The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-05-25
CRUELTY roHoRsss.
Inhuman Practices Which Can Not
BE Condemned Too STRONGLY,

CRUELTY IL ftOhoES.
Inhuman Practices Which Can Not
Be Condemned Too Strongly.
Slavery, as far as it consists in buy
/, ing and selling men, women and chils
dren. has been abolished, and our legal
and neral obligations toward humanity
at large are becoming more and clearly
! defined; hut the slave-holding and
, slave=drivine fever still boils In the
blood Of our people: For prosf look at
the dumb beasts in our streets Who ;ire
not yet admitted to have rights which
men and women are bound to respect
who are orer-worked; Overloaded;
! whipped. ierked; cursed, curbed, Slip
! ped, blinded, checked-until their
lives are one long burden of misery:
There have always been men who were
patient, gentle and firm with animals,
and who knew how to bring out their
best qualities-but alas!-thtr I've have
also always been men (and sach men
, still EXIST who were guided Ivy that in
stinct of dull-minded savagery which
tnly the slow work OF progress can
eradicate-t1e idea of government
by brute force. The horse will be
abused as long as he is in the power OF
human beings who have not learned
that the ill-treatment of any dumb or
helpless creature places them far lower
in the scale of conscious existence than
the object of their brutality. He will
he abused as long as men ere too stolid
to heed his suffering or too thoughtless
to perceive it. He will be abused as
long as men believe that they know far
more about him than the Power which
created him. The mouth of colt is
as sensitive as a child's. That will
, never do, SO in the process of breaking
"a term which ought to be as inappro-
pirate when applied to a child-it is
frequently torn and bruised with rough
bits until whom it finally heals Il strong
man can pull Oh it, with ali his might.
II it had been left normally sensitive,
the animal could have been guided by
4 turn of the fingec His eyes can be
coverc with pieces CT leather, and q
lock of his name can be pulled forward
under the forehead strap 50 that it
will fall into the eyes and irritate
them.
The tail, his defense against the an
noyance of insects, can be strung o.
locked although, as we are happy TO
mention, these Offenses are now pun
ishable in several of our states by fine
or imprisonment. The head affords
another opportunity to readjust crea-
ton. 1t is still the opinion of many
that its natural position is one of those
mistakes Of a stupid unknown first
cause, which man, with his superior
judgment, ought to rectify: SO it is
strapped high in the air, and the rest
less movements and foaming mouth
occasionel thereby are suppo sed to in
dictate the suffering creatures uacon-
querable mettlc. Even if it is not
raised to the point of torture, but
merely TO that of discomfort, what
object can be more disconSolato to
the eye of human and humane being
who admires the natural form of a horse
than to see his nose poked out stiff1y
and his wholo pose suggesting Jaded
patience and disgust? No wonder.
poor fellow.-he knows in his dumb
way how little his driver knows, but
he would probably be pounded or jerk
ed if he showed any resentment, SO he
does what few men would do ii they
were compelled to work with their
heads tied back suffers in silence.
imagine there would be a worse strike
than any we have had yet if the pro-
prietor of some large establishment
should insist upon having all his en-
pioyes we + straps over their bacSs
from the tops of their heads to belts at
the waist-in order to give them style,
keep their heads up, make them
breathe better and 60 faster-for there |
is just as much sense in applying any
of these ideas to man or woman as |
10 horse. What a pity that our |
slaves here in Connecticut were freed |
just before the invention of that SUI
preme instrument of modern horse
torture-the over-check! Think OF the
cases in which it might have been used
for discipline when it was not needed
for style! But there is no chance now
to torment any creature with it unless
he is dumb and helpless. Hartford
Times.