The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-30
HE FAvoRs CHANGING 1T.
Mayor McDonouRh Thinks Licenses
Should Be Substituted for Tax.


Should Be Substituted for Tax.
Nearly one-half Of those who were sum-
moned to appear before his honor the
mayor this morning for failure TO pay the
dog tax required by the city called at the
Office Of the city clerk yesterday and paid
the required 81. No charge was made for
/ serving the summons. The fifty or more
| parties who were summoned who
have not paid up will discuss the
matter with the mayor IN court
this morning, with the possibility
| Of their delay costing them several
times the amount originally required.
Another batch Of 100 or more delinquents
will be summoned TO appear later in the
week.
Mayor McDonough said yesterday. when
questioned about the points that have been
raised as to the illegality of the law, that
he did not make the ordinance and that he
was only performing his duty in enforcing
1t as he found it.
81 am Of the opinion that the ordinance
should be changed to real license instead
OF tax, said the mayor, for that is pzac-
tically what it amounts 20 now. There is
no doubt OF the City's authority to license
dogs TO run at large within the city limits"
Many OF the parties who paid their dog
tax at the city exchange yesterds5 sd so
under protest.
INCIDENTS OF YESTERDAY.
One old colored woman who hal been
summoned informed Deputy Clerk Her
nandez that ''she had seed in de puper where
IL was agin de law TO collect dog tax and
she twas goin' to let de city send her to Jail
and den prosecute de city for damages"
One hearty looking black woman residing
In the southern part OF the city, in
FORMED MaUoF MRllOnon0h ttIat I Oplu
heb de dog for my perfection,
sab. ent got no husband" she explained,
and de dogs de only perfection l rab. l
don't tlnk oughter to pay tax on dat dog.
Everybody chicken round where liv tieved
cept mine. and don't nobody tieve my
chicken cause Of dat dog"
Mayor McDonough suggested that 1t
might be cheaper to secure husband.
70, no." she exclaimed; II hab one hus-
band once, aud hab to wuk for him.
RAIDER pay de tax
And pBy the tax she did.
Another woman said somebody had stolen
her dog and she didn't think she ought to
be made to pay the tax. She was informed
that she had the dog when the tax was as
sessed and would have to pay no matter
who had the dog now. She concluded to
walt, however, and see what the mayor
would do about 1t this morning.
city employe who had been summoned
to appear and state why he did not pay his
dog tax also explained to Mayor Melon
ough that somebody had stolen his dog
II can't help that, said the mayor; "you
had the dog in January"
"But what will | do with bedge9n said
the employee
Buy another dog" suggested the mayor.
The emplOye bought the badge and went
away rejecting upon the inconsistencies Of
law that made man buy badge for q
dog he did not possess
Mayor McDonough confdentially re-
marked to the reporter that he would kick
like steer himself before he would pay
the tax under such circumstances.
WHAT THE ORDINANCES REQUIRE.
The city ordinances relating TO dogs not
only require persons keeping dogs within
the city to buy badge annually for each
dog at 81 apiece, but that the badges shall
be attached to the collars of the dogs and
that all dogs found at large without such
badges shall be impounded or shot The
ordinance also requires that all dogs shall
be mGzzled.
Dog owners have not been REQUIRED to
comply with the portions of the ordinance
requiring dogs Co be muzzled and to wear
their badges upon their collars. MuZzling
is regarded as unnecessary and cruel to the
dog, and 1t mas been found that if dog is
allowed TO- run loose upon the
streets with a badge on, the
badge will be stolen. It has been found
that the dog tax can be collected without
resorting to shooting dogs upon tho streets,
which is both cruel to the dogs and danger
GUS to the citizens
To do this it is necessary to make house
to house census in January to ascertain who
the dog owners are and how many they
have. The city collected about 81 600 from
the dog tax last year and will get about the
same amount this year.