The San Francisco call., 1899-03-10

Executive Department, State of Cali
fornia.
Il herewith return to your honorable
body without my approval Assembly Dill
Number ), with my objections thereto
This bill exhibits the evils OF oVerZeal
ADnarentIv designed to relieve the bur-
dens laid upon all dumb animals, 1t act
uaIIv imposes the ponderouS financial bur-
den of $l02 500 annually not on!y on ttle
mule but human taxpayers OF the state
or a tax upon the people of each county OF
the State of over $500 per annum lor the
benefit of the Sympathetlc 1rlehos OF tIe
brute For the violation of any one or the
extra ordinary provisions of this Dill the
offense is rated so high that all members
and agents of the society referred TO IN
the act are authorized to start upon d Pll-
orimape of humane slaughter, ana Tor
such purposes may carry the same Weap-
ons that Sheriffs, Constables, pohceneh
and neace officers are authorized to carry
's'These newly created knights OF the
nistoI and truncheon are justified by TINS
bin in the use of armed Intervention not
for the benefit of the State but Tor tne
nIrnose of increasing the eXchequer of the
Incorporated humane societies.
s.Tbe societies characterized as hu-
name which should operate uIlaer IN taIs
bin. would soon prove mlSnomer, mas
much as by its provisions the o1ncers OF
such societies are authorized to XIII every
sick disabled infirm or crippled animal
which may have been abandoned by its
owner and are empowered to use force
and arms against any person VINO should
remonStrate OF AileIASlS Will elilo san
or,11 nAnnfber Unusually cruel feature of the
hil is to be found in section Il, by which
it is made the duty of every owner OF an
animal. which is unfit by reason of its
physical condition for the purpose for
which such animals are usually employed,
and when there is no reasonable proba-
bility of such animal ever becoming MT
for the purposes for which it is usually
employed to kill the same within twelve
hours after being notified by peace OF
ficer or officer of said society. So, there
fore if the animal should have been used
for racing or breeding. purposes and
should be no longer fit therefor, the un-
fortunate beast must be deprived of life;
This doctrine is wholly indefensible. II
the owner of a horse destined for such
fate because of such uselessness, should
happen to be hippophile and lack the
bloodthirsty spirit necessary for obedl-
ence to such officers command, then he
subjected to the punishment of fine or
Imprisonment or both, as provided for in
the act.
Il find a singular ambiguity in section
q of the bill which. should it become a
law, might puzzle the ermined arbiters,
namely where the following language is
used: ANY person or persons holding
lien or liens against any animal or ami
mails under the provisions of this act may
satisfy such lien as follows: If such lien
be not paid by the party or parties re-
sponsible within three days after the OBJ
lfgation becomes due, then the party or
parties holding such lien may resort to
the proper court to satisfy the claim or
he or they three days after the charges
against such property become due may
sell the same or so much thereof as may
be necessary to defray the amount due
and cost of sale etc.
Now as by section 20 no tail shall be
'docked or shortened 1t might be diff
cult for a strict constructionist to deter
mine whether the tail should be included
or excluded from the sale and conflict
might arise which would involve mathe-
matics as we'll as ethics But disregard
ing this possible conflict as of trivial inn
portance it is not useless to the tax
payer to serutinize the purpose of the
bill which seems to impose all the ex-
penses of the trials and proceedings upon
the several counties and to permit the
humane societies to reap the benefits of
of a single dollar
II am heartily in favor of proper meas
ures for the protection of all animals
from cruelty; but such measure as this
proposed cannot, without grave injustice,
accomplish such object, nor does it war