St. Paul daily globe., 1895-07-03
LosT-A MAD DoC SCARE

--<znr
LOST-A MAD DOG SCARE.
The way in which our statute
books become loaded down with
useless ordinances and regulations,
and the method of educating
the people to ignore and despise the
law, are well illustrated in the pro-
ceedings of the city council grow
ing out of the recent mad dog scare.
The G b held at the time that
this was a bit of pure sensational
ism. There is some reason to think
that there was one or more cases Of
rabies in ST. Paul at that time, al
though even this is denied by some
parties. But there was no founda-
ton whatever for the ridiculous pam
ic that struck the people because
some dogs were sure every day to
snap at children who had teased
them, and others suffered from diff
ferent kinds of disorders induced by
the hot weather. These common
place and constantly occurring at
tacks were worked up into an allur-
ing description of what was called
"an epidemic Of rabies Terror is
people who were taken in by this
stuff actually believed it possible
that rabies could become epidemic
and that the lives of the people of
this city were menaced by daily in
creasing army of mad dogs.
At the height of their frenzy they
passed an ordinance requiring all
dogs to be muZZled, imposing a sub
Stantial license fee and authorizing
owners had not duly complied with
the ordinance of the law. 1t is moth
ing less than ludicrous to see how
American communities have come to
depend on the saving efficiency of
written ordinances, and conclude
that they have done their whole duty
as soon as they have passed a law
about something. Just as a nervous
patient RECEIVERS his senses and his
health after the physician called in
has prescribed for him some harm
less medicament, so the people of st.
when the edict went forth that dogs
should be either .muzzled or killed.
The fact is that the dogs are neither
muzzled nor killed. The situation is
exactly what it was before this scare
originated or this ordinance was
passed. There are no more mad
dogs in st. Paul now than there
were then, and no fewer. Several
hundred dollars have been invested
in patent muzzles, which drove a
few of the unhappy CANNES frantic
for a day or two, until they were
taken off and hung up for use in
some indefinite future day.
But the council refused to appoint
a dog catcher, refused to take any
steps whatever to make its ordin-
ance effective, and the whole matter
has dropped right there. 1t ought to
have dropped one stage earlier. If
it was true that there was an cpl
demic of rabies in this city, it was
| not ended by an enforced ordinance.
| If it was not true that there was an
| epidemic of rabies in this city, then
| the whole agitation was a cruel i'm
position upon the public. On which
side the facts lie seems to be pretty
we'll indicated by the situation of
things today. The ordinance is a
dead letter, the dogs are not muz-
zled, nobody pretends that there is
either the slightest disposition or de-
mand for the enforcement of the
law, and yet people are not dropping
dead of hydrophobia along our
streets. The net practical result
seems to be one more lesson in con-
tempt of the law, one more proof
that the individual can do as he
pleases regardless of police regula-
tionS. We consider this as one of
the most unfortunate consequences
of what seems to have been an un-
considered and unnecessary agita-
tion.