The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-10-30
AS to the Yaller Dog.

To the Editor of the Nea0s and Courier: ::
When I was in the Legislature and try
ing to devise Bome means k abate the
dog nuisance per capita tax was sug-
gested, but I Was met with the fact that
the Constitution of the State forbid such
tax. To get over this difficulty I, and
the few who felt that something should
be done in this line, tried to impose q
license to own dog on all owners OF
dogs, whether many or few, but after
long struggle the bill was ridiculed out
Of existence. When this great reform
Convention was called had hopes that
this restriction would be removed and
the Legislature ordered to pass such
law as would destroy nearly all the
worthless dogs, which would leave but
few, and there would be such restrictions
thrown around them as would insure the
safety Of sheep in neighbours pasture,
but what do we see? A complete dodge.
Who would have thought that such
body of men, perhaps majority of them
farmers, would be afraid to face the dog,
or rather voter who owns dog?
Shame upon you, men I am ashamed
of you. It shows that the dog influence
il greater even than the whiskey, and
that men prefer their popularity to the
good OF the farmers of the State.
Some men talk fippantly about the
dog having many friends, hence they
must go free to destroy what they please,
but I believe that if the State was can
vassed intelligently that large majority
of intelligent owners would vote for some
law to diminish the number of dogs, as
this would lessen the danger that their
dogs and children are exposed to from
the poor, neglected, worthless dogs which
have not the courage to kill sheep, but
sneak about eating such filth az they can
find, suck their neighbours eggs, get sick
and 20 off with hydrophob.a. The fat,
we'll fed dogs ere the ones that kill the
sheep, in frolic. They do not kill the
sheep to eat them, this comes after the
frolio is over. A few get together and in
their rounds they come across the sheep
and destroy the whole flock, unless it is
very large. They take bait and 60
home until tho next night, when they
come back for another bait. Ifa pen ls
made with rails and drawn in with every
rail, like bird trap, leaving an opening
at the top two feet wide, and the dead
sheep put in, you can catch every dog.
Be sure to bottom the pen closely. This
ia much more certain than to depend on
the votes of such men as we usually send
to the Legislature.
1t amazes me to see the ignorance of
our farmers upon this subject. If this
industry was properly protected, not by
tariff, but from the dogs, the farmers
would by degrees become educated up to
the value of sheep, and millions would
in few years be added to their incomes.
The wool and flesh bring cash, and their
manure fertilize the land as no other
stock does; but so long as we send dema-
gogues to the Legislature we may expect
the present state of things to exist.
Plenty of them will argue that the Con-
vention had the hog, and not the dog, in
their minds when they voted for this
pitiful dodge; for the hog, unrestrained,
is more universal in his destructive pro-
pensities than the dog; but the hog can
be easily penned, while the dog goes at
will. Hence we get no protection.
j. WASHINGTON WATTS.