The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-12-07
A HOG LAW, A COW Law.
A shesp Law, A Horse Law, nnd no Dog
Law.

EDITORS INTELLIGHNCER: The laws OF
South Carolina provides for the recovery
Of damages com mitted by all our domes-
tic animals except the dog, whether the
owner Of such animal be Of standard
responsibility or not; and recent decis-
ions Of the Courts have added our poultry
to tho list, and the "poor dog" has been
loft out in the cold. Why is this : Is the
whole race Of dogs 80 lnsignihcantly
small and worthless? Good authority
states that our dogs out number our sheep
and hogs combined, and all owners or
good dogs rate their value as high, upon
an average, as sheep and hogs are held.
T, for one, have always had place Tor
pay all damages that they may commit
upon my neighbors' property, and only
desire law that will require all other
owners Of dogs to do the same, and to
keep them at their own expense. II q
triaing, lazy, thriftless negro, or "hood-
lum" white man. living in the suburbs
OF town or other place, does not feed his
COW or hog 1t will naturally starve and
die but his dog will not, He will climb
over, dig under, or go through the small
est crack, in or out ut the gate, or bsoken
window pane. He will stand at the cor
ner and wait, or 60 ten miles around to
some hoo's nest, slop tub or sheep pas
ture, or corn field-he cannot be starved
out; he will have his living at some ones
expense, and the law should provide a
dog fund to pay his board bill, or kill
such dogs an are considered rowing
nuisance. Some good citizens advocate
and practice promiscuous slaughtering
with the shot gun or poison, as we have
no law to reach such cases and no way to
collect damages for such depredations ;
but trust that our law makers will agree
that our growth in civilization has now
advanced beyond the age when the shot
gun and poison should be tho only resort
to defend our property. Weiarmers pay
our proportion of taxes which 90 to pay
the expenses Of our Courts and govern
ment, and it is but fair that the lrrespon-
sible doS-owner and his dog be looked
after by the law the same as other snl-
mails are, and not force the otherwise LAW.
abiding citizen to splice out the laws OF
our State with his shot gun or poison.
Let's have no privileged characters among
US, neither rich or poor, high or low peo-
Die, or spotted dogs or "yaller" dogs.
Unjust determinations and partial
administration Of our laws are no doubt
at the bottom of = largo proportion OF our
neighborhood feuds and law suits.
Where the dog law is good outside Of
the sheep-fold: A farmer boasted that
he had kept sheep sixteen years and
never lost sheep, woke up ono morning
and found his whole flock killed by dogs
in a single night. Ho and his friend
killed nine dogs the next day before
noon, and he got shot in the leg himself,
besides shooting through mans hat in
a fuss over dog; made about q dozen
life. time enemies among his nejghbors,
got into law suit with two prongs to it
ALI in one day. His sheep are all gone
and his spirit and courage in this enter.
prise, along with tho pecuniary loss OF
his hard earnings. went with it; but his
enemies still stay.
Now, if ne had dog fund to psy such
damapeu-or in other words a law to
defend and protect this class Of property
this man, no doubt, would have gone
quietly to the authorities, collected the
damages, and went about his business;
and could afforded to have retained his
reputation as q law-abiding and peaceable
citizen-while our paid servants OF the
State, who are sworn to administer the
law in equity to all men and to preserve
peace among men, take charge OF this
case. Let poor, hungry negro or white
man kill sheep or rob hens nest and
the law will hunt him down with guns
and pistols, while the rowing. mongrel
dog that eornMits the same act escapes
outside of the law, How much better can
dog be than hiB owners
II your COW, hog, horse or sheep get
over in your neighbours grain fold, tho
animal may be hold and sold to pay the
damages but his dog may come over to
your yard, rob every hens nest in 1t, dig
under the dairy, turn over and destroy
all its contents, eat roasting ears all the
season, or kill your sheep, and you have
practically no redress, il his oWner has
not q property-yalue above the home
stead. J, G, STRIBLING.