The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-04-02
City Dog Department and
the Work il Does
Owners of CANNES and Not
the Dogs Are Licensed.
Presidents of the United States and
Their Religion.

These are busy days at the dog depart
ment on the west side OF the first floor OF
the city hsll, where only semi-occasional-
Iva vagrant sunbeam enters to illumi-
nate the features OF the perennially pres
ent and pleasant Steve Banding, prop
erty clerk and Official dog licenser to the
city of Providence. Yesterday the rush
began and will continue for some time
until the six or seven thousand canine
population has been given official right
to existence for another year. People are
now bustling after license for their dogs
or rather licenses for themselves TO keep
dogs, which Is more accurate statement
of the case. As often as dog changes
his owner that owner must be licensed
or the life of that dog will not be OF very
long duration IL the lynx-eyed Crawl Pot
ter or the eagle-orbed Ned Prentiss gets
on his trail, which either one or the
2 other is certain to do sooner or later 1t
js hard on the dog. of course, but then
1t is only a just punishment with no bet
,er appreciation of the fitness of things
than to associate with an unlicensed
owner.
There are good many iniquities in
our dog license system. For example
thoer is no provision for a kennel license.
Thus the keeper of q kennel may have on
his hands hundred or more dogs and
for every one he must take out a license
or run the risk of prosecution as well az
the danger % OF hayipg them treated ,S to an
there is no provision for transfer of a
license. II Smith owns a dog and has 1t
Licensed and in a day or week after
getting the license he gives or sells the
dog to Jones the latter must within $50
days get licensed TO keep that canine or
stand the chances of prosecution. The
dog as a money maker for the city ought
to be near and dear to the heart OF the
Cerberus OF the city treasury because he
puts some s11,00 into the municipal
Golfers every year and never asks any
consideration in the way of wages or re-
bate.
When the dog licensing law was FIRST
put into operation away hack in '61, the
canine fanciers didn't take kindly to 1t at
all. In fact they showed unmistakably
that they preferred their dollars TO their
dogs for the latter they gave up to slaugh-
ter while the former they kept securely in
their pocket. In those days Nahum Will
lard, who at present preserves the peace
in the district south OF Market square on
the east side of the river and the la to
Benjamin Payne were the dog officers
and pretty lively time they had of it.
About everybody who owned dog
wanted him made away with in order TO
save the license fee and It is related that
in that year Mr.. Willard made a
record of over 1000 legal canine assas-
sinations The place OF sepulture was
In that once classic district known
as the Horse Burying grounds and on
the historic Corkey Hill where the sad
breezes from the bay fingered to moan a
requiem DER the unmarked and union
ored graves. There, too, certain hasty
people took TO the dog despatching busi-
ness on their own nook but not being up
in 1t they made trouble and good deal
OF Ii. Their practice was to load the
doomed animal with rock or something
OF that sort and throw him into the
WooDasquatucket river where IL runs
through the cove lands. Pretty soon the
channel was choked up by a barrier OF
dogs and an inundation threatened. The
dog officers had by no means easy time
OF II clearing away the neglected renal ls,
but they succeeded at last aud the threat
ened overflow was averted.
While waiting for election returns up
at the Republican headquarters last night
several gentlemen having exhausted the
subject of the possible and proba BILE
nominee for President driited into a dis
cussion OF the religi Jus beliefs of the va
rious executives OF the nation during
NhAeh Oh' VI Nht BhAbs AUt tidNf-
ment that Jefferson was the only man
who had ever flled the Presidential office
who was not a believer i'm the Deity. The
Gossiper wasn't satisfied that the gentle
msn was correct I'm his assertion so this
morning he looked the matter up and
this Is what he found jefferson, al-
though'even In his life time accused Of
being an atheist was not one by any
means, for In many places in his writings
be alludes TO his belief in a Supreme Be
ing, but he never connected himself with
any church and seldom attended divine
worship.
Now TO the other Presidents: Wash.
ington was ar Episcopalian John Adams,
Unitarian; Madison and Monroe, Epis-
copalians; John Quincy Adams was a
Unitarian and Jackson Joined the Presby-
terian church sfter the death Of his wife.
Van Buren attended the Dutch Reformed
Church but was not member OF IT,
William Henry Harrison and Tyler were
Episcopalians. Polk was not member
Of any church but on his death he was
baptized by Methodist Clergyman. Tay-
Tor regularly attended the Episcopal
church, Fillmore was q Unitarian, Pierce
CongreRationsiist and Buchansn a Pres
byterlan. Abraham Lincoln belonged TO
no denomination but before his election
and frequently afterwsrd he ATTENDED
the Presbyterian church and johnson at