River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-01-10
CRUELTY TO AoRsEs.
tnhuman Practices Which Can Not Be
Condemned Too strongly.

Tnhuman Practices which Can Not Be
Condemned Too strongly.
Slavery, as far as it consists in buy
ing and selling men, women and chill
dren. has been abolished, and our
legal aud moral obligations toward
humanity at large are becoming more
clearly defined: but the slave-holding
aud slave-driving fever still boils in
the blood of our people. For proof
look at the dumb beasts in our streets
who are not vet admitted TO have
rights which men and women are
bound to respect-who are over
worked. overloaded, whipped, jerked.
cursed. curbed. clipped. blinded,
checked until their lives are one long
burden of misery. There have always
been men who were patient, gentle aud
firm with animals. and who knew how
to bring out their best qUalities-bub
alasl-there have also always been
men (and such men still exist
who were guided by that instinct
of dull-minded savagery which
only the slow work of progress
can eradicate-the idea of governments
by brute force. The horse will be
abused as long as be is in the power Of
human beings who have not armed
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
| be abused as long as men are too stolid
u heed his suffering or too thoughtless
~ perceive 1t. 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 a
| colt is as sensitive as a child's. That
will never do. so in the process of
breHking-a term which ought TO be as
inappropriate when applied TO a child
lit is frequently torn and bruised with
rough bits until when it finally heals a
strong man can pull on it, with all his
might. II it had been left normally
sensitive. the animal could have been
guided by turn of the finger. His eyes
can be covered with pieces Of leather.
and a lock of his name can be pulled
forward under the forehead strap so
that it win fall into the eyes and irri-
/ tate them.
The tail. his defense against the am
/ noyance of insects. can be strung or
doeked-although. as we are happy to
mention, these Cffenses are now pun
ishable in several of our States by fine
or Imprisonment The head affords
another opportunity to readiust crea-
ton. II 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 10 rectify; so it is
strapped high in the air, and the rest
less movements and foaming mouth
Occasioned thereby are supposed to in
dictate the suffering creatures uncon-
querable mettle. Even if it is not
raised to the point of torture, but
merely to that of discomfort, what OBJ
/ ject can be more disconsolate TO the
eye of human and humane being who
| admires the natural form Of hOrse
than to see his nose poked out stif1y
and his whole pose suggesting jaded
patience and disgust? No wonder,
/ poor fellOwl-he knows in his dumb
way now little his driver knows, but
he would probably be pounded or
| jerked if he showed any resentment, so
| he does what few men would do il they
| were compelled to work with their
/ heads tied bacll-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 oil his en-
! ployes wear straps over their backs
from the tops Of their heads 10 belts ~
the waist in order - give them style,
keep their heads up. make them breathe
| better aud 60 faster for there Is just
as much sense in applying any Of these
ideas 10 n man or a woman IS 10 "A
horse. What a pity that our slaves
here in Connecticut were freed just be-
| fore the invention OF that supreme in
strulnent Of modern horse-tortUre-th
over-check. Think OF the cases in
which il might have besn used for dis
cipline when il was not needed for
style: But there is no chance now TO
torment any creature with it unless he
is dumb and bel pie-s. Hartford Times.