New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-06
ryr coyrpOL OF CHICKENS.

A correspondent in Wisconsin writes 10 ca"
MIR attention to a signal municipal trump" o..'
n domestic animal which has Deeh tu'""s ~"
ertv into license He incloses newspaper CLIP
ming Giving an account Of the placing OF TIC
chickens under police surveillance In certain parts
OF Milwaukee, 1t appears that heretoioie ''o
domestic hen has enjoyed peculiar privileges III
Milwaukee. We have a vague notion that THESE
NAV have been originally guaranteed her IN the
city's charter. or something OF that sort. thousn
we may be mistaken. Anyhow, the men anu
freedom have been synonymous IN Mh"auhee
It Is true that the historian can point MS nnser
to instances when she has been deprived Oh her
liberty but In every such case we peleVe' enc
has been promptly released on a'wrt OF habeas
corpus
But II seems from the before mentioned CLIP
ping that for some time an agitation mas peeh
going on for an abrogaion Of the treaty win the
chickens In the City Council this opposition
was led by Alderman Maphay. But the chicKeh-
raisers were powerful In the Council ana the
Alderman had hard fight to carry MS poih''
though to a disinterested observer 1t seems that
IL was high time that something was done In
the business section especially the wandering
chickens were growing to be little snort or
nuisance The larger and more INDECENT breeds
had become naughty ard overbearng 70 de-
gree. often refusing to move out OF the way for
the customary "Shoow whether uttered In Eng
lish or German. Many well-known citizens
trpped over large Brahma hens or Shanghal
ROSTERS and fell heavily to the stone walk One
old Plymouth Rock took two falls out OF Alder
man Maphay himself, thereby showing her in
discretion, since this tended to increase rather
than to diminish his opposition. The smaller
"a no ot
irene. but were no less nuisance. They were
constantly becoming frightened. flying about and
creating a disturbance with their incessant
cackling. One nervous Leghorn pullet used 10
ny to the top Of the hagpoe on the Farmers and
Manufacturers National Bank every time the
fire company appeared on the street. where she
would cackle till she hoarse. Another
speckled hen OF uncertain breed acquired the
habit at sunset each evening Of going to roost
on the santing pole OF the first trolley-car which
came along. While this practice was not a d.
rect hardship on any one, Alderman Maphay
urged that II tended to impress the stranger In
town with an idea OF Milwaukees bucolic char
acter which was not justified by her population
and volume OF business.
When the matter came up In the Council the
chicken owners made a vigorous protest Tney
freely charged that the citizens who had been
trIpped up by the fowls had been in condition 10
see more poultry than actually existed. and that
i'm trying to avoid the Imaginary they had
tumbled over the real. The bottom was knocked
out OF this argument. however when 1t was
shown that the president Of the East Side Pro-
hibiton Club had several times fallen down over
indolent hens. and that on one such occasion an
enterprising young pullet had rushed up and
seized and swallowed his diamond shirt stud
rs the time coming" pointedy asked Alderman
Maphay when grave. won't be good enough
for our chickens and the city will be called upon
"to provide for them tin pans OF ffteen-carat
diamonds on every corner" This somewhat
disconnected the chicken-rasers, and there were
loud cheers from the taxpayers among the oppo-
sition.
But when the matter came to actual vote the
motion that chickens be not allowed to run at
large was lost Alderman Maphay however. was
resourceful, and Immediately proposed COM
promise by establishing chicken limits on the
plan Of fire limits. This he finally carried
through the East Side district being bounded by
Wisconsin and Milwaukee SITS. Ogden-ave. and
the lake shore: the West Side district by Thr-
teenth, Clybourne Twenty fifth and Wells SITS.
and the South Side district to include all Of the
residence neighborhood. Within these limits no
chickens are now allowed to run at large In the
streets. A man may attach string to his hens
leg and lead her about, but II he let so the
string she Is liable to be taken up and i'm
pounded All public nests found within the
chicken limits will he confscated and the eggs
| turned over to the Amshouse Board Thus
| municipal reform marches on.