The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1914-08-07
NO HITCH rAw.
Countryman Makes a Vigorous Pro
test Against Recent Ordinance of
The City Board.
The City Board.

IL you Will hlHuly dliOW Atllc
space in your paper, | want to say
few words about the mo hitch"
law in Columbia. About a month
ago it seems the police force got or
ders to take every horse that was
found standing on the main streets
to the livery stable and have the
hitch bill charged to the owner or
lriver of the horse.
AS far as | have been able to learn
this new law was passed by the city
council for two reasons: One was
that it would lessen the number of
runaway horses and teams, and the
other was on sanitary grounds. Both
of these reasons at first sight seem
to be good and sound, as certainly no
one wants his horse to run away and
do a lot of damage for which the
owner may become liable, and GER
tainly everybody ought to be willing
to cheerfully aid in keeping the town
as clean as possible and especially
in carrying out it's sanitary laws.
But, Mr.. Editor, even if this law
was fully enforced and not a horse
was allowed to stand ten seconds on
the streets without driver or per-
son in attendance, and not single
one was allowed to hitch, even if
such compliance with this law was
possible, it would amount simply to
cutting down the number of runaway
horses, and this only in small de-
gre, because the owner generally
knows the disposition of his horse
thoroughly and whether there is any
risk in hitching him to post or
pole or even leaving him standing
without hitching, and it is certain
there is the same amount of flies and
filth whether a horse has a driver or
not.
Now as matter of fact this law is
not enforced more than one-half at
most, and this through no fault OF
the city police at all, for if these off,
GERS did nothing else from morning
till night except take horses to the
livery stable, they would not keep the
streets clear of standing horses and
vehicles by a whole lot.
Now, Mr.. Editor, l am not one OF
these fellows that believe that certain
laws cannot be enforced, for I firmly
believe that every law in this state
and every city law on Columbia can
be carried out to the very letter, but
in this particular "no-hitch" law, the
question is it worth the cost and will
not the enforcement of it do a great
deal more harm than good?
So much for this law as it stands
at present, whether good or bad and
whether it is being carried out or
not. Now for few facts that show
the disadvantages this law causes
both the town people and those who
live in the country also.
A woman lives from two to five
or six miles from town. She drives
in with her small children in a bug
gy or carriage. She brings in butter
or eggs or something to sell and goes
to the different stores to get the best
offer for her produce and these stores
may be and often are several blocks
apart. Now if she observes the mo
hitch" law how can she manage this
She must go to livery stable ant
have her horse hitched, and theI
carry the produce to the differen
stores and perhaps some of her chill
dren, or she must wait out in from
of each store until she can get thu
attention of some clerk or sOmebod!
in the store, and this very often Is {
good long while This same routine
applies to whatever purchases she
may make. She must not leave he
horse and buggy on the street while
she goes in a store to buy, but mus
take her horse and vehicle to liver!
stable and walk from store to store
however, far a part they may be, AM
maybe have to carry her purchases
along with her, and in such no
weather as we have been having, thi
is not very agreeable to say tn
| least of it. OF course this sam
hardship has to be endured by tn
woman who lives out only a shor
distance from town as we'll as on
! who lives several miles away, II
! fact this "no-hitch" law is reall.
more burdensome to the town womal
who drives a horse than to the coun
try woman, as the former drives t.
town nearly every day, while tn
latter comes in only once or twice
week, but of course the "no-hitch
law applies equally to both.
II is the same Way with the coun