The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-04-13
A GROUND HOG TALE.
Trssble Caused BY ; 6lst Of
Caudal Appendices.
aEsuLr o. Al ELECTION cry


TAe evveruuous,s o6nciafs may run
away 10 Cssoas Win I'll IL monsy On
hard, ststs frsasussss may ~ ~ iast csnt
in ths sssaSusy. buk aftef ~, smaller po-
Istieal divisions sometimes hsvs greater
ioods 70 bsas. Taxa. 1oe Instances. Inds-
pendencs township. warren county. Esw
Jsrsuy, - sd case Il which ~ notsd IN
yestesdsy's 1S0sns Has the tfeasufsr Of
ladepsndence towship defs1itsd7 Not q
ait-hs h nrm - . rex. and pun TIE funds
undsr his bsd mattress svsFy night That
is, n did - secsUes them while thsy
tastsd. and y goady 70 continue TIE pssc-
lice - soon - he trustees csn doat loan.
The trouhle IN Indepsadencs township
beenn ths day of The recent spring election.
On Inst Day the people voted - pay .
bounty cf Is esnts saeh for gToundhog
tails. Ths idea vas, a. eourse. that The
groundhog would ~ dead when his tail Vas
removed. and dsad sroundhogs in indie
pendence Township vsrs CREST dssiderar
tum. Ths cry On election day VS.: The
groundhcG must go" A few conserve
tivss worried feehay against the movement,
but thsy were hootsd down and cutvoted
sivs 10 ons. The township treasurer was
ordered u pay Is csuts for each and every
groundhog tail delivered q his Office.
Whsn ths votefs At Independence town.
ship returned - thsir homes on the night
u election day Il was with the firm con-
siction that ths sToundhog question VS.
settled forever.
But. In point Of fact. the trouble had only
Inst begun. Early The next morning men
snd boys began TO arrive 81 the treasurer's
,fIics with grounding tails. And this poor
official hss known no peace SINCE He has
Stood In his oflics and counted grounding
tails from morn 10 noon, from noon 10
dewy eva, and still they continue TO come.
He has found crowd awaiting him each
morning. and half OF the time when he has
closed up Ct night II has bssn 10 leave line
Of anxious dspositofs with bundles Of
gsoundhog tails under their arms. Even
the poor trsasurer's brother officials turned
against him, and the township clerk
brought In 10 tails, while the three trustees
hare each averaged about ten Per day. and
The justice Of the peace has adjourned
court two hours earlier each day % that be
could get out and look Ct his traps.
The treasurer complains, and, Il would
Oem TO N, with reason. that he Is kept
20 busy counting tails that he cannot find
Time 70 capture any Groundhogs himself.
He Get = trap the next day after election.
but has not been able 70 90 out 70 look
after Il since. Indeed, there Is . rumor
that the principal Of the schools takes .
grounding out Of the trsasursr's trap each
morning and draws the bounty on Il In the
afternoon. Two or three days ago the
treasurer raid out he last cent Of the town.
ships money and began 10 hops for rest
But Il was decided that he must continue
10 keep track Of the tails brought In, and
giss each applicant . due bill This has
lncrsased rathsf than diminished his work.
The township h clearly bankrupt, and the
conservative who opposed the measure
are delighted 70 - their predictions vsFi-
lied: nevertheless. they are ont hunting
groundhces along With tie radicals.
its whispered that the gToundhogs from
which the tails are harvested did not ell of
them infest Independence township-that,
In fact. the whole Of Warrsn county, II not
large part Of the state Of New Jersey, is
bsinG drawn On to keep up the supply.
But this cannot b proved There IL no dis
tinGstishinG characteristic about the tail OF
The Independence township groundhog by
which the treasurer can identity II Il Is
said. also. that ingenious citizens in the
southern part Of The township are cutting
up the whole Groundhog hide into tails and
'mposing them on the somewhat short
sighted treasurer. thus making one
animal count ~ twenty: bat tins seems
hardly possible II there he fraud it
probably does not sxtsnd beyond the
Introduction OF the foreign and exotic
grounding. An appeal. We are told, is 10
bs made 10 the courts with the hope that
they may pronounce the measure illegal.
This win take some weeks, however, and in
The meantime Il would seem TO Be- well for
our readers living In Independence town
ship TO rush Ia their grcundhog tails and
get their oYders IN thu treasurv