The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-01-05
JUDGE FOSTER IRATE.
Has a Spirited Debate With
Horsemen at Council Meeting.
Intimated That They Did Not
Represent Moral Element.
The Horsemen Then Talk Back About
People Who NEEDLE With Horses
But Don't Know Anything
About Them-It Is All
About the Cruelty
Ordinance.

The meeting of the city council last |
night might have been taken Tor a |
hcrsemen's convention. Tne lobby was
filed with the best known breeders OF
horses in Topeka and the mayor and
the council were side issue.
Opposing the horsemen were United
States District Judge G. c. Foster, r.
G.. Noel and A. 3. Quintcn of the Fos-
ter Humane society, who were there to
keep the humane ordinance from being
consigned to the pigeon hole in the
clerks office.
The following horsenen We're present;
c. H. Culp ". H. Culp. George WolIt'
r. 1. Lee, @. e. Jewell. j. w Ben y
o. Knisely, Guilford Dudley, r r. fos-
ter, Ed Bennett, George c. Prltchard'
George II. Hapgood.
The trouble commenced when the
clerk read The ordinance As soon as
he had finished the reading w H Cup
jumped to his feet and no one stopped
him Some Of the cOuncilmen snick-
cred at his audacity. but he opened up
his batteries by making an attack upon
the provision of the ordinance forbid
ding clipping.
'tNine-tenths of the diseases that
horsehesh is heir to, said he, is caused
by a long coat of hair. 1t is often
humane to have them clipped" Then
he entered into a lengthy discussion on
the history OF clipping. When he sat
down he looked at the oouncllnlen as
if he was satisfied that they could not
Withstand such a flow of eloquence,
but the councilmen are used to that
sort of thing.
r T. Lee. the veteran horseman, who
has done more than any one man to
make Topeka famous as the home or
swift trotters, then took the Hoor "
are all in favor of humane methods IL
treating horses said he, but this or
dinance IS at least 50 years behind the
times. a horse is better of ana more
healthy when he is clipped, and that
has been demonstrated thousands OF
tines as every horsenlan can testify
lie win keep fat on less feed and can
be. more easily fattened if ne is clip
ped. l have had a long experience
with horses, and L must say that con
slider clipping an excellent thing for the
horse.
article printed in a horsernen's paper
to prove his position. Now, 1t seems
to me" he continued, FOR any one 10
come here before you with such an or
dirance as this insults your inteli-
gence.
with reference to high checking,yOu
must remember that each horse is an
individual in himself, and the treatment
that would do for one would not do for
another. I challenge any one TO stan6
on the sidewalk when drive past ana
determine whether a horse is checked
too high or not. 1t is a perfect out
rage to employ a man whose business it
is to stand on the street and stop peo-
pie to inform them that they have their
horses heads too high. L asked Mr.
M A. Low what he thought of this or
dinance, and he said it was absurd. Mr.
Guilford Dudley said 1t was an out
rage. That is the way horsemen re-
gard the ordinance"
P G. NOEL would like to ask the
first gentleman that spoke if he were
to apply the same rule to 4 man that
ne does to a horse, how it would 90 70
keep man in a warm room with an
overcoat on and to suddenly turn him
out into the cold naked?
Mr. CUlp-The same condition does
not exist with q horse. The long hail
holds the dampness and makes him
cold.
Judge c. G. Foster-It makes not q
cents worth of difference to me whether
this ordinance passes or not 1t Is
simply question of right and wrong
We have all heard about Ingerson and
his Mistakes of Moses MY trIenc
here who wants horses clipped in win
ter because it is better for them has
given you lecture on the mistakes OF
the Almighty. He says that horses
enjoy being clipped. That is absurd
Do cells enjoy being skinned This is
pretty cold night, and for men TO gel
up here before an intelligent body OF
men and say that at such a time as
this it is good for a horse to be shOrr
of his natural coat is sheer nonsense
I have had more or less TO do Will
horses ever since L was farmers bO9
10 years old.
This ordinance provides against
over checking, over driving or over
loading horses. L admit that an morse!
do not naturally carry their heads II
the same position but when horse
head is drawn up six inches Iurthel
than nature intended it to go, the
practice of checking becomes one O.
the most outrageous cases Of refined
brutality known to man.
have been at the fair grounds ant
I have seen the horses going around
with their heads drawn way up into the
air but L take no interest in horse
racing, cock fighting or anything of thu
kind. We come before you as repre-
senting the people of churches anC
school houses, the moral element of tn
community whom these people do no
represent. The good people of the cit!
want to see this ordinance become
law.
George Wolff-There are some mel
who do not konw as much as horse
and there are some who think the!
know all about horses when they don't
1 have been in the horse business 3
years and 1 ought to know something
about them. 1t is all right to clip
horse in the winter but he should b
kept carefully blanketed If he is ia
ken out of the stable he should not b
allowed to stand but should be take
back to the stable and turned over [
the hostler. AS far as checking
concerned you must be governed by tn
horse. Some horses should be checke
higher than others but when the hOrs
stands, his head should be let down.
have gone by the church over here an
have seen horses standing there wit
their heads way up in the air Will
their drivers We're in the church. Som
people go to church to make none.
sumo 20 10 get mo politics anu SON
go to keep up appearances and some 6
for the sake of Christianity but thos
who go for the sake of Christianit
never leave their horses stand wit
their heads way up in the air
A B. QuintOn-I do not believe thel
is anything in this ordinance ths
would apply to a man here. Z do ne
believe that any of them mistreat the
horses.
F. H. Foster-I want to say that
represent the moral element of Il
community the church element If
can't convince a jury of u men that
have not abused a horse want to
punished. What I object to is the pr,
vision Of the ordinance against eli