Evening star., 1914-02-09
Says City Should Be Ashamed.


Washington should he both interested
and ashamed to learn, says the year
book. that the whole work of animal
protection and the enforcement of the
anti-cruelty laws within the District of
Columbia is performed by little So
ciety of $40 members in 4 city population
of ..if1U. That is less than une-tenth
of per cent In considering this fact
the kind-heaTted aud benevolent who, as
III other cities. make up the majority of
our citizens have an eligible opportunity
10 compare their professions with their
practice.
The human greed which is still at
Tue bottom of most suffering which work
ANIMALS have to endure tiourishes he
cause of the Indifference Of 993 out of
l.H3 people tthe exact proportion herel
To any wrong done to dumb creature
which does not directly concern them
selves Somewhere between the one per
son who acts AMI the hundreds who do
not are the kindly souls who shudder at
the sights they see-sympathize. some
times to tears, with TIN. dumb victims Of
mans brutality, and then go disconso-
lately their way To more engrossing
affairs OF business and pleasures. where.
mercifully, they are allowed to forget.
Cruelty reigns i'll Washington, as else
where. because Of human Indifference TO
it, and the common mother of both cru
which rules the world.
That the police neglect To enforce
the humane laws regarding dumb ami
mails on the statute books, throwing
upon the inadequate facilities of the
Humane Society the entire brunt of the
work, is a complaint set forth in the
year book That the present Commits
sloners of the District of Columbia will
exact of the police department the
same attention to the enforcement of
la to 1t}, 1..x
made to provide for peace and order
in Washington is the hope expressed.
A great deal has been said in the
past and could be said" the year book
comments. about the Indifference of
the regular police to cruelty cases
coming under their observation. That
the police do not enforce the law is
plain to all. The question for immedi-
ate consideration is whether they shall
be compelled to do so in the future.
The District is to be congratulated
upon the induction into office of new
and progressive Board of Commission
ers. The attention of these gentlemen
has been called formally and officially
to the anti-cruelty statutes and they
have been asked to execute them pre-
cisely as they do other laws The HUI
name Society can do no more than
this. 1t remains now to see what the
Commissioners will do.
Need of Animal Hospital.
Regarding the need for an animal hos
pital the yearbook further says:
THE principal work of the Humane
Society is to protect draught horses from
the men who own and work them, and
all of our experience goes to show that
the brutes We are compelled to prosecute
cannot De trusted TO care for the ami
mails they are so willing 10 abuse Wash
ngton urgently needs an animal hospital
"a shelter and d refuge-not only for
mules and horses, but smaller creatures
also.
During the summer months the city Is
full OF homeless dogs and cats abandoned
by heartless owners of both sexes on
their annual migration to country homes
These hapless animals. acquired in the
expansive moments of the opening spring,
are left TO starve on the streets with as
little consideration as would be shown to
vermin. There is. unfortunately, no way
to punish cruelty of this sort but some
thing could be done for the victims II
this society had an animal shelter.
rs il possible that this cannot and Will
not be provided-that in this wealthy cap
ita1 city there IS not enough humane IN
terest in four-footed creatures to care for
them as they are cared for elsewhere
The matter is urgent and should appeal
10 hundreds of our citizens. and II only
they would act together the institution
described could be inauSUrated with little
delay.
Right here il should be said that
wealthy people who clip the coats of their
handsome horses ana leave them unpro-
tected from the weather during the win
ter months, and those who stlil crire
docked horses (procured elsewherel owe
something to the decencies they violate
and might well express il in this way.
They are quite as deserving of condemna-
tion and punishment as heart esshorse
owners wEo maltreat their animals in the
streets Just now the law Will not reach
them but some day Washington will
have a statute prohibiting clipping as well
as docking and Furnishing those who drive
horses upon which these outrages have
been perpetrated.
Work OF the Society.
The enormous amount of work accom-