The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-15
Cats and NIIssourl.

All over the world Legislators, states
men, philsnthropists and sociolOgists
are watching the Missouri House Of Rep
resentatives. Watching it with breath
less attention and interest, not because
it will bear watching or wants TO get
away with anything. The other night
Mr.. WALMsLEY's bill TO tax tomoats IS
a year and Tables 30 cents year came
up. The bill provided that the proceeds
OF the cat tax should be used to estab-
lish home for aged spinsters.
This part Of the measure shows in Mr.
WALMsLEY a more superficial and top
dressing Couture" than his constituents
have the right to demand OF him. Spin
sters, aged or young are not necessarily
the greatest cat fancieTs. The cat is a
strange and mystical genius that has
been celebrated worthhy by many men
OF genius. Without cats, BALzAC, GAU-
TIRR, BAUDELAIRE, HUGO, SwINBURNR,
would not have come to the fullest fruit
age Of their powers. Catless, Sir ISAAC
NEWTON might have lived and died mute
and inglorious. A cat, we may be sure,
inspired PoB's strange music. A cat,
brother Of the owl, clairvoyant OF the
night, sat on a window sill and sug-
gestsd The Raven"
For the house cat, with its ardors and
its absences, its eleCtTicities and phos-
phOrescenoes, its absolute independence,
its night vagrancies, its obvious dR-
monio or inspired character, its fellow
ship with witches and the Old Boy, its
possession by the god or devil, divine
or diabolic madness called "fts"-the
house cat appeals to the artistic and the
observant. Any can like dog. The
dog is a bourgeois. The cat is an artist
Tickle, ungrateful, careless, a dandy, an
epicure, but never commonplace, and
seldom respectable
This is said for the information and
reproof Of Mr.. WALMsLEY, to whom and
jefferson City we now return. The com
mittee in charge Of the Tom-and-tabby
tax bill is composed of well meaning
billiards, persons untitled to appreciate
feline talents. 1t reported a Philistino
amendment directing that the provisions
Of the measure should not apply to black
cats, white cats, yellow cats, brindled
cats, speeEed cats, nor any other kind
Of cats excepting Wildcats
1t may be said that this opposition to
the taxing Of the house father and house
mother proves that Missouri loves cats,
has cats to burn, and feels that she can't
AFFORD to pay taxes on them. But cats
are obvious Injuries As mousers,
mouse traps beat them all hollow. In
deed the best cat minds scorn mice save,
perhaps, as the perfume and suppliance
Of a minute. Why, then, are Gil and
Tabby not fair game for the tax col
lector?
'GoD save all here, barring the catl'
says an Irish proverb, intimating the
satanism Of the furred one. II devil
he be, make him take out liCcAse as a
devil wagon does, and be taxed as per-
sonal property. Those sages at Albany
who are trying TO put the Stock Exchange
out Of business might better impose a
cat tax.
Mr., LIE moved that the Missouri cat |
tax bill be amended 80 as to have all |
cats killed Then, he said, "the women
may have time to lavish some of their |
affections on me instead of the internal |
cats Finally, the bill was killed, in
stead Of the internal cats, but by close
vote. Killed, we imagine, because some
Representatives believed it TO be a
yelled attack on United States Senator
WILLIAM JOEL STONE, the noiseless,
flowersoft, -gumshoe' footed statesman, /
who sucks the eggs, but hides the
shells, as BILL PHELPS SAYS