The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1885-03-05
Dogs.

we CnlDk lnaG we favor Sneek''
raising as highly as any one. We
would encourage wool-growing. We
have no special love for the dog,
though he is the most faithful animal
we have yer considered, and though
he has been recently styled the
braycst animal. A good dog is a no
BILE animal, but sorry brindled one or
a poor 'yallow' one is the biggest
humbug on nature of which we have
ever read We are we'll pleased when
we imagine the contamination Of the
expanded ideas Of progressive theor-
lists, in regard to the wealth of our
coming wool-gr0wers, when the hcr-
rible specter Of disastrous dogs shall
have been blotted from the face of
the Old North State. We have seen
copy Of that bill which proposes to
tax each dog dollar, unless his own
er is also the possessor OF two sheep.
We reckon that is about as good 4
bill on the subject as can be obtained.
We have not 2 very vivid imagination
but still we seem to see, IS il Ga can
vas at every X roads throughout this
coming sheep.ralsing country, scenes,
a fair sample Of which is this: Tom
Jones, the coon hunter. and his faith
f"l Tige, and in the background there
stands two animals .emblematic Of
prosperity, one is ansold ram, the
other is his mate. Tom just Keeps
these two to save his dollar on old
rige, he never feeds them therefore
they are too poor to grow wool. We
have seen it suggested that local dog
laws be passed that may DO for some
communities, but as a general thing
these ]ocallaws are general nuisances.
The obllteration of dogs il 8 perfect
absurdity until. as we believe. the
voters in our State greatly change
both their judgements and their at
fections. 1t is tolerable gritty in
newspapers to urge legislators to &C.
ton about the dogs. We wonder how
legislator, after having supported
such bill, would feel upon going
home and meeting s cluster of his
average constituents would he tell
them they had either to pay dollar
piece on their CANNES Or keep ali
embryo sheep ranch?
Has not the poor citizen as much
right, both Legal and moral, to keep
and glory in his dogs without tax, as
his rich neighbor has to keep without
tax his hundreds of sheep? If man
has five dollars. which he would in
vest in animals, would you tell him
to buy sheep and his tax would be
comparatively nothing, and then tell
him, that he could buy dogs. only on
the condition that one dollar per head
should be paid as tax per annum?
HIVE you any right, either legal or
moral, to tell a man what he shall
possess and what h. shall rot? Give
the faithful dog ar equal chance with
the innocent lamb. Lat them live in
peace. Oh, that our fellow citizens
would imagine the value of a sheep,
md we hope that, if this thing of
sheep raising is what we have seen it
represented to be, sooa every county
in this State will have mutton AMI
wool enough, and to spare. We be-
lievc that if there is such a bonanza
in sheep that our farmers will soon
and 1t out, without any legislation.
Ii the sheep Is SO rich and great then
ne will work out us own salvation
without the aid Of legislation. In the
course OF time between the dog anu
sheep the fittest will survive. The DEa.
ocRAr is friend to the dog and Is
not an enemy to the sheep or vicg
oersa. We only want bosk to receive
justice. If it ls justice to demolish
iog-dom. then it is all right. We do
not wish to be considered unpatriotic
Or fogy-isl in this article.