The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-12-23
REFORM LEGISLATION.
New York Writer Would Stop Abuses Of
Animals Not Now Reached by Law,

New York Writer Would Stop Abuses O
Animals Not Now Reached by Law.
Editor Our Dumb Animals: Accept.
ing your courteous invitation, beg here.
with to submit briefly few thoughts
that have been on my mind for severa
years and which constantly are being
| brought home to my heart by the sights
that daily meet my gaze while walking
| in the streets of New York.
| The first and perhaps the most i'm.
portant reform that would bring about
for the protection of animals from GER
tain forms of cruelty, which the public
has grown so accustomed to seeing that
| it hardly brings forth word of protest
even from humane people themselves, is
| this:
| urge, and have urged through the
daily press, the passage of law making
it misdemeanor, punishable by fine or
imprisonment, or both, for man or boy
to drive lame horse faster than walk.
There is not humane man, woman or
child who has not been stung to the
heart by the sight of thoughtless or
merciless driver urging on a blind or
lame horse, mule, or donkey, to gallop,
or even to trot. need not harrow the
feelings of the readers of Our Dumb
Animals by going into particulars con-
corning this all too prevalent form of
cruelty to animals, as they doubtless
have been unwilling witnesses of this
perhaps thoughtless, but nevertheless
outrageous form Of ill-using defenceless
beasts of burden. Such sights are COM
paratively common in Greater New York
and doubtless are to lesser extent in
all cities and towns of the United States,
and in bull-fghting Spain.
My next suggestion concerns what is
the refinement of cruelty of a civilized
nation against large number of the
members of the horse kingdom, and
makes me long for the day when the
horseless carriage, wagon and taxicab
shall have entirely superseded the horse
drawn carriage, wagon and cab.
Although it is against the law of near
ly, if not all, the States of the Union to
ent to all that the laws have been gross
ly violated, and as result | would make
it a misdemeanor, punishable by fine or
imprisonment, or both, for man, wom-
an or boy to drive a dock-tailed horse in
fly time from June 18th to September
30th) on the streets, roads or highways,
unless the horse is protected with full
size leather fly net.
| would also prescribe the same penalty
for any driver land in addition fine for
the owner of the animaD who allowed
his horse to stand in the street or road
without being covered with full size
wooden horse blanket in winter when the
thermometer registers 81 degrees Fair
enheit or thereabouts
There are many other forms of cruelty
to animals, some of them very serious
and some of minor Importance, but all
nevertheless causing misery and pain,
notably the strap muZZle. If dogs must
be muzzled, nothing but the most humane
muzzle ever ought to be used and then
only for an hour or two at time as the
fieas nearly drive dogs ''crazy' if they
cannot bite at the spot where the para
sites congregate.
Most of your 300, 900 readers probably
know more about the many forms of
cruelty than do, and appeal to them to
use their pens as we'll as their tongues in
endeavoring to write" the wrongs from
which the defenceless dumb animals are
constantly suffering at the hands of
thoughtless, unkind and cruel men and
women. l ask your readers to try the
power of the press in helping emancipate
the animal world from the injustice and
wrongs under which it is still grooming.
And the way to do it is to agitate!
agitate!! agitate!!! Yours very truly,
GEORGE FOSTER HOWELL,
Brooklyn, N. Y.