The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-04

/ George W. Evans. representing The mas,
/ meeting of citizens held last Friday might
! TO protest against the muzzle law. called
upon the District Commissioners ycster-
day and presented to them the petition OF
more than 2oo0 names. requesting the au-
/ thorijies TO rcscind the order OF December
/ last requiring dogs running at large to
wear muzzles In behalf OF the citizens
I and members OF the Humane Society Mr.
! Evans addressed The Commissioners. taking
strong ground against the necessity for
. the enforcement Of the order. and argued
Do favor Of the general proposition TO en-
trust the care Of the District dog pound
TO the Humane Society Mr.. Evans said
"A mass meeting Of residents Of The
District Of Columbia was held AT the Ma
tional Rifles Hall. March so. TO take action
and formulate a protest against further
continuance of the proclamation Of your
honorable body issued in December lass.
requiring that all dogs running al large
I'm The District Of Columbia be muzzled for
q period OF six months. ] was unanimously
elected chairman Of the meeting. The
accompanying petition. signed by nearly
2.nue citizens. taxpayers. and friends Of the
dogs. was presented and adopted. and ]
was Instructed TO present he same ar once
10 your honorable body for appropriate &c
ton. The petition speaks for itself, it is
an earnest protest against a further con-
tnuauce Of the proclamation aforesaid
and respectfully pleads that the proclama-
tion be rescinded. II was the sense of
that meeting that the same authority of
Ha-a
NoL20. Il page Ia grants YOU the same
powers and discretion to annul the pro
clamation as IL gives to you the right tc
issue it. The whole matter is largely dis
cretoHary with you
Also a resolution was unanimously
adopted expressing IL as the sense Of the
meeting that the pound be placed under
the control and management Of the HUI
name Society. as IL is in other large cities
OF the United States. thereby insuring &c
be unfortunate animals impounded more
humane treatment 4 recommendation 70
that effect Was adopted.
1T was also further resolved that it
was the unanimous opinion Of the meeting
that under the law quoted by the Commits
sioners TO the chairman OF the meeting.
Mr.. George W. Evans. the act Of June 10,
1878, no authority is given the Commits
0lAhN4c TO tAdti q loaLN lee OF = from lue
owner Of q duly licensed and tagged dog
when redeemed from the pound, the same
having been captured unmuzzled. Sec
lions >. 3. 4 G. and Of the act OF June l9
1873. substantially guarantees protection
10 the owners and their dogs after having
paid the annual tax license Of 50 and
placed upon the neck Of the dog his collar
and tag. Section Of this act permits the
dog 10 run at large when so tagged and
makes anyone killing such dog liable to a
civil action for damages. Section S prac-
tically covers The same point and provides
q penalty for stealing or capturing
licensed dog.
eft was further resolved that when an
uumuzzled but properly tagged dog is i'm
pounded the pound master under the di-
Teoion Of the District Commissioners. .
shall so advertise The impounded dog for
a period q three days at least giving a
description Of and the breed Of the dog
and the number Of the tag on the collar; .
and that should the owner call for the
same and present his tax receipt the dog
shall be released TO the owner without
cost for redemption.
In conveying 10 you gentlemen. the .
expressed wishes Of the meeting Of the .
friends and owners OF the dogs ! wish
further 10 state that this dog law was en-
= lt4 lN 1000 lDN tNFli TWO years since.
and that you are the first Of the District
officials TO ever bring into play section .
IF that act. commonly known as The muzzle
section. Your predecessors have evidently
never deemed II necessary to enforce such
3 cruel and unnecessary act and have be
.ieyed. as your petitioners now believe
that to have enforced fl would have done
much more harm than good. To muzzle a .
log iufiicJs q positive cruelty upon the an
maL and does more to drive IL mad than
any other torture that can be devised
II is inhuman to bind up his jaws with +
d strap muzzie or to shut up his mouth
and cross his ewes with the wire muzzle.
Both are an instrument Of fendish tor
-ure. The dog breathes, perspires and /
pants through his mouth, and il is con- |
tTary to the laws OF animal nature that I
this organ OF its composition should be /
closed. As the warm season approaches
The dogs should not be deprived Of the
opportunity 70 PAM with their mouth open.
lr 10 queuch their thirst by tapping water
3t the fountains placed by the Humane
society. iu many parts OF The city. FOR the
poor dumb beasts. With the muzZle fixed .
tightly on them. as required by your or
Fer. they cannot lap the water. conse-
llentlv they suffer untold misery. enough
o drive them mad
i may add. ig closing my argument
hat ayGTar Hcbia. if Sc has ever existed .
here. and ] caHdidly believe that it has
not Wa7 NOT nor has it ever been iu my
Judgment epidemic be form. We may have
had sporali. case annually Of rabies
here and there. in the District Of Column
Jia J believe. however that such iu-
tan1e5 have been more epileptc ana min
rial poison cases than otherwise When
.ou consider for moment thar with an
iyerahe annual population Of from T. GOO
1 Ii GOO dogs You have so few cases of
log bites, and bot more than ten developed
asses OF so-caiIed rabies this year. Can
ron NOT make Gp your minds 10 believe
hat your dog muzzie order is absurd and
InWaIIautod under The circumstance
1T has been cout5nded by many phyei-
isus and scientists that there is no such
disease as hydrCphobia or rabies. as il
g more correctly called. 7 fully agree with
hem, especially iu the case Of female dogs
hat have never been known 20 have gone
mad Not one person in a thousand bit
en- by dogs Is in any danger Of 70, and not
ne dog killed among 500 supposed mad
logs is really mad The word hydropho-
Dia is a missioner, for a mad dog has no
ear Of water. and viii run through a
halloW pool without the slightest hesfta-
ion; the fear b. that OF drinking water.
" Of swallowing anything either fluid
u solid, as the attempt Is almost certain
o throw the sufferer man OF beast into
pasms. The only Way Of transmitting
ydrophobia Is by incubation; that is by
he introduction OF the virus into the
ody through a wound Of the skin Of the
lucu0us membrane. The most usual way
OF this rare event TO occur, is. OF course.
through the bite Of a rabid dog. cat or
Their animal But not every bite. even OF
genuinely mad dog is followed by hydro
hOba.
"Whal ! have said here is 10 impress
uou the minds Of your honorable body the
rm conviction I hold that hydrophohia |