, 1905-02-24
PAMPHLET FROM SECRETARY OF
COLORADO STATE BUREAU
OF ANIMAL PROTECTION
ANSWERED.
L. Laughiin Takes Exception to
Grossly Exaggerated Statement of
Tremendous Suffering Of Live
Stock on Western Plains and
Shows That Best Stockmen Are
as Human as Other Citizens.

Mr.. l.. l.. Laughlin of Toltec, one OF
the largest stockmen in the county
and a broad minded citizen, has re
ceived from e. X. Whitehead. secre-
tary of the Colorado state bureau OF
child and animal protection. "a printed
pamphlet of five pages, entitled. The
starvation of Cattle on the Western
Plains" and containing on the last
page a cut of a poor steer, all skin
and bones, with the coyotes waiting
in the distance for the scant meal the
carcass would make when he steer is
forced to give up the ghost in the driv.
ing snow storm. In connection with
the pamphlet Mr.. Lauehlin wrote the
following, addressed to the editor OF
The Republican:
The pamphlet, entitled THE Starya-
ton of Cattle on the Western Plains
fell into my hands recently while on
the train in Nebraska. | wish to say
TO begin with that | believe that un
speakable good has resulted from the
enactment and enforcement of good.
wholesome laws to prevent cruelty to
dumb animals; and | have been hope.
jul hat our own legislature, composed
for the most part of men directly or
indirectly engaged in the stock grow
ing business, would some to see the
wisdom of making a law looking to the
betterment of the condition of the live.
stock of the state; but l believe that
nothing so hinders this action as such
gross misrepresentation of facts as
those published in the article referred
to-.
The advocates Of these reform mea
sures are usually men or ONE pos.
sessing great, loving hearts, and who,
on most subjects, are clear-minded.
Some, however, prompted by the best
motives, are SO intensely Jealous for
the aus they espouse and look so
long and intensely at some object of
' eAoI thC cbJSSl itoSii 6loVo Ia
magnitude and importance until the
evil seems greater and nor deadly than
all things else besides.
am often reminded by their action
of the family driving horse of my
friend. This horse had all the noble
qualities of that most lovable dumb
c. ~ H. vrvr- hon 80 &
gentle, kind. trusty, n usually in
telligent except in one particular-he
was very much afraid of a hole in the
highway. He seemed to imagine all
manner of evil lurked in or about that
hole; and once, when crossing a bridge
with the family in the carriage, he
espied a broken board in the floor OF
the bridge. He stopped and stared at
the hole, and, upon being urged on,
SHE'D. tipping the carriage with all its
occupants over the side Of the bridge
and was dragged over himself.
l do not wish to minimize the i'm
portance of this very important sub
ject, but the object of that article seems
to seek by its circulation throughout
the country to create a sentiment suf-
ficient to enforce the United States
congress to pass a law on this subject
to govern the stockmen of the plains;
and it is entirely within the range of
possibility that ninety-nine of the con
gressmen out of every hundred know
as little about the needs of the stock
men of the plains as does the writer
of that article.
On page 3 he draws from his imagi
nation a picture of the sufferings of
one animal which, if it. were true in
stead Of imaginary, would be horrible
enough surely; but he follows imme
dlately by multiplying the miseries of
this one imaginary animal by forty mil
liens. the whole number Of cattle owned
by all the stock growers of the plains,
and then concludes: "You have a
statement of the brute %sufferings in
one year and every year in this I'M
trade" To deny this pre-
posterous assertion would be to re-
fleet upon the intelligence of the aver
age reader; nor does the statement
on page 4 warrant any such deduction.
He asks, who are the owners Of these
unfortunate animals and proceeds to
"They are our best citizens, fore
most in business" etc. Notice he puts
quotation marks about "our best citi-
zens." Now, l believe he could make
statement without quotation
marks n not impair his reputation
truth and veracity; at least they be-
lieve themselves as good as the best.
True, many Of them do not have the
influence OF society and
church that the more thickly populated
enjoy: but within their
rough exterior, back of their unrefined
speech, there Is more kindness Of
leart, more unselfish love for the dumb
animal, than a be found in any other
business on earth. It is no uncommon
hing for these plainsmen to help to
Is feet an unfortunate animal, or to
ramp maths through drifted snow to
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