
The law has been declared about IL
months, but did not amount to any
thing until Christmas last. When
people began to take down their
fences and as you would naturally
suppose trouble began in various
ways with it, first to shut up, next
more stock on hand than we could
afford to keep up and feed. We then
began to sell off as best we could,
some times not getting half
the value of said COWS. Next was
nelghbors falling out with each other
about some little damage done, and
in one case in our districts fight
took place in which little blood and
black eye was the result between
two young men, so to say the least OF
it. We drug through with an awful
spring trying to keep our few mich
COWS alive, and I have no doubt you
have seen through newspapers how
harmonious it was working, and in
some cases that could mention there
was and is not yet harmony enough
under the same root. Father against
son and vice versa though as we
have our pastures sopen relieves us
considerably. Where we have wa
ter, and many have no water, there
fore have to haul, and the stock law
man as well as those who oppose
have decided that COWS can not be
kept unless it be very good ones,
and even then the milk and butter
will be dear. Hogs can be kept up
by preparing grazing patches for
them in winter and spring. Our
population has run down considera-
BILE. We are only allowed two rep
resentatiyes in the Legislature, where
as we had three, and. it is, | believe,
and acknowledged on all sides to be
the negro that has left. We who
live in the northern portion of Hous-
ton did not need any stock law,
neither did we want it, as the vote
counted out at the Court House sos
for fence to say nothing of those
votes inundated and destroyed at
the precincts showed. But foul play
began inssantep, andtbat tremendous
majority was changed 10 make it APP
pear little the other way. While I
am not hurt so much as some, l have
increasingly fought rhe principle, as
I don't believe in doing evil that
good may come, and It viii no doubt
be an isssTe' in our election for mem
bers of the Legislature as, well as for
county officers next year. We have
come very near entering a. suit
against the law, as we have been in
formed that the law suthsriziass IL
was weak and fabricated, but we
feared a general stock law at this
session of the Legislature is the rea-
son we didn't push it. We did not
fear a failure, as the fraud was so
prominent in the contest. When you
hear of the great results arising
from the stock law believe it not
People are still improving and yet
nothing gets no better, but a rest
less and q pervesed generation sees
progress but not much progress
IF an election again could be obtain
ed the fence men would get it, no
doubt, but the time has passed. 1t
went INTO the courts and there ended.
To show you that my section was
opposed we voted in the upper 9Th
district 125 votes, IL of that plumber
were stock law men, but in the more
southern porhon they were nearer
divided. There is section of this
county now that don't recognize she
law. They keep up their fences and
let their stock run at large. Now and
then a man in such, neighborhoods
pulls down his fences and thereby
forces a dozen of his neighbors to
shut up their stock, so that's the way
we grt along. You now and then
see man whose interest in agricul-
ture amounts to good size squash
patch have more to say for the stock
law than any one else. BY such
emty head" the people have had 10
suffer in many localities. A short
corn crop this year will convince
many that keeping up hogs is almost
ruinous, to say nothing Of q few
mixers. We had this year super
abundance of corn to commence
with. Another year we will grapple
with. short crop. / could show
many more evils of ii; but sufficient
to say that any county tina, has its
timber and range had, better let it